Tomar Conjugation Chart & Full Tense Guide

The Spanish verb “tomar” is a regular -ar verb, meaning “to take” in English.

In Spanish, “tomar” is used in many common phrases, such as “tomar el sol” (to sunbathe), “tomar fotos” (to take pictures), and “tomar asiento” (to take a seat).

Whether you’re expressing actions, desires, or obligations, knowing how to conjugate “tomar” accurately is important.

I’m James, from Learn Spanish With James. This comprehensive guide is filled with “tomar” conjugation tables, covering the indicative, subjunctive, and imperative moods, including simple and compound tenses, along with example sentences and their English translations.

By the end of this guide, you will understand how to conjugate “tomar” in Spanish and confidently use it in its various meanings in different contexts and expressions.

Present Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	tomo
you	tú	tomas
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	toma
we	nosotros,nosotras	tomamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	tomáis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	toman

The present tense in Spanish is used to express actions that are happening right now, as well as habitual actions.

It’s formed by taking the infinitive form of the verb and changing the endings according to the subject pronoun.

For a regular -AR verb like “tomar,” the endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, and -an. For -AR verbs, that is.

You can also use a modal verb and the infinitive of “tomar”, as in: “Desde el aeropuerto, se puede tomar un autobús a Caracas. “(From the airport, you can take a bus to Caracas.)

We can use the infinitive after a preposition of purpose. For example, “Dame un vaso de agua para tomar mi pastilla.” (Give me a glass of water to take my pill).

Examples of The Present Tense “Tomar” Conjugations

• Yo tomo café todas las mañanas. (I drink coffee every morning.)
• Tú tomas agua mineral. (You drink mineral water.)
• Él/ella toma el tren para ir al trabajo. (He/She takes the train to go to work.)
• Nosotros tomamos decisiones juntos. (We make decisions together.)
• Vosotros tomáis notas durante la clase. (You all take notes during the class.)
• Ellos/ellas toman una cápsula como un suplemento dietético. (They take one capsule as a dietary supplement.)

Preterite Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	tomé
you	tú	tomaste
he, she. it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	tomó
we	nosotros, nosotras	tomamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	tomasteis
they, you (pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	tomaron

The preterite tense is used to describe actions completed at a specific point in the past.

As I explain in all of my Spanish verb conjugation guides, this is not to be confused with the imperfect tense.

For regular -ar verbs like “tomar,” and “llamar” the endings are -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, and -aron.

The translation of every “tomar” conjugation in the preterite tense is “took”.

Examples of the Spanish Verb “Tomar” in the Preterite Tense

• Yo tomé un café después de la cena. (I drank a coffee after dinner.)
• Tú tomaste el autobús esta mañana. (You took the bus this morning.)
• Él/ella tomó muchas fotos durante las vacaciones. (He/She took many photos during the holidays.)
• Nosotros tomamos el desayuno a las ocho. (We had breakfast at eight.)
• Vosotros tomasteis una decisión importante. (You all made an important decision.)
• Ellos/ellas tomaron un vuelo a París. (They took a flight to Paris.)

Imperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	tomaba
you	tú	tomabas
he, she, it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	tomaba
we	nosotros, nosotras	tomábamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	tomabais
they, you(pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	tomaban

The imperfect tense is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as to provide background information or set the scene.

We use this tense when we want to say “was taking” or “used to take”.

For regular -ar verbs like “tomar,” the endings are -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, and -aban.

Examples of “Tomar” in the Imperfect Tense

• Yo tomaba café todas las mañanas. (I used to drink coffee every morning.)
• Tú tomabas clases de español los sábados. (You used to take Spanish classes on Saturdays.)
• Él/ella tomaba fotos en el parque. (He/She used to take photos in the park.)
• Nosotros tomábamos decisiones juntos. (We used to make decisions together.)
• Vosotros tomabais el té por la tarde. (You all used to drink tea in the afternoon.)
• Ellos/ellas tomaban el sol en la playa cada verano. (They used to sunbathe on the beach every summer.)

Future Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	tomaré
you	tú	tomarás
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	tomará
we	nosotros,nosotras	tomaremos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	tomaréis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	tomarán

The future tense is used to talk about actions that will happen in the future.

The literal translation of each “tomar” conjugation in the future tense is “will take”.

For -ar verbs like the Spanish verb “tomar,” the endings are -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, and -án.

All we need to do in order to conjugate “tomar” in the future tense is add these endings to the end of the infinitive form.

