· Robert William · Spanish Verbs  · 13 min read

Adoptar Conjugation in Spanish

"Adoptar" is the Spanish verb used to translate "to adopt". As a regular verb from the AR category, it follows consistent conjugation patterns. Discover how "adoptar" is conjugated across the 18 essential Spanish tenses in this guide! Verbs akin to "adoptar" include: "prohijar."

"Adoptar" is the Spanish verb used to translate "to adopt". As a regular verb from the AR category, it follows consistent conjugation patterns. Discover how "adoptar" is conjugated across the 18 essential Spanish tenses in this guide!  Verbs akin to "adoptar" include: "prohijar."

Introduction

“Adoptar” is the Spanish verb used to translate “to adopt”. As a regular verb from the AR category, it follows consistent conjugation patterns. Discover how “adoptar” is conjugated across the 18 essential Spanish tenses in this guide!

Verbs akin to “adoptar” include: “prohijar.”

ItemSpanishEnglish
Infinitiveadoptarto adopt
Past participleadoptadoadopted
Gerundadoptandoadopting

Various Indicative Conjugations of “Adoptar”

The indicative tense presents actions or states that are factual and definite. Here’s how to conjugate “adoptar” in the indicative present.

PersonSpanishEnglish
YoadoptoI adopt
adoptasyou adopt
Él/Ellaadoptahe/she adopts
Nosotrosadoptamoswe adopt
Vosotrosadoptáisyou all adopt
Ellos/Ellasadoptanthey adopt

Examples:

  • Yo adopto una nueva actitud hacia la vida.
  • Ella adopta siempre las mejores ideas para su proyecto.
  • Nosotros adoptamos la resolución de no rendirnos.

The past imperfect indicative describes past habitual actions or states. Here’s the conjugation for “adoptar” in the imperfect tense.

PersonSpanishEnglish
YoadoptabaI used to adopt
adoptabasyou used to adopt
Él/Ellaadoptabahe/she used to adopt
Nosotrosadoptábamoswe used to adopt
Vosotrosadoptabaisyou all used to adopt
Ellos/Ellasadoptabanthey used to adopt

Examples:

  • Cuando era niño, yo adoptaba todos los animales abandonados que encontraba.
  • Adoptábamos costumbres de nuestros antepasados con frecuencia.
  • Ellos adoptaban prácticas saludables como el ejercicio diario.

The preterite tense in Spanish captures actions completed in the past. Check out how “adoptar” is used in the preterite tense.

PersonSpanishEnglish
YoadoptéI adopted
adoptasteyou adopted
Él/Ellaadoptóhe/she adopted
Nosotrosadoptamoswe adopted
Vosotrosadoptasteisyou all adopted
Ellos/Ellasadoptaronthey adopted

Examples:

  • El año pasado adopté un cachorro en la feria de adopciones.
  • Una vez que adoptasteis la política, todo comenzó a mejorar.
  • Adoptaron una nueva estrategia de negocios para mejorar los ingresos.

Adoptar in the Present Indicative Tense

The Present Indicative tense of “adoptar” is employed to describe actions, situations, or thoughts occurring now or in the near future. Additionally, it’s used to express general facts or truths. In Spanish, this tense is identified as “El Presente.” For example, “adopto” translates to “I adopt” in English.

PronounSpanishEnglish
YoadoptoI adopt
adoptasyou adopt
Ella / Él / Ustedadoptashe/he adopts, you (formal) adopt
Nosotras / Nosotrosadoptamoswe adopt
Vosotras / Vosotrosadoptáisyou (plural) adopt
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesadoptanthey adopt, you (plural formal) adopt

Examples:

  1. Yo adopto nuevas estrategias en el trabajo.
  2. Ella adopta un gato del refugio.
  3. Nosotras adoptamos una actitud positiva en la reunión.

Adoptar in the Simple Past Tense (Preterite)

The Simple Past Tense, or Preterite, for “adoptar” in Spanish is used to describe actions that were completed in the past at a distinct and definitive time. An example is “adopté,” which signifies “I adopted.”

In Spanish, this tense is referred to as “El Pretérito Indefinido.”

