Escribir Conjugation Chart & Full Tense Guide

“Escribir” is a Spanish irregular verb meaning “to write”. 

I’m James, from Learn Spanish With James and the host of the Learn Spanish With James Podcast.

In this guide, we’ll explore every “escribir” conjugation across simple and compound tenses.

I’ll also provide example sentences to help you grasp Spanish verb conjugation in context. 

And while Spanish verb conjugation may initially seem daunting with such verbs, fear not – mastering it is well within your grasp.

Present Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	escribo
you	tú	escribes
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	escribe
we	nosotros,nosotras	escribimos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	escribís
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	escriben

When We Use the Present Tense

In Spanish, the present tense is used to express actions that are currently happening or habitual actions.

An example of this is “I write”.

The indicative present continuous (estoy escribiendo) describes ongoing actions (I am writing). 

Examples of the Present Tense “Escribir” Conjugation

• Yo escribo un libro cada año. (I write a book every year.)
• Tú escribes cartas a tus amigos. (You write letters to your friends.)
• Él/ella escribe en su diario todas las noches. (He/she writes in his/her diary every night.)
• Nosotros escribimos poemas para el concurso. (We write poems for the contest.)
• Vosotros escribís correos electrónicos a vuestra familia. (You all write emails to your family.)
• Ellos/ellas escriben ensayos para la clase de literatura. (They write essays for the literature class.)

Preterite Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	escribí
you	tú	escribiste
he, she. it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	escribió
we	nosotros, nosotras	escribimos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	escribisteis
they, you (pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	escribieron

When We Use the Preterite Tense

You will need to learn the preterite tense in Spanish to describe actions completed in the past as a specific point. 

With the verb “escribir” this becomes “I wrote” in the first person singular form. 

You’ll notice that this is different from the imperfect tense, so try not to confuse these two past tenses. 

“Escribir” follows regular conjugation patterns in the preterite tense. You will see these in context below. 

Examples of the Preterite Tense “Escribir” Conjugation

• Yo escribí una novela el año pasado. (I wrote a novel last year.)
• Tú escribiste una carta de amor. (You wrote a love letter.)
• Él/ella escribió un poema para su pareja. (He/she wrote a poem for his/her partner.)
• Nosotros escribimos una canción juntos. (We wrote a song together.)
• Vosotros escribisteis un mensaje en la pizarra. (You all wrote a message on the board.)
• Ellos/ellas escribieron un guión para la obra de teatro. (They wrote a script for the play.)

Imperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	escribía
you	tú	escribías
he, she, it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	escribía
we	nosotros, nosotras	escribíamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	escribíais
they, you(pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	escribían

When We Use the Imperfect Tense

In Spanish, the imperfect tense is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past. 

This makes it differ from the preterite tense (in the previous example). 

The translation of “escribir” in the imperfect tense is “was writing” and “used to write”.

Examples of the Imperfect Tense “Escribir” Conjugation

• Yo escribía cuentos cuando era niño. (I used to write stories when I was a child.)
• Tú escribías en tu diario todos los días. (You used to write in your diary every day.)
• Él/ella escribía poemas en la playa. (He/she used to write poems at the beach.)
• Nosotros escribíamos cartas a nuestros abuelos. (We used to write letters to our grandparents.)
• Vosotros escribíais en el cuaderno de clase. (You all used to write in the class notebook.)
• Ellos/ellas escribían en la pizarra durante la lección. (They used to write on the board during the lesson.)

Future Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	escribiré
you	tú	escribirás
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	escribirá
we	nosotros,nosotras	escribiremos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	escribiréis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	escribirán

When We use the Future Tense

The future tense in the Spanish language is used to describe actions that will happen later on in the future.

For example, “I will write a book tomorrow”.

In order to conjugate ”escribir” in the future tense, we need to add the following verb endings, as seen in the examples below, to the end of the infinitive.

Top Tip: Future tense conjugation usually stays the same, even for irregular -IR verbs. Check out the following conjugation guides to see this for yourself: “Decidir“, “Vivir“, “Seguir“, and “Ir“.

Examples of the Future Tense “Escribir” Conjugation

• Yo escribiré un libro sobre mi experiencia. (I will write a book about my experience.)
• Tú escribirás un artículo para el periódico. (You will write an article for the newspaper.)
• Él/ella escribirá una carta de agradecimiento. (He/she will write a thank-you letter.)
• Nosotros escribiremos un guión para la película. (We will write a script for the movie.)
• Vosotros escribiréis un mensaje en la tarjeta de cumpleaños. (You all will write a message on the birthday card.)
• Ellos/ellas escribirán un discurso para la ceremonia. (They will write a speech for the ceremony.)

Conditional Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	escribiría
you	tú	escribirías
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	escribiría
we	nosotros,nosotras	escribiríamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	escribiríais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	escribirían

When We Use the Conditional Tense

The conditional tense is used to express actions that would happen under certain conditions.

