Spanish grammar · Intermediate
Dar Conjugation: Every Tense with Examples
Dar means to give. Yo present is the irregular doy (parallels voy, soy, estoy). Preterite is the unique di / dio / dimos (no accents, surprisingly short). Used in hundreds of idioms (dar miedo, dar vueltas, dar igual).
Te doy un regalo.
I'm giving you a gift.
What it is
Dar means to give. Yo present is the irregular doy (parallels voy, soy, estoy). The preterite is the unique di, diste, dio, dimos, disteis, dieron, no accents on di or dio because they're already one syllable.
In Te doy un regalo (I'm giving you a gift), doy is the irregular yo form and te is the indirect object pronoun (to you).
How to spot it
Yo form is doy (-oy ending). Preterite forms di / dio are extremely short. Dar combined with nouns produces hundreds of idioms.
- Le doy las gracias. — I thank him / I give him thanks.
- Me dio mucho miedo. — It scared me a lot. (idiom: dar miedo)
- Dimos un paseo. — We took a walk. (idiom: dar un paseo)
Many everyday actions use dar + noun: dar un paseo (take a walk), dar miedo (scare), dar igual (not matter), dar vueltas (spin / pace).
Dar Conjugation Quick Reference
Dar at a glance, the most-used forms across tenses
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | doy | di | daba | daré | dé |
| tú | das | diste | dabas | darás | des |
| él/ella/Ud. | da | dio | daba | dará | dé |
| nosotros | damos | dimos | dábamos | daremos | demos |
| vosotros | dais | disteis | dabais | daréis | deis |
| ellos/Uds. | dan | dieron | daban | darán | den |
Common Dar Conjugation Examples in Spanish
Dar covers physical giving, abstract giving, and hundreds of idiomatic combinations:
Giving Physical Things
- Te doy mi número.
- I'll give you my number.
- Le di el libro a María.
- I gave the book to María.
- Nos dieron regalos.
- They gave us gifts.
Dar takes both direct (the thing) and indirect (the recipient) objects, Te doy esto (To you I give this).
Giving Abstract Things
- Me da una idea.
- It gives me an idea.
- Eso me da esperanza.
- That gives me hope.
- Le dio la oportunidad.
- She gave him the opportunity.
Dar works with abstract nouns, ideas, hope, opportunities, advice (consejos).
Dar + Emotion (Reactions)
- Me da miedo volar.
- Flying scares me.
- Le dio vergüenza.
- She was embarrassed (lit: it gave her shame).
- Eso me da igual.
- I don't care about that.
Dar + emotion noun + indirect object = causes emotion. Me da miedo X = X scares me.
Dar + Action (Idioms)
- Dimos un paseo.
- We took a walk.
- Le di un abrazo.
- I gave him a hug.
- El reloj dio las cinco.
- The clock struck five.
Dar combines with action nouns to express everything from hugging to clock-striking, dar un paseo / un abrazo / un beso / un grito.
How to Conjugate Dar Across Tenses
Present, Yo Doy (-Oy Pattern)
Yo form is doy. Other forms are regular -ar: das, da, damos, dais, dan.
Yo doy, tú das, él da, nosotros damos, vosotros dais, ellos dan.
I give, you give, he gives, we give, you all give, they give.
-oy ending matches voy (ir), soy (ser), estoy (estar). All four together: doy/voy/soy/estoy.
Preterite, Irregular Short Forms
Preterite uses -er/-ir endings (not -ar): di, diste, dio, dimos, disteis, dieron. No accents on di / dio because they're already monosyllables.
Yo di, tú diste, él dio, nosotros dimos, vosotros disteis, ellos dieron.
I gave, you gave, he gave, we gave, you all gave, they gave.
Dar borrows -er/-ir preterite endings, that's why it's dio, not dó.
Imperfect / Future, Regular
Imperfect: daba, dabas, daba, dábamos, dabais, daban. Future: daré, darás, dará, daremos, daréis, darán. Both fully regular -ar patterns.
Cuando era niño, me daban dulces. Te daré una sorpresa.
When I was a child, they used to give me candy. I'll give you a surprise.
Imperfect and future have no irregularity for dar.