PronounSpanishEnglish
YoadoptéI adopted
adoptasteyou adopted
Ella / Él / Ustedadoptós/he adopted, you (formal) adopted
Nosotras / Nosotrosadoptamoswe adopted
Vosotras / Vosotrosadoptasteisyou (plural) adopted
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesadoptaronthey adopted, you (plural formal) adopted

Examples in Spanish:

  1. Ayer adopté un gato en el refugio de animales.
  2. Tú adoptaste una nueva actitud el año pasado.
  3. Ellos adoptaron una política diferente el mes pasado.

Understanding the Past Habitual Use of “Adoptar”

The Indicative Imperfect tense of “adoptar” is employed when discussing actions or habits that occurred consistently in the past. It is perfect for painting a picture of what life was like and the routines you once had. For instance, “adoptaba” means “I used to adopt.”

This tense is recognized in Spanish grammar as “El Pretérito Imperfecto”.

PronounSpanishEnglish
YoadoptabaI used to adopt
adoptabasyou used to adopt
Ella / Él / Ustedadoptabashe/he used to adopt, you (formal) used to adopt
Nosotras / Nosotrosadoptábamoswe used to adopt
Vosotras / Vosotrosadoptabaisyou all used to adopt
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesadoptabanthey used to adopt, you all (formal) used to adopt

Examples in Spanish:

  1. Cuando vivía en el campo, yo adoptaba perritos abandonados todos los veranos.
  2. Antes de mudarse a la ciudad, María adoptaba gatos callejeros.
  3. Durante la infancia, mis abuelos adoptaban costumbres de otras culturas.

Using Adoptar in the Present Progressive Tense

The Present Progressive form of “adoptar” in Spanish helps express an action currently in progress or an action happening at the moment. For instance, “estoy adoptando” translates to “I am adopting” in English.

Here’s how “El Presente Progresivo” (the Present Progressive) conjugates for “adoptar”:

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yoestoy adoptandoI am adopting
estás adoptandoyou are adopting
Ella / Él / Ustedestá adoptandos/he is adopting, you (formal) are adopting
Nosotras / Nosotrosestamos adoptandowe are adopting
Vosotras / Vosotrosestáis adoptandoyou (plural) are adopting
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesestán adoptandothey are adopting, you (plural formal) are adopting

Examples:

  1. Ahora mismo, nosotros estamos adoptando un perro.
  2. María y Juan están adoptando una nueva filosofía en su vida.
  3. ¿Tú estás adoptando una postura diferente en el debate?

Future Plans with “Adoptar” in the Informal Future Tense

The Informal Future tense is employed to express actions that will occur soon in the future. It’s a more immediate future tense and is often used in conversational Spanish. For example, “voy a adoptar” translates to “I am going to adopt.”

In Spanish, this tense is called “El Futuro Próximo.”

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yovoy a adoptarI am going to adopt
vas a adoptaryou are going to adopt
Ella / Él / Ustedva a adoptars/he is going to adopt, you (formal) are going to adopt
Nosotras / Nosotrosvamos a adoptarwe are going to adopt
Vosotras / Vosotrosvais a adoptaryou (plural) are going to adopt
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesvan a adoptarthey are going to adopt, you (plural formal) are going to adopt

Examples in Spanish:

  1. Voy a adoptar un perro este fin de semana.
  2. ¿Vas a adoptar las nuevas políticas de la empresa?
  3. Ellos van a adoptar una medida para reducir el consumo de energía.

Adoptar in the Indicative Future Tense

The future tense in Spanish is used to express actions or situations that will occur at a later time. In this case, we look at the example “adoptaré,” which translates to “I will adopt” in English.

PronounSpanishEnglish
YoadoptaréI will adopt
adoptarásyou will adopt
Ella / Él / Ustedadoptarás/he will adopt, you (formal) will adopt
Nosotras / Nosotrosadoptaremoswe will adopt
Vosotras / Vosotrosadoptaréisyou (plural) will adopt
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesadoptaránthey will adopt, you (plural formal) will adopt

Here are some examples using the future tense for “adoptar”:

  1. “Mañana, yo adoptaré un perro del refugio.”
    • Tomorrow, I will adopt a dog from the shelter.
  2. “Ellos adoptarán una actitud positiva ante la vida.”
    • They will adopt a positive attitude towards life.
  3. “Nosotros adoptaremos esta nueva rutina la próxima semana.”
    • We will adopt this new routine next week.