For example, “I would write a book if I had time”. 

You’ll notice that this tense, when followed by “si” (if), triggers the imperfect subjunctive, which we’ll come onto shortly.

The conditional tense is easy to learn. Just add the relevant endings to the infinitive form. 

Examples of the Conditional “Escribir” Conjugation

• Yo escribiría un libro si tuviera más tiempo. (I would write a book if I had more time.)
• Tú escribirías una canción si supieras tocar la guitarra. (You would write a song if you knew how to play the guitar.)
• Él/ella escribiría un poema si estuviera inspirado. (He/she would write a poem if he/she were inspired.)
• Nosotros escribiríamos un blog si nos pagaran por ello. (We would write a blog if we were paid for it.)
• Vosotros escribiréis una historia si os lo pidieran. (You all would write a story if they asked you to.)
• Ellos/ellas escribirían una novela si tuvieran la oportunidad. (They would write a novel if they had the chance.)

Preterite Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	he	escrito
you	tú	has	escrito
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	ha	escrito
we	nosotros,nosotras	hemos	escrito
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habéis	escrito
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	han	escrito

When We Use the Preterite Perfect Tense

The preterite perfect tense, also known as the perfect tense, allows us to describe actions that have been completed before a specific point in the past, similar to the indicative present perfect tense in English.

For example, “I have written a book”.

In order to form this tense, you need to conjugate the auxiliary verb ”haber” and add the past participle ”escrito.”

This past participle “escrito” stays the same in the perfect tense, as well as the pluperfect tense, the future perfect tense, and the conditional perfect tense. 

We’ll come onto these shortly.

Examples of the Preterite Perfect “Escribir” Conjugation

• Yo he escrito un libro en mi vida. (I have written one book in my life.)
• Tú has escrito un artículo para la revista. (You have written an article for the magazine.)
• Él/ella ha escrito una carta de recomendación para su amigo. (He/she has written a recommendation letter for his/her friend.)
• Nosotros hemos escrito un guión para el cortometraje. (We have written a script for the short film.)
• Vosotros habéis escrito una canción juntos. (You all have written a song together.)
• Ellos/ellas han escrito un informe detallado sobre el proyecto. (They have written a detailed report about the project.)

Pluperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	había	escrito
you	tú	habías	escrito
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	había	escrito
we	nosotros,nosotras	habíamos	escrito
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habíais	escrito
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habían	escrito

When We Use the Pluperfect Tense

We use the pluperfect tense in Spanish when we want to describe actions that had been completed before another past action.

An example of this is “I had written a book before I turned 30”.

This tense is similar to the past perfect tense in English and again requires specific conjugated forms of the auxiliary verb ”haber” and the past participle.

Examples of Escribir in the Pluperfect Tense

• Yo había escrito el primer capítulo antes de conocer al editor. (I had written the first chapter before meeting the editor.)
• Tú habías escrito un poema antes de la clase de literatura. (You had written a poem before the literature class.)
• Él/ella había escrito el guión antes de ensayar. (He/she had written the script before rehearsing.)
• Nosotros habíamos escrito el informe antes de la reunión. (We had written the report before the meeting.)
• Vosotros habíais escrito la carta antes de enviarla. (You all had written the letter before sending it.)
• Ellos/ellas habían escrito el artículo antes de la fecha límite. (They had written the article before the deadline.)

Future Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habré	escrito
you	tú	habrás	escrito
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habrá	escrito
we	nosotros,nosotras	habremos	escrito
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habréis	escrito
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrán	escrito

When We Use the Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense is used to describe actions that will have been completed by a certain point in the future.

You should get the idea now based on the previous examples. The translation with “escribir” is “I will have written”.

Again, we form this tense with the specific conjugated forms of the auxiliary verb ”haber”, and the past participle of “escribir”.

Examples of “Escribir” in the Future Perfect Tense

• Yo habré escrito el libro para el próximo año. (I will have written the book by next year.)
• Tú habrás escrito la tesis antes de graduarte. (You will have written the thesis before graduating.)
• Él/ella habrá escrito el guión para la próxima semana

• Él/ella habrá escrito el guión para la próxima semana. (He/she will have written the script by next week.)
• Nosotros habremos escrito el informe antes de la presentación. (We will have written the report before the presentation.)
• Vosotros habréis escrito las tarjetas de Navidad para diciembre. (You all will have written the Christmas cards by December.)
• Ellos/ellas habrán escrito los discursos para la ceremonia de graduación. (They will have written the speeches for the graduation ceremony.)

Conditional Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habría	escrito
you	tú	habrías	escrito
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habría	escrito
we	nosotros,nosotras	habríamos	escrito
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habríais	escrito
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrían	escrito

When We Use the Conditional Perfect Tense

The conditional perfect tense is used to describe actions that would have been completed under certain conditions in the past.

For example, “I would have written the book, if I’d had more time”.

