Conseguir is an -ir verb that shifts from e to i in many forms, and it adds gu in some spots to keep the hard g sound.
Conseguir shows up early in Spanish study, then it keeps showing up in real talk. You’ll hear it at school, at work, and in casual chats. It often lines up with “to get,” yet it stretches past that single English verb. Once you learn its pattern, you can read and write it with confidence.
This verb has two things going on: a stem change (the vowel shift) and a spelling change (the letters that protect pronunciation). Neither is random. Both follow repeatable rules. If you learn the rules once, you can reuse them in many tenses.
This page gives you clear forms, plain-language pattern notes, and a short practice plan at the end. Save it for the next time you pause mid-sentence and think, “Wait… is it conseguí or consiguió?”
What Conseguir Means In Daily Spanish
Conseguir is flexible. Spanish speakers use it for getting a thing, reaching a goal, or pulling something off after effort. In English, you might swap between “get,” “obtain,” “manage,” “secure,” or “achieve,” depending on the moment.
Common Uses You’ll Hear
- To obtain or get: You get an item, a ticket, a job, a document.
- To achieve or reach: You reach a result, a grade, a milestone.
- To manage to: You manage to do something, often after trying.
Sample Sentences That Sound Natural
- ¿Conseguiste las entradas? (Did you get the tickets?)
- Ella consiguió un trabajo nuevo. (She got a new job.)
- No consigo dormir. (I can’t manage to sleep.)
You may also see nearby verbs like obtener and lograr. Obtener often sounds more formal. Lograr leans toward reaching a goal. Many times, conseguir fits both everyday talk and goal language, which is why it gets used so much.
Conjugation of Conseguir in Spanish With Stem Changes
Here’s the pattern in plain terms. Learn these three points and the rest gets easier.
The Three Rules That Do The Heavy Lifting
- Stem change: In many present-tense style forms, the e in the stem shifts to i: consigo, consigues, consigue, consiguen. The nosotros and vosotros present forms keep e: conseguimos, conseguís.
- Spelling protection: Before e or i, Spanish often uses gu to keep the hard g sound. That’s why you see conseguí and conseguiste in the preterite.
- Preterite “i” in third person: In the one-time past, the stem change shows up in él/ella/usted and ellos/ellas/ustedes: consiguió, consiguieron.
Present Indicative Forms
These are the forms you’ll use for habits, current actions, and general statements. Watch how the stem shifts to consig- in most persons, while nosotros and vosotros keep consegu-.
- yo: consigo
- tú: consigues
- él/ella/usted: consigue
- nosotros/nosotras: conseguimos
- vosotros/vosotras: conseguís
- ellos/ellas/ustedes: consiguen
Quick heads-up: consigo can also mean “with me” (from con + sí). Context clears it up. In a verb sentence, it’s usually “I get” or “I manage.”
Preterite Indicative Forms
Use these for finished actions with a clear endpoint. Notice gu in the forms with i endings, and notice the i stem in the third person.
- yo: conseguí
- tú: conseguiste
- él/ella/usted: consiguió
- nosotros/nosotras: conseguimos
- vosotros/vosotras: conseguisteis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes: consiguieron
That accent in consiguió matters. It marks the stress and keeps the pronunciation clean.
Imperfect Indicative Forms
The imperfect is the “was doing / used to” past. Here, conseguir acts like a regular -ir verb. No stem change. No gu trick.
- yo: conseguía
- tú: conseguías
- él/ella/usted: conseguía
- nosotros/nosotras: conseguíamos
- vosotros/vosotras: conseguíais
- ellos/ellas/ustedes: conseguían
At this point, you’ve seen the two “personality traits” of the verb: the present-style stem change and the preterite third-person stem change. Next, use the table to keep the patterns straight.
| Tense Or Mode | What Shifts | Notes To Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Present | e→i in most persons | nosotros/vosotros keep e |
| Present Progressive | Gerund keeps the stem pattern | consiguiendo (not conseguendo) |
| Preterite | gu before i; i-stem in 3rd person | conseguí vs consiguió |
| Imperfect | No stem change | Regular -ía endings |
| Simple -ré Tense | No stem change | Infinitive + endings: conseguiré, conseguirán |
| Conditional | No stem change | Infinitive + -ía set: conseguiría |
| Present Subjunctive | e→i; stem consig- | consiga, consigamos |
| Imperfect Subjunctive | Based on consiguieron | consiguiera / consiguiese |
| Commands | Mix of present and subjunctive forms | consigue, no consigas |
| Past Participle | Regular form | conseguido for perfect tenses |
Simple -ré Tense Forms
This tense talks about what will happen later. The good news is that conseguir stays regular here. You keep the full infinitive and add endings.