Subjunctive, Dé (With Accent)
Present subjunctive: dé, des, dé, demos, deis, den. The yo and él/ella forms carry an accent (dé) to distinguish from the preposition de.
Espero que me dé el libro. Quiere que demos una vuelta.
I hope he gives me the book. She wants us to take a walk.
Dé with accent ≠ de (preposition meaning of / from).
Common Mistakes with Dar Conjugation
Incorrect: Yo do mi número. — I'm giving my number. (wrong, yo form is doy)
Correct: Yo doy mi número. — I'm giving my number.
Dar's yo form is the irregular doy, like voy, soy, estoy. Not do.
Incorrect: Yo dí el regalo. Él dió el regalo. — I / he gave the gift. (wrong, no accents on di / dio)
Correct: Yo di el regalo. Él dio el regalo. — I gave / he gave the gift.
Di and dio are monosyllables, they don't need accents. The 2010 RAE reform officially dropped the optional accents.
Incorrect: Espero que me de el libro. — I hope he gives me the book. (wrong, subjunctive needs accent)
Correct: Espero que me dé el libro. — I hope he gives me the book.
The subjunctive dé carries an accent to distinguish from the preposition de (of / from). Required in writing.
Dar Across Every Tense
Three irregular spots: yo doy (present), di/dio (preterite, short forms with -er endings), dé (subjunctive with accent).
Present (Yo Doy)
Yo doy; rest regular -ar.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Same -oy family as voy, soy, estoy, all four are everyday verbs.
Preterite (-er Endings)
Dar uses -er preterite endings: di, diste, dio. No accents on monosyllables.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Same endings as ver preterite (vi, vio), both short monosyllables.
Imperfect (Regular)
Regular -ar imperfect.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
No irregularity in the imperfect.
Future, Conditional, Subjunctive
Future / conditional regular. Subjunctive uses dé / des / dé (accents on monosyllables).
| yo (future) |
| yo (conditional) |
| yo (present subjunctive) |
| yo (present perfect) |
Past participle dado is regular. Use it for he dado, había dado, haya dado.
Common Dar Idioms
Dar + Emotion (Causing Reactions)
Dar + emotion noun + indirect object = X causes the emotion. Subject of the Spanish sentence is the thing causing the reaction (different word order than English).
- Las arañas me dan miedo.
- Spiders scare me. (lit: Spiders give me fear)
- Me da pena verte así.
- It saddens me to see you like this.
- Le da igual.
- He doesn't care. (lit: It gives him equal)
Most emotion idioms work this way: dar miedo (scare), dar pena (sadden), dar asco (disgust), dar igual (not matter), dar risa (make laugh), dar vergüenza (embarrass).
Dar + Action (Performing Activities)
Dar + action noun = doing the activity. Common combinations cover walking, hugging, calling, looking.
- Dimos un paseo por la playa.
- We took a walk on the beach.
- Le di un beso.
- I gave him / her a kiss.
- Dame una vuelta.
- Give me a ride / spin.
Dar un paseo (take a walk), dar un abrazo (hug), dar un beso (kiss), dar vueltas (spin / pace), dar una vuelta (take a ride or stroll).
Dar Conjugation FAQs
- What does dar mean and when do you use it in Spanish?
- Dar means to give. Used for physical giving (Te doy el libro), abstract giving (Me das esperanza), causing emotional reactions (Me da miedo), and dozens of fixed idioms (dar un paseo, dar igual, dar vueltas).
- How does dar conjugate in the present tense?
- Doy, das, da, damos, dais, dan. Only the yo form is irregular (doy, the -oy family shared with voy, soy, estoy). Other forms are regular -ar.
- What's the preterite of dar?
- Di, diste, dio, dimos, disteis, dieron. Surprisingly short, and uses -er endings (not -ar). No accents on di or dio because they're already monosyllables.
- Why does the dar subjunctive carry an accent (dé)?
- Dé (subjunctive) needs an accent to distinguish from de (the preposition meaning of / from). Both are monosyllables that would otherwise look identical. The accent is required in writing.
- How can I get better at conjugating dar?
- Dar's irregular spots are few but high-frequency, and most learners encounter them through the dozens of idioms (dar miedo, dar igual, dar un paseo). Parrot's daily videos feature these idioms in real conversations, so the conjugation patterns become automatic.