Understanding the Indicative Conditional of “Adoptar”

The Indicative Conditional for “adoptar” is used to describe actions that might happen in the future, often with a sense of speculation or hypothesis. For example, “adoptaría” translates to “I would adopt” in English.

In Spanish grammar, this is referred to as “El Condicional Simple”.

PronounSpanishEnglish
YoadoptaríaI would adopt
adoptaríasyou would adopt
Ella / Él / Ustedadoptarías/he would adopt, you (formal) would adopt
Nosotras / Nosotrosadoptaríamoswe would adopt
Vosotras / Vosotrosadoptaríaisyou (plural) would adopt
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesadoptaríanthey would adopt, you (plural formal) would adopt

Examples:

  1. Si tuviera más espacio, adoptaría un perro.
  2. Marta dijo que adoptarías al gatito si pudieras.
  3. Adoptaríamos un árbol en el parque si fuera posible.

Adoptar in the Indicative Present Perfect

The Indicative Present Perfect tense of “adoptar” expresses actions that have recently begun and may still be ongoing, or that have been completed in the recent past. For instance, “he adoptado,” translates to “I have adopted.”

This tense in Spanish is termed as “El Pretérito Perfecto.”

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohe adoptadoI have adopted
has adoptadoyou have adopted
Ella / Él / Ustedha adoptados/he has adopted, you (formal) have adopted
Nosotras / Nosotroshemos adoptadowe have adopted
Vosotras / Vosotroshabéis adoptadoyou (plural) have adopted
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshan adoptadothey have adopted, you (plural formal) have adopted

Examples:

  1. “He adoptado una nueva mascota este mes.”
  2. “Ellos han adoptado nuevas políticas en la empresa.”
  3. “¿Has adoptado alguna rutina de ejercicios recientemente?”

Using “adoptar” in the Indicative Past Perfect Tense

The Indicative Past Perfect tense in Spanish is used to describe actions that were completed prior to another action in the past. It indicates events that had taken place before a specific point in time. For example, the verb “había adoptado” translates to “I had adopted” in English.

This tense is referred to as “El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto” in Spanish. Below is a table illustrating how “adoptar” is conjugated in the Indicative Past Perfect for each pronoun:

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohabía adoptadoI had adopted
habías adoptadoyou had adopted
Ella / Él / Ustedhabía adoptados/he had adopted, you (formal) had adopted
Nosotras / Nosotroshabíamos adoptadowe had adopted
Vosotras / Vosotroshabíais adoptadoyou (plural) had adopted
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshabían adoptadothey had adopted, you (plural formal) had adopted

Examples in Spanish:

  1. Cuando llegué, ella ya había adoptado a dos perros.
  2. Nosotros habíamos adoptado una nueva filosofía antes de que comenzara el año.
  3. Antes de mudarse, habían adoptado un estilo de vida más sencillo.

Using “Adoptar” in the Future Perfect Tense

The Future Perfect tense for “adoptar” is used when discussing actions that will have been completed at some point in the future, often in reference to another future event. For instance, “habré adoptado” translates to “I will have adopted” in English.

Below is a conjugation table for “adoptar” in the Future Perfect:

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohabré adoptadoI will have adopted
habrás adoptadoyou will have adopted
Ella / Él / Ustedhabrá adoptados/he will have adopted, you (formal) will have adopted
Nosotras / Nosotroshabremos adoptadowe will have adopted
Vosotras / Vosotroshabréis adoptadoyou (plural) will have adopted
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshabrán adoptadothey will have adopted, you (plural formal) will have adopted
  • Para cuando llegues, yo ya habré adoptado un nuevo perro.
  • ¿Crees que habrás adoptado esa postura para fin de año?
  • Cuando ellos vuelvan de su viaje, nosotros ya habremos adoptado las medidas necesarias.