Examples of “Tomar” in the Future Tense

• Yo tomaré un café contigo mañana. (I will have a coffee with you tomorrow.)
• Tú tomarás el examen el próximo lunes. (You will take the exam next Monday.)
• Él/ella tomará el primer tren hacia la ciudad. (He/She will take the first train to the city.)
• Nosotros tomaremos una decisión pronto. (We will make a decision soon.)
• Vosotros tomaréis el control de la situación. (You all will take control of the situation.)
• Ellos/ellas tomarán el vuelo más temprano. (They will take the earliest flight.)

Conditional Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	tomaría
you	tú	tomarías
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	tomaría
we	nosotros,nosotras	tomaríamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	tomaríais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	tomarían

The conditional tense is used to talk about actions that would happen under certain conditions or hypothetical situations.

The translation is “would take”. We can use this tense alone, or in the same sentence as the imperfect subjunctive, which you will see in the sentences below.

For the verb “tomar,” the endings for this conditional Spanish verb conjugation are -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, and -ían.

Examples of the Verb “Tomar” in the Conditional Tense

• Yo tomaría un café si tuviera tiempo. (I would have a coffee if I had time.)
• Tú tomarías más agua si te sintieras mal. (You would drink more water if you felt unwell.)
• Él/ella tomaría mejores decisiones si estuviera más informado. (He/She would make better decisions if he/she were more informed.)
• Nosotros tomaríamos un taxi si lloviera. (We would take a taxi if it were raining.)
• Vosotros tomaríais el tren si estuviera disponible. (You all would take the train if it were available.)
• Ellos/ellas tomarían precauciones si supieran los riesgos. (They would take precautions if they knew the risks.)

Perfect Tense

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

The perfect tense is used to talk about actions that have been completed in the recent past.

For example, in the context of “tomar”, the meaning is “have taken”.

We form the perfect tense by conjugating the auxiliary verb “haber” in the present tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb, which is “tomado.”

So, the Spanish verb we conjugate here, and in the following tenses we’re about to cover in this guide, is “haber”.

Examples of the Verb in the Preterite Perfect Tense

• Yo he tomado un café esta mañana. (I have had a coffee this morning.)
• Tú has tomado la última decisión. (You have made the final decision.)
• Él/ella ha tomado el sol durante horas. (He/She has sunbathed for hours.)
• Nosotros hemos tomado medidas para resolver el problema. (We have taken steps to solve the problem.)
• Vosotros habéis tomado fotos increíbles. (You all have taken amazing photos.)
• Ellos/ellas han tomado el desayuno juntos. (They have had breakfast together.)

Pluperfect Tense

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

The pluperfect tense is used to talk about actions that had been completed before another past action or point in time.

Just like the perfect tense, the pluperfect tense for this Spanish verb is formed by using the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb “haber” followed by the past participle of the main verb, “tomado.”

The translation is “had taken”.

Examples of the Spanish Verb “Tomar” in the Pluperfect Tense

• Yo había tomado café antes de salir de casa. (I had had coffee before leaving home.)
• Tú habías tomado la decisión correcta. (You had made the right decision.)
• Él/ella había tomado el tren antes de que empezara a llover. (He/She had taken the train before it started raining.)
• Nosotros habíamos tomado todas las precauciones necesarias. (We had taken all the necessary precautions.)
• Vosotros habíais tomado el control de la situación. (You all had taken control of the situation.)
• Ellos/ellas habían tomado el sol toda la tarde. (They had been sunbathing all afternoon.)

Future Perfect Tense

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

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

For example, “habré tomado” means “I will have taken”.

Once again, the Spanish verb conjugation for the future perfect is formed by using the future tense of the auxiliary verb “haber” followed by the past participle of the main verb, which here is “tomado.”

Examples of the Verb in the Future Perfect Tense

• Yo habré tomado café antes de la reunión. (I will have had coffee before the meeting.)
• Tú habrás tomado una decisión para entonces. (You will have made a decision by then.)
• Él/ella habrá tomado el primer tren hacia la ciudad. (He/She will have taken the first train to the city.)
• Nosotros habremos tomado medidas para evitar el problema. (We will have taken steps to avoid the problem.)
• Vosotros habréis tomado el control de la situación antes de que empeore. (You all will have taken control of the situation before it worsens.)
• Ellos/ellas habrán tomado precauciones suficientes para entonces. (They will have taken enough precautions by then.)

