Spanish grammar · Beginner
Cantar Conjugation: Every Tense with Examples
Cantar means to sing. Fully regular -ar verb in every tense, present (canto, cantas), preterite (canté), imperfect (cantaba), future (cantaré). Textbook regular alongside hablar and estudiar.
Canto en la ducha.
I sing in the shower.
What it is
Cantar means to sing. Fully regular -ar verb across every simple tense, present (canto, cantas, canta, cantamos, cantáis, cantan), preterite (canté), imperfect (cantaba), future (cantaré). One of the cleanest verbs to learn.
In Canto en la ducha (I sing in the shower), canto is the regular yo present. Cantar a + person (Canto a mi hija = I sing to my daughter) or cantar en + place.
How to spot it
Fully regular in every tense. No stem changes, no spelling shifts.
- ¿Cantas bien? — Do you sing well?
- Cantó en el coro. — She sang in the choir.
- Cantaremos juntos. — We'll sing together.
If you can conjugate hablar, you can conjugate cantar, identical regular -ar pattern.
Cantar Conjugation Quick Reference
Cantar at a glance, the most-used forms across tenses
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | canto | canté | cantaba | cantaré | cante |
| tú | cantas | cantaste | cantabas | cantarás | cantes |
| él/ella/Ud. | canta | cantó | cantaba | cantará | cante |
| nosotros | cantamos | cantamos | cantábamos | cantaremos | cantemos |
| vosotros | cantáis | cantasteis | cantabais | cantaréis | cantéis |
| ellos/Uds. | cantan | cantaron | cantaban | cantarán | canten |
Common Cantar Conjugation Examples in Spanish
Cantar covers singing songs, performing, birds chirping, and (idiomatically) confessing:
Singing Songs
- Canto rancheras.
- I sing rancheras.
- Cantamos en el karaoke.
- We're singing at karaoke.
- Cantó toda la noche.
- She sang all night.
Default verb for singing songs, performing music.
Birds / Roosters
- Los pájaros cantan.
- Birds are singing.
- El gallo canta al amanecer.
- The rooster crows at dawn.
Used for any bird sounds, singing, chirping, crowing.
Past Habits / Imperfect
- De niña cantaba en el coro.
- As a kid, I used to sing in the choir.
- Cantaban todas las noches.
- They used to sing every night.
- Mi abuelo cantaba muy bien.
- My grandfather sang very well.
Imperfect for ongoing past singing, habits, repeated performances.
Idioms, Cantar = Confess
- El sospechoso cantó.
- The suspect sang / confessed.
- Le hicieron cantar.
- They made him talk / confess.
Cantar can mean to confess / spill information, like English sing in crime contexts.
How to Conjugate Cantar Across Tenses
Present, Fully Regular -ar
All forms regular: canto, cantas, canta, cantamos, cantáis, cantan.
Yo canto, tú cantas, él canta, nosotros cantamos, vosotros cantáis, ellos cantan.
I sing, you sing, he sings, we sing, you all sing, they sing.
No stem changes, same as hablo, estudio.
Preterite / Imperfect / Future, Regular
Preterite: canté, cantaste, cantó. Imperfect: cantaba. Future: cantaré. All fully regular.
Canté en la fiesta. Antes cantaba más. Cantaré mañana.
I sang at the party. Before, I used to sing more. I'll sing tomorrow.
No irregularities, among the simplest verbs in Spanish.
Subjunctive, Regular
Present subjunctive: cante, cantes, cante, cantemos, cantéis, canten.
Quiero que cantes para mí.
I want you to sing for me.
Regular -ar subjunctive built from canto → cant-.
Compound Tenses
Past participle cantado is regular. Used in he cantado, había cantado, haya cantado.
He cantado esta canción mil veces.
I've sung this song a thousand times.
All compound tenses use the regular past participle.
Common Mistakes with Cantar Conjugation
Incorrect: Yo cantamos juntos. — We sing together. (yo doesn't match cantamos)
Correct: Nosotros cantamos juntos. — We sing together.
Cantamos is the nosotros form. With yo, use canto. Subject-verb agreement.
Incorrect: Canté la canción a mi novia. — I sang the song to my girlfriend. (preferable with indirect object le)
Correct: Le canté la canción a mi novia. — I sang the song to my girlfriend.
When the recipient (a mi novia) is mentioned, Spanish typically uses the redundant indirect object pronoun (le). Le canté la canción a mi novia is more natural.
Incorrect: Quiero que cantas para mí. — I want you to sing for me. (wrong, querer que triggers subjunctive)
Correct: Quiero que cantes para mí. — I want you to sing for me.
Querer que + different subject triggers subjunctive. Use cantes (subjunctive), not cantas (indicative).
Cantar Across Every Tense
Fully regular -ar verb in every simple and compound tense.
Present (Regular)
Fully regular -ar.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Textbook regular -ar pattern.
Preterite (Regular)
Fully regular.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Canté en la fiesta = I sang at the party.
Imperfect (Regular)
Regular -ar imperfect.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
De niña cantaba en el coro = As a girl I used to sing in the choir.
Future, Conditional, Subjunctive
All regular.
| yo (future) |
| yo (conditional) |
| yo (present subjunctive) |
| yo (present perfect) |
Past participle cantado is regular.
Cantar Conjugation FAQs
- What does cantar mean and when do you use it in Spanish?
- Cantar means to sing, songs, in choirs, in the shower, at karaoke. Also used for bird sounds (Los pájaros cantan) and idiomatically for confessing in crime contexts (El sospechoso cantó).
- How does cantar conjugate in the present tense?
- Canto, cantas, canta, cantamos, cantáis, cantan. Fully regular -ar, no irregularities.
- Is cantar a regular verb?
- Yes, fully regular -ar in every tense. No stem changes or spelling shifts. One of the easiest Spanish verbs to master.
- What's the preterite of cantar?
- Canté, cantaste, cantó, cantamos, cantasteis, cantaron. Fully regular -ar preterite.
- How can I get better at conjugating cantar?
- Cantar is everyday vocabulary, songs, performances, birds. Exposure to canto / canté / cantaba in real contexts is the fastest path. Parrot's daily videos feature cantar naturally.