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pretendes

pre-TEN-des/pɾeˈtendes/

“pretendes” means “you intend” in Spanish (to have a plan or aim).

you intend, you are trying to

Also: you claim, you expect
VerbB1regular er
A young child standing at the base of a small hill, looking up at a bright red flag at the top with a determined expression.
gerundpretendiendo
past Participlepretendido
infinitivepretender

📝 In Action

¿Qué pretendes lograr con este cambio?

B1

What do you intend to achieve with this change?

No pretendes que termine todo esto hoy, ¿verdad?

B1

You don't expect me to finish all of this today, do you?

Si pretendes salir temprano, debes terminar tu tarea.

A2

If you are trying to leave early, you must finish your homework.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • lo que pretendes – what you're after / what you intend
  • si pretendes que... – if you expect that...

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedespretendieran
yopretendiera
túpretendieras
vosotrospretendierais
nosotrospretendiéramos
él/ella/ustedpretendiera

present

ellos/ellas/ustedespretendan
yopretenda
túpretendas
vosotrospretendáis
nosotrospretendamos
él/ella/ustedpretenda

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedespretendieron
yopretendí
túpretendiste
vosotrospretendisteis
nosotrospretendimos
él/ella/ustedpretendió

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedespretendían
yopretendía
túpretendías
vosotrospretendíais
nosotrospretendíamos
él/ella/ustedpretendía

present

ellos/ellas/ustedespretenden
yopretendo
túpretendes
vosotrospretendéis
nosotrospretendemos
él/ella/ustedpretende
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "pretendes" in Spanish:

you claim→you expect→you intend→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: pretendes

Question 1 of 1

If someone asks you '¿Qué pretendes?', what are they asking?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
pretender(to intend) — Verb
pretensión(aim or pretension) — Noun
pretendiente(suitor or candidate) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin 'praetendere', which meant 'to stretch out in front' or 'to put forward as an excuse'. Over time, it evolved from 'putting something forward' to 'aiming for' or 'intending' something.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: pretendFrench: prétendreItalian: pretendere

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'pretendes' ever mean 'you pretend' (to lie)?

Rarely. In modern Spanish, 'pretendes' almost always means 'you intend' or 'you expect'. To say someone is faking or pretending to be someone else, use the verb 'fingir'.