saludar Present Conjugation
saludar — to greet
The present tense of saludar is regular: saludo, saludas, saluda, saludamos, saludáis, saludan.
saludar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to describe a current action or a habit, like saying hello to your neighbors every morning or greeting a colleague at work right now.
Notes on saludar in the Present
Saludar is a completely regular -ar verb in the present tense. It follows the standard pattern without any stem changes or spelling shifts.
Example Sentences
Siempre saludo a mi vecino por la mañana.
I always greet my neighbor in the morning.
yo
Ella saluda a todos con una sonrisa.
She greets everyone with a smile.
él/ella/usted
¿Por qué no saludas a tus tíos?
Why don't you greet your aunt and uncle?
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'saludo' to mean 'a greeting' (the noun) without an article.
Correct: Use 'un saludo' for the noun; 'saludo' alone is the verb form.
Why: Learners often confuse the first-person conjugation with the noun 'saludo'.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: saludé
Saludar in the preterite is regular: saludé, saludaste, saludó, saludamos, saludasteis, saludaron.
Imperfect
yo: saludaba
The imperfect of saludar follows the standard -aba pattern: saludaba, saludabas, saludaba, saludábamos, saludabais, saludaban.
Future
yo: saludaré
The future of saludar uses the infinitive plus endings: saludaré, saludarás, saludará, saludaremos, saludaréis, saludarán.
Conditional
yo: saludaría
The conditional of saludar is regular: saludaría, saludarías, saludaría, saludaríamos, saludaríais, saludarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: salude
The present subjunctive of saludar swaps the -ar endings for -e: salude, saludes, salude, saludemos, saludéis, saluden.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: saludara
The imperfect subjunctive of saludar is formed from the 'ellos' preterite: saludara, saludaras, saludara, saludáramos, saludarais, saludaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: saluda
The imperative of saludar gives commands: saluda (tú), salude (usted), saludemos (nosotros), saludad (vosotros), saluden (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no saludes
The negative imperative of saludar uses 'no' + present subjunctive: no saludes, no salude, no saludemos, no saludéis, no saluden.