Adoptar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect

The Indicative Conditional Perfect tense for “adoptar” is useful when discussing actions that could have occurred in the past if circumstances had been different. For instance, “habría adoptado” implies “I would have adopted.”

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohabría adoptadoI would have adopted
habrías adoptadoyou would have adopted
Ella / Él / Ustedhabría adoptadohe/she would have adopted, you (formal) would have adopted
Nosotras / Nosotroshabríamos adoptadowe would have adopted
Vosotras / Vosotroshabríais adoptadoyou all would have adopted
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshabrían adoptadothey would have adopted, you all (formal) would have adopted

Examples in Spanish:

  1. Si hubiese sabido antes, habría adoptado al cachorro.
  2. Ellos habrían adoptado un enfoque diferente de haber tenido más información.
  3. De habérselo pedido, nosotros habríamos adoptado su sugerencia.

Explaining the Use of “Adoptar” in the Present Subjunctive

The Present Subjunctive helps communicate uncertainty, wishes, desires, or hopes regarding actions in the present. Unlike the indicative mood, the events discussed in the subjunctive may be doubtful or subjective. Let’s explore how “adoptar” is used in this mood. For example, “adopte” translates as “I adopt” under such circumstances.

In Spanish, this form is called “El Presente de Subjuntivo”.

PronounSpanishEnglish
YoadopteI adopt
adoptesyou adopt
Ella / Él / Ustedadoptes/he adopts, you (formal) adopt
Nosotras / Nosotrosadoptemoswe adopt
Vosotras / Vosotrosadoptéisyou (plural) adopt
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesadoptenthey adopt, you (plural formal) adopt

Examples:

  1. Quiero que él adopte una mascota.
  2. Espero que adoptemos la mejor solución.
  3. Es importante que ustedes adopten medidas sostenibles.

Using Subjunctive Imperfect for “Adoptar”

The Subjunctive Imperfect tense in Spanish is used to express emotions, doubts, wishes, or hypothetical situations concerning actions in the past. When combined with the verb “adoptar,” it suggests scenarios that are uncertain or imaginary. For example, “adoptara” translates to “I adopted.” Here are some examples demonstrating its usage:

  1. Si yo adoptara a ese perro, se llamaría Max.
  2. Era importante que tú adoptaras una postura firme.
  3. Dudaba que ellos adoptaran una nueva política tan rápido.
PronounSpanishEnglish
YoadoptaraI adopted
adoptarasyou adopted
Ella / Él / Ustedadoptaras/he adopted, you (formal) adopted
Nosotras / Nosotrosadoptáramoswe adopted
Vosotras / Vosotrosadoptaraisyou (plural) adopted
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesadoptaranthey adopted, you (plural formal) adopted

Introducing Subjunctive Future Tense for “Adoptar”

The Subjunctive Future tense in Spanish is a rarely used form that is mostly found in literary texts or legal language to describe actions that might occur under certain circumstances. It signifies uncertain events in the future, like “adoptare,” meaning “I will adopt.”

Examples:

  • Si yo adoptare un perro, estaría feliz.
  • Cuando tú adoptares un gato, tendrás compañía.
  • Si él adoptare una nueva actitud, cambiará su vida.
PronounSpanishEnglish
YoadoptareI will adopt
adoptaresyou will adopt
Ella / Él / Ustedadoptares/he will adopt, you (formal) will adopt
Nosotras / Nosotrosadoptáremoswe will adopt
Vosotras / Vosotrosadoptareisyou (plural) will adopt
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesadoptarenthey will adopt, you (plural formal) will adopt

Using “Adoptar” in the Present Perfect Subjunctive

The Present Perfect Subjunctive in Spanish is utilized to express actions or events that have happened in the past and are relevant to either the present moment or future perspectives. For instance, “haya adoptado” translates to “I have adopted” in English. This tense emphasizes scenarios influenced by emotions, doubts, or wishes.

In Spanish, the Present Perfect Subjunctive is termed “El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo”.