- yo: conseguiré
- tú: conseguirás
- él/ella/usted: conseguirá
- nosotros/nosotras: conseguiremos
- vosotros/vosotras: conseguiréis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes: conseguirán
Conditional Tense Forms
Use these for “would” ideas, polite requests, and possibilities tied to a condition. The verb stays regular: infinitive + conditional endings.
- yo: conseguiría
- tú: conseguirías
- él/ella/usted: conseguiría
- nosotros/nosotras: conseguiríamos
- vosotros/vosotras: conseguiríais
- ellos/ellas/ustedes: conseguirían
Subjunctive Forms That Show Doubt Or Desire
The subjunctive shows up after certain triggers: wishes, reactions, doubt, and necessity phrases. With conseguir, the present subjunctive keeps the same stem shift you saw in the present tense.
Present Subjunctive Forms
- yo: consiga
- tú: consigas
- él/ella/usted: consiga
- nosotros/nosotras: consigamos
- vosotros/vosotras: consigáis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes: consigan
Sample: Quiero que consigas el permiso hoy. Sample: Dudo que ellos consigan entradas.
Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
This set comes from the ellos preterite form consiguieron. Drop -ron to get consiguie-, then add endings. Spanish accepts two common sets: -ra and -se.
-Ra Set
- yo: consiguiera
- tú: consiguieras
- él/ella/usted: consiguiera
- nosotros/nosotras: consiguiéramos
- vosotros/vosotras: consiguierais
- ellos/ellas/ustedes: consiguieran
-Se Set
- yo: consiguiese
- tú: consiguieses
- él/ella/usted: consiguiese
- nosotros/nosotras: consiguiésemos
- vosotros/vosotras: consiguieseis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes: consiguiesen
Sample: Si consiguiera tiempo, iría contigo. Sample: Era difícil que consiguiésemos boletos.
Compound Subjunctive Forms
These use haber + past participle conseguido. You’re not changing the stem in conseguido; the work is in the form of haber.
- haya conseguido, hayas conseguido, hayan conseguido
- hubiera conseguido / hubiese conseguido
| Person | Present | Preterite |
|---|---|---|
| yo | consigo | conseguí |
| tú | consigues | conseguiste |
| él/ella/usted | consigue | consiguió |
| nosotros/as | conseguimos | conseguimos |
| vosotros/as | conseguís | conseguisteis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | consiguen | consiguieron |
Commands With Conseguir
Commands mix forms you already know. Positive tú uses the present third-person form. Negative commands use the present subjunctive.
Positive Commands
- tú: consigue
- usted: consiga
- nosotros/as: consigamos
- vosotros/as: conseguid
- ustedes: consigan
Negative Commands
- tú: no consigas
- usted: no consiga
- nosotros/as: no consigamos
- vosotros/as: no consigáis
- ustedes: no consigan
Participles And Progressive Form
The gerund is consiguiendo. That spelling is a common check point: you keep the i stem and keep the hard g sound. The past participle is conseguido, which is regular.
Sample progressive idea: Estoy consiguiendo información. Sample result idea: He conseguido lo que quería.
Haber + Conseguido In Perfect Tenses
Perfect tenses use haber + conseguido. The participle stays the same across persons. Only haber changes.
- he conseguido, has conseguido, ha conseguido
- habíamos conseguido, habíais conseguido, habían conseguido
- habré conseguido, habrás conseguido, habrán conseguido
- habría conseguido, habríamos conseguido
Mix-Ups That Cause Errors
- Forgetting gu in the preterite:conseguí needs gu. Without it, the g sound changes.
- Overusing the stem change: The imperfect stays regular: conseguía, not consiguía.
- Mixing third-person preterite forms: It’s consiguió with an accent, and it uses the i stem.
- Command confusion:consigue is positive tú; no consigas is negative tú.
- Reading consigo two ways: In some sentences it’s “I get.” In others it’s “with me.” Read the full sentence, then decide.
A Ten-Minute Practice Plan
If you want this verb to stick, try this short routine. It’s quick, but it forces your brain to switch persons and tenses, which is where mistakes show up.
- Write the six present forms once, from yo to ellos, without looking.
- Write the six preterite forms once, then circle the two third-person forms with the i stem.
- Say the present forms out loud, then say the present subjunctive forms out loud. Listen for the vowel shift staying consistent.
- Create two short sentences with conseguir meaning “to obtain,” then two meaning “to manage to.” Keep them short.
- Finish with commands: write one positive and one negative command you might say in real life.
Do that a few times across the week and the patterns stop feeling like rules. They start feeling like normal Spanish.