When we employ the conditional perfect tense with the verb “escribir”, we typically refer to hypothetical situations or actions related to writing dependent on specific circumstances in the past.

I have provided examples below of how to use “escribir” in the conditional perfect tense.

Examples of “Escribir” in the Conditional Perfect Tense

• Yo habría escrito el libro si hubiera tenido más tiempo. (I would have written the book if I had had more time.)
• Tú habrías escrito la canción si hubieras tenido inspiración. (You would have written the song if you had had inspiration.)
• Él/ella habría escrito el poema si le hubieran pedido. (He/she would have written the poem if they had asked him/her.)
• Nosotros habríamos escrito el artículo si nos hubieran dado la oportunidad. (We would have written the article if they had given us the chance.)
• Vosotros habríais escrito la historia si hubierais tenido más información. (You all would have written the story if you had had more information.)
• Ellos/ellas habrían escrito la novela si hubieran tenido el tiempo suficiente. (They would have written the novel if they had had enough time.)

Present Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	escriba
you	tú	escribas
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	escriba
we	nosotros,nosotras	escribamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	escribáis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	escriban

When We Use the Present Subjunctive

The present subjunctive is used to express desires, doubts, or uncertainty about an action.

In Spanish, we also use this tense after verbs of influence, desire, necessity, doubt, or emotion in the main clause, such as: 

• querer que (to want that) 
• esperar que (to hope that) 
• dudar que (to doubt that) 
• preferir que (to prefer that). 

Examples of “Escribir” in the Present Subjunctive

• Tú necesitas que yo te escriba una carta de ánimo para que te sientas mejor. (You need me to write you a letter of encouragement so that you feel better.)
• Yo quiero que tú escribas una carta a tus padres. (I want you to write a letter to your parents.)
• Es importante que él/ella escriba en su diario todos los días. (It’s important that he/she writes in his/her diary every day.)
• Dudo que nosotros escribamos un libro este año. (I doubt that we will write a book this year.)
• Espero que vosotros escribáis un poema para la competición. (I hope that you all write a poem for the competition.)
• Ojalá que ellos/ellas escriban un guion interesante. (I hope that they write an interesting script.)

Imperfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	escribiera, escribiese
you	tú	escribieras, escribieses
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	escribiera, escribiese
we	nosotros,nosotras	escribiéramos, escribiésemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	escribierais, escribieseis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	escribieran, escribiesen

When We Use the Imperfect Subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive is used to express hypothetical situations, wishes, or uncertainty, this time in the past.

It can also appear in subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like: 

• si (if) 
• como si (as if) 
• aunque (even though) 
• and mientras (while) 

Examples of “Escribir” in the Imperfect Subjunctive

• Quería que él escribiera el libro antes del fin de este mes. (I wanted him to write the book before the end of the month.)
• Ellos querían que escribieras el libro antes del fin de este mes.(They wanted you to write the book before the end of this month.)
• Era importante que escribiera el libro antes del fin de semana. (It was important for him to write the book before the weekend).
• Era importante que escribiéramos el ensayo antes de los demás. (It was important that we write the essay before everyone else).
• Ellos preferían que vosotros escribierais un poema en lugar de una canción. (They preferred for you all to write a poem instead of a song.)
• Yo deseaba que escribieran un mensaje de felicitación. (I wanted them to write a congratulatory message).

Affirmative Imperative 

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡escribe!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡escriba!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡escribamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡escribid!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡escriban!

When We Use The Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative is used to give commands or orders in a direct, affirmative manner.

When we want to use the affirmative imperative in Spanish, we instruct someone to write something somewhere, in a specific way.

Examples of The Verb “Escribir” in the Affirmative Imperative

• ¡Escribe un poema! (Write a poem!)
• Escribe una carta de agradecimiento. (Write a thank-you letter.)
• Escribid vuestros nombres en la lista. (Write your names on the list.)
• Escriba su firma aquí, por favor. (Write your signature here, please.)
• Escribamos nuestras metas para el próximo año. (Let’s write down our goals for next year.)
• Escriban la respuesta en la pizarra. (Write the answer on the board.)

Negative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡no escribas!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡no escriba!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡no escribamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡no escribáis!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡no escriban!

When We Use The Negative Imperative

The negative imperative is used to prohibit actions or give commands in a negative manner.

Here are some examples of the conjugations for the singular and plural formal and informal pronouns.

Examples of The Verb “Escribir” in the Negative Imperative

• ¡No escribas en la pared! (Don’t write on the wall!)
• No escriba su número de teléfono en este documento. (Don’t write your phone number on this document.)
• No escribáis durante el examen. (Don’t write during the exam.)
• No escriban en los libros de la biblioteca. (Don’t write in the library books.)
• No escribas correos electrónicos mientras conduces. (Don’t write emails while driving.)
• No escribáis en la mesa, por favor. (Don’t write on the table, please.)

Online Spanish Courses & Grammar Courses

I hope you found this “escribir” conjugation guide useful!

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