- Conducir is the Spanish verb for "to drive" a vehicle or to lead/bring about something.
- It's a regular -ir verb in terms of its infinitive, but its root changes to condu- in most forms, making it semi-irregular.
- Used for contexts like driving a car, operating machinery, or metaphorically leading a process.
Present: Yo conduzco (I drive)
| Subject | Conducir (Present) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | conduzco | I drive |
| Tú | conduces | You drive |
| Él/Ella/Ud. | conduce | He/She/You drive |
| Nosotros | conducimos | We drive |
| Vosotros | conducís | You all drive |
| Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | conducen | They drive |
- Conducir is a stem-changing verb: the root becomes conduc-, except for "yo," which uses conduzco (not "conduco").
- The present endings are standard for -ir verbs: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en.
*conducimos* is correct for 'we drive.'
Barbara conduce la reunión y también conduce el coche por la ciudad.
- → Barbara leads the meeting and also drives the car through the city.
Preterite: Yo conduje (I drove)
| Subject | Conducir (Preterite) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | conduje | I drove |
| Tú | condujiste | You drove |
| Él/Ella/Ud. | condujo | He/She/You drove |
| Nosotros | condujimos | We drove |
| Vosotros | condujisteis | You all drove |
| Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | condujeron | They drove |
- In the preterite, conducir uses the irregular stem conduj- and drops the usual endings.
- Endings are: -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -eron (note -eron, not -ieron).
The stem is *conduj-* for the preterite.
- →
- Condujimos toda la noche para llegar temprano.
(We drove all night to arrive early.)
- El jefe condujo el proyecto hacia el éxito.
(The boss led the project to success.)
Imperfect: Yo conducía (I was driving / used to drive)
| Subject | Conducir (Imperfect) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | conducía | I drove / was driving / used to drive |
| Tú | conducías | You... |
| Él/Ella/Ud. | conducía | He/She/You... |
| Nosotros | conducíamos | We... |
| Vosotros | conducíais | You all... |
| Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | conducían | They... |
- The imperfect is regular for conducir and all -ir verbs: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
- The stem is conduc- (no “z” in imperfect).
*Conducían* is correct for 'they were driving/used to drive.'
- → Cuando era joven, conducía por las carreteras sin rumbo.
- (When I was young, I used to drive on the highways without direction.)
Future: Yo conduciré (I will drive)
| Subject | Conducir (Future) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | conduciré | I will drive |
| Tú | conducirás | You will drive |
| Él/Ella/Ud. | conducirá | He/She/You will drive |
| Nosotros | conduciremos | We will drive |
| Vosotros | conduciréis | You all will drive |
| Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | conducirán | They will drive |
- Future forms use the full infinitive +: -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án.
'They will drive' is *conducirán*.
- → En el futuro, conduciré autos eléctricos para cuidar el planeta.
- (In the future, I will drive electric cars to take care of the planet.)
Subjunctive Present: (que) Yo conduzca (that I drive)
| Subject | Conducir (Pres. Subj.) | Meaning (that...) |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | conduzca | (that) I drive |
| Tú | conduzcas | (that) you drive |
| Él/Ella/Ud. | conduzca | (that) he/she/you drive |
| Nosotros | conduzcamos | (that) we drive |
| Vosotros | conduzcáis | (that) you all drive |
| Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | conduzcan | (that) they drive |
- The subjunctive uses the root conduzc- (like "yo" form in present) + subjunctive endings: -a, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an.
- Used in dependent clauses expressing desire, doubt, emotion, etc.
The correct form is 'conduzcamos.'
- → Espero que conduzcas con cuidado durante la tormenta.
- (I hope that you drive carefully during the storm.)
Conclusion
Conducir is a key verb for travel and leadership, with notable stem changes and irregularities.
- Use conduzco for “I drive” in the present, and conduj- for preterite stems.
- Remember regular -ir endings in most forms, plus special ones like -eron for the preterite.
The root for the preterite is 'conduj-'.
'We will drive' is Conduciremos.
Correct are Conduzco, Conduces, Conduce.