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subir

soo-BEER/suˈβiɾ/

to go up, to ascend

Also: to climb
VerbA1regular ir
A small stylized character hiking up a steep, winding mountain path towards the summit.
infinitivesubir
gerundsubiendo
past Participlesubido

📝 In Action

Necesito subir las escaleras para llegar a mi apartamento.

A1

I need to go up the stairs to get to my apartment.

Si el ascensor está roto, tendremos que subir a pie.

A2

If the elevator is broken, we will have to walk up.

¿Puedes subir al coche? Vamos tarde.

A2

Can you get in the car? We are late.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • subir la montaña – to climb the mountain
  • subir por el ascensor – to go up by elevator

to take up, to bring up

Also: to lift
VerbA2regular ir
A stylized figure struggling slightly while carrying a large wooden box up a short flight of stairs.

📝 In Action

Yo subo las maletas y tú subes las cajas pequeñas.

A2

I'll take the suitcases up, and you take the small boxes up.

Por favor, ¿puedes subir mi café a la oficina?

B1

Please, can you bring my coffee up to the office?

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • subir el equipaje – to bring up the luggage

to increase, to raise

Also: to go up, to climb
VerbB1regular ir
A towering, unstable stack of stylized gold coins growing taller from a flat surface, symbolizing an increase in value.

📝 In Action

El gobierno decidió subir los impuestos este año.

B1

The government decided to raise the taxes this year.

¿Podrías subir el volumen? No oigo nada.

B1

Could you turn up the volume? I can't hear anything.

La temperatura va a subir mañana, hará mucho calor.

B1

The temperature is going to go up tomorrow; it will be very hot.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • subir el salario – to raise the salary
  • subir la voz – to raise one's voice

to upload

Also: to post
VerbB1regular ir
Stylized icons representing photos and documents floating directly upwards from a computer screen toward a large cloud.

📝 In Action

Voy a subir las fotos de las vacaciones a la nube.

B1

I'm going to upload the vacation photos to the cloud.

Cuando subas el video, dime para verlo.

B2

When you upload the video, let me know so I can watch it.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • cargar (to load/upload (common alternative))

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • subir un archivo – to upload a file
  • subir a Instagram – to upload to Instagram

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedsube
yosubo
túsubes
ellos/ellas/ustedessuben
nosotrossubimos
vosotrossubís

imperfect

él/ella/ustedsubía
yosubía
túsubías
ellos/ellas/ustedessubían
nosotrossubíamos
vosotrossubíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedsubió
yosubí
túsubiste
ellos/ellas/ustedessubieron
nosotrossubimos
vosotrossubisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedsuba
yosuba
túsubas
ellos/ellas/ustedessuban
nosotrossubamos
vosotrossubáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedsubiera/subiese
yosubiera/subiese
túsubieras/subieses
ellos/ellas/ustedessubieran/subiesen
nosotrossubiéramos/subiésemos
vosotrossubierais/subieseis
View All Tenses & Moods →

🔀 Commonly Confused With

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✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: subir

Question 1 of 3

Which meaning of 'subir' is used in the phrase: 'Los precios van a subir la semana que viene.'

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
subida(rise, ascent (noun)) — Noun
subidón(big boost, rush (informal noun)) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

'Subir' comes from the Latin compound verb *subire*, formed by the root *sub-* (meaning 'under' or 'up to') and *ire* (meaning 'to go'). It literally meant 'to go up from below' or 'to approach'.

First recorded: Early Romance period, replacing older forms derived directly from *ire*.

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: subirFrench (older forms): subir (meaning 'to suffer', a figurative shift)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'subir' require the use of 'a' or 'de' with places?

Yes, 'subir' often uses the preposition 'a' (to) to indicate the destination: 'Subir a la terraza' (to go up to the terrace). However, when taking an object up, it often just uses the direct object: 'Subir el pastel' (to take the cake up).

How do I know if 'subir' means 'to go up' or 'to bring up'?

Look for a direct object. If the sentence mentions something being moved (like 'Subí las cajas' - I brought the boxes up), it means 'to bring up.' If the person is moving themselves, it means 'to go up' (like 'Yo subí' - I went up).