Conditional Perfect Tense

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

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

It’s formed by using the conditional tense of the auxiliary verb “haber” followed by the past participle of the main verb, “tomado.”

The “haber” conjugations used in practice are in the sentences below, as well as the verb table above.

Examples of the Verb in the Conditional Perfect Tense

• Yo habría tomado café si hubiera tenido tiempo. (I would have had coffee if I had had time.)
• Tú habrías tomado más agua si te hubieras sentido mal. (You would have drunk more water if you had felt unwell.)
• Él/ella habría tomado mejores decisiones si hubiera estado más informado. (He/She would have made better decisions if he/she had been more informed.)
• Nosotros habríamos tomado un taxi si hubiera llovido. (We would have taken a taxi if it had rained.)
• Vosotros habríais tomado el tren si hubiera estado disponible. (You all would have taken the train if it had been available.)
• Ellos/ellas habrían tomado precauciones si hubieran sabido los riesgos. (They would have taken precautions if they had known the risks.)

Present Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	tome
you	tú	tomes
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	tome
we	nosotros,nosotras	tomemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	toméis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	tomen

We use the present subjunctive in Spanish to express desires, doubts, or uncertainties.

The subjunctive conjugations are formed by taking the yo form of the present tense, dropping the -o ending, and adding the appropriate subjunctive endings: -e, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, and -en.

Examples of the Verb in the Present Subjunctive

• Es importante que yo tome decisiones con cuidado. (It’s important that I make decisions carefully.)
• Yo espero que tú tomes la decisión correcta. (I hope you make the right decision.)
• Sugiero que él/ella tome el tren en lugar del autobús. (I suggest he/she takes the train instead of the bus.)
• Es necesario que nosotros tomemos medidas para proteger el medio ambiente. (It’s necessary that we take measures to protect the environment.)
• Recomiendo que vosotros toméis precauciones adicionales. (I recommend that you all take additional precautions.)
• Espero que ellos/ellas tomen el sol con moderación. (I hope they sunbathe in moderation.)

Imperfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	tomara, tomase
you	tú	tomaras, tomases
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	tomara, tomase
we	nosotros,nosotras	tomáramos, tomásemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	tomarais, tomaseis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	tomaran, tomasen

The imperfect subjunctive is used to express hypothetical situations or to talk about actions in the past that may or may not have happened.

Each “tomar” conjugation in the imperfect subjunctive is visible in the verb table above, and the example sentences below.

Examples of the Verb in the Imperfect Subjunctive

• Prefería que yo tomara decisiones más informadas. (I preferred that I made more informed decisions.)
• Yo quería que tú tomaras una decisión pronto. (I wanted you to make a decision soon.)
• Deseaba que él/ella tomara más en serio su trabajo. (I wished he/she took his/her job more seriously.)
• Preferíamos que nosotros tomáramos el tren en lugar del autobús. (We preferred to take the train instead of the bus.)
• Recomendaba que vosotros tomarais precauciones adicionales. (I recommended that you all take additional precautions.)
• Esperábamos que ellos/ellas tomaran medidas más drásticas. (We hoped they would take more drastic measures.)

Affirmative Imperative 

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡toma!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡tome!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡tomemos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡tomad!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡tomen!

When We Use The Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative is used to give commands or instructions on a desired action in a direct and affirmative manner.

We conjugate “tomar” for the imperative by taking the tú form of the verb, removing the final -s, and adding the appropriate endings. This is -a for -ar verbs like “tomar.”

Examples of “Tomar” in the Affirmative Imperative

• Toma un descanso. (Take a break.)
• Toma el medicamento cada seis horas. (Take the medication every six hours.)
• Toma asiento, por favor. (Take a seat, please.)
• Tomad vuestras mochilas y seguidme. (Take your backpacks and follow me.)

Negative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡no tomes!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡no tome!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡no tomemos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡no toméis!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡no tomen!

When We Use The Negative Imperative

As the name suggests, the negative imperative is used to give negative commands or instructions, indicating what someone should not do.

It’s formed by using the word “no” before the verb in the present subjunctive.

Examples of “Tomar” in the Negative Imperative

• No tomes alcohol si vas a conducir. (Don’t drink alcohol if you’re going to drive.)
• No tomen fotos dentro del museo. (Don’t take photos inside the museum.)
• No toméis decisiones precipitadas. (Don’t make hasty decisions.)
• No tome demasiado sol sin protección. (Don’t sunbathe too much without protection.)

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