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohaya adoptadoI have adopted
hayas adoptadoyou have adopted
Ella / Él / Ustedhaya adoptados/he has adopted, you (formal) have adopted
Nosotras / Nosotroshayamos adoptadowe have adopted
Vosotras / Vosotroshayáis adoptadoyou (plural) have adopted
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshayan adoptadothey have adopted, you (plural formal) have adopted

Examples in Spanish:

  1. Espero que Juan haya adoptado una actitud positiva hacia el cambio.
  2. Me alegra que hayas adoptado un perro de la calle.
  3. Es posible que ya hayamos adoptado nuevas tecnologías sin darnos cuenta.

Adoptar in the Subjunctive Past Perfect Tense

The Subjunctive Past Perfect tense is often used when referring to hypothetical situations or actions that happened before another action in the past. For instance, you might see “hubiera adoptado,” which means “I had adopted” in a hypothetical context.

In Spanish, this tense is called “El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo.”

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohubiera adoptadoI had adopted
hubieras adoptadoyou had adopted
Ella / Él / Ustedhubiera adoptados/he had adopted, you (formal) had adopted
Nosotras / Nosotroshubiéramos adoptadowe had adopted
Vosotras / Vosotroshubierais adoptadoyou (plural) had adopted
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshubieran adoptadothey had adopted, you (plural formal) had adopted

Spanish Examples:

  1. Si hubiera adoptado al perro, no estaría solo ahora.
  2. Me alegraba de que hubieras adoptado al niño el año pasado.
  3. Hubiéramos adoptado a más gatos si tuviéramos espacio.

Adoptar in the Subjunctive Future Perfect

The Subjunctive Future Perfect tense conveys actions that will be completed if certain future conditions are met. For example, “hubiere adoptado” translates to “I will have adopted.”

In Spanish, this tense is called “El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo”.

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohubiere adoptadoI will have adopted
hubieres adoptadoyou will have adopted
Ella / Él / Ustedhubiere adoptados/he will have adopted, you (formal) will have adopted
Nosotras / Nosotroshubiéremos adoptadowe will have adopted
Vosotras / Vosotroshubiereis adoptadoyou (plural) will have adopted
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshubieren adoptadothey will have adopted, you (plural formal) will have adopted

Examples in Spanish:

  1. Es posible que yo hubiere adoptado un plan diferente si hubieran votado antes.
  2. ¿Crees que para entonces tú hubieres adoptado una nueva actitud?
  3. Si ella llegara a tiempo, hubiere adoptado la propuesta antes de la reunión.

Imperative Moods for Adoptar

Using “Adoptar” in the Imperative Mood

The Imperative Affirmative is the verb form we employ when providing direct instructions, commands, or orders. This mood lets us effectively and succinctly tell someone to take action. For instance, the form “adopte” translates to “adopt!” when addressing someone formally.

Below, you’ll find the variations of “adoptar” when used in the Imperative Affirmative in Spanish:

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yo--
adopta(to you) adopt!
Ella / Él / Ustedadopte(to you formal) adopt!
Nosotras / Nosotrosadoptemoslet’s adopt!
Vosotras / Vosotrosadoptad(to you plural) adopt!
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesadopten(to you plural formal) adopt!

Examples:

  1. Tú adopta un perro del refugio.
  2. Adoptemos una nueva política en la empresa.
  3. Adopten ustedes una actitud positiva.

The Verb Adoptar in the Negative Command Form

The Negative Command Form in Spanish is used to instruct someone not to perform a certain action. It’s similar to saying “don’t do this” or “don’t do that” in English. For example, “no adopte” translates to “don’t adopt!” when giving a formal order.

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yo--
no adoptes(to you) don’t adopt!
Ella / Él / Ustedno adopte(to you formal) don’t adopt!
Nosotras / Nosotrosno adoptemoslet’s not adopt!
Vosotras / Vosotrosno adoptéis(to you plural) don’t adopt!
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesno adopten(to you plural formal) don’t adopt!

Examples:

  1. No adoptes esa actitud negativa.
  2. No adopte nuevas mascotas sin planearlo.
  3. No adoptemos su mal enfoque de trabajo.
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