Existir means to exist. Learn five tenses, then practise each person.
Present: existo, existes, existe, existimos, existís, existen.
Existir in the present tense
Use the present for current states, habits and actions. The subject can be omitted when the verb makes it clear.
Vosotros is informal plural you in Spain. Ustedes uses the ellos/ellas form and is the usual plural you in Latin America.
Existir in the preterite tense
Use the preterite for a completed event in the past, viewed as a whole.
Existir in the imperfect tense
Use the imperfect for past habits, ongoing situations and background descriptions, without marking their endpoint.
Existir in the future tense
Use the simple future for what will happen. Spanish also uses this tense for a guess about the present.
Existir in the conditional tense
Use the conditional for what would happen, a polite request or a hypothetical situation.
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All six persons. Blue, bold forms differ from regular endings, including spelling changes that preserve pronunciation.
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | existo | existí | existía | existiré | existiría |
| tú | existes | exististe | existías | existirás | existirías |
| él / ella / usted | existe | existió | existía | existirá | existiría |
| nosotros / nosotras | existimos | existimos | existíamos | existiremos | existiríamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | existís | exististeis | existíais | existiréis | existiríais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | existen | existieron | existían | existirán | existirían |
| Person | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | existo | I exist |
| tú | existes | you exist |
| él / ella / usted | existe | he/she exists |
| nosotros / nosotras | existimos | we exist |
| vosotros / vosotras | existís | you all (vosotros) exist |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | existen | they exist |
| Person | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | existí | I existed |
| tú | exististe | you existed |
| él / ella / usted | existió | he/she existed |
| nosotros / nosotras | existimos | we existed |
| vosotros / vosotras | exististeis | you all (vosotros) existed |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | existieron | they existed |
| Person | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | existía | I used to exist |
| tú | existías | you used to exist |
| él / ella / usted | existía | he/she used to exist |
| nosotros / nosotras | existíamos | we used to exist |
| vosotros / vosotras | existíais | you all (vosotros) used to exist |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | existían | they used to exist |
| Person | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | existiré | I will exist |
| tú | existirás | you will exist |
| él / ella / usted | existirá | he/she will exist |
| nosotros / nosotras | existiremos | we will exist |
| vosotros / vosotras | existiréis | you all (vosotros) will exist |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | existirán | they will exist |
| Person | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | existiría | I would exist |
| tú | existirías | you would exist |
| él / ella / usted | existiría | he/she would exist |
| nosotros / nosotras | existiríamos | we would exist |
| vosotros / vosotras | existiríais | you all (vosotros) would exist |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | existirían | they would exist |
Existir follows the regular ir pattern in these five tenses.
The present forms are existo, existes, existe, existimos, existís, existen, in the order yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, vosotros and ellos/ellas/ustedes.
existí, exististe, existió, existimos, exististeis, existieron. For example, existí means “I existed”.
Existir follows the regular ir pattern in these five tenses.
The preterite (existí) presents a completed event; the imperfect (existía) gives a past habit or background situation. The English glosses are “I existed” and “I used to exist”, but context determines the best translation.
The yo forms are existiré (“I will exist”) and existiría (“I would exist”). The full charts above include every person.
Existir means to exist.
Updated · English prompts, Spanish answers.