In this module, we will explore 30 common Spanish verbs beginning with the letter “J.” You will learn their English translations, how to use them in sentences, and practice using them in different tenses (present, past, and future). These verbs will allow you to expand your vocabulary and enhance your ability to express a wide range of actions.
Jactarse – to boast, to brag
Jadear – to pant
Jalar – to pull
Jamás olvidar – to never forget
Jugar – to play
Juntar – to gather, to join
Justificar – to justify
Jubilar – to retire
Juramentar – to swear in
Jurar – to swear, to vow
Juzgar – to judge
Jalear – to cheer on
Jorobar – to bother, to annoy
Jerarquizar – to organize hierarchically
Jeringar – to nag
Jactar – to brag, to boast
Jipiar – to whimper
Juguetear – to play around, to frolic
Jarrear – to downpour
Jeringuear – to pester
Jalopar – to gallop
Jibiar – to swerve
Jorungar – to poke
Jabalinear – to skirmish
Juntar fuerzas – to join forces
Jugarse la vida – to risk one’s life
Justar – to joust
Jinetear – to ride (a horse)
Juzgarse – to judge oneself
Jubilarse – to retire oneself
Jactarse – to boast, to brag
Present: Él siempre se jacta de sus logros. – He always brags about his achievements.
Past: Ella se jactó de haber ganado el premio. – She boasted about winning the award.
Future: Nos jactaremos de nuestro proyecto exitoso. – We will boast about our successful project.
Jadear – to pant
Present: El perro jadea cuando hace calor. – The dog pants when it’s hot.
Past: Ellos jadearon después de correr mucho. – They panted after running a lot.
Future: Yo jadearé si subo esa colina tan empinada. – I will pant if I climb that steep hill.
Jalar – to pull
Present: ¿Puedes jalar la cuerda más fuerte? – Can you pull the rope harder?
Past: Él jaló la puerta, pero no se abrió. – He pulled the door, but it didn’t open.
Future: Ellos jalarán la mesa para moverla al salón. – They will pull the table to move it to the living room.
Jamás olvidar – to never forget
Present: Jamás olvidamos lo que hizo por nosotros. – We never forget what he did for us.
Past: Jamás olvidaré esa noche tan especial. – I will never forget that special night.
Future: ¿Jamás olvidaste a tu primer amor? – Did you never forget your first love?
Jugar – to play
Present: Los niños juegan en el parque cada tarde. – The kids play in the park every afternoon.
Past: Jugamos al ajedrez la semana pasada. – We played chess last week.
Future: Jugarás al fútbol con tus amigos mañana. – You will play soccer with your friends tomorrow.
Juntar – to gather, to join
Present: Ellos juntan leña para la fogata. – They gather wood for the campfire.
Past: Juntamos nuestros recursos para ayudar a los necesitados. – We joined our resources to help those in need.
Future: Juntaremos nuestras ideas para crear algo único. – We will join our ideas to create something unique.
Justificar – to justify
Present: No puedo justificar su comportamiento. – I cannot justify his behavior.
Past: Él justificó sus acciones con argumentos válidos. – He justified his actions with valid arguments.
Future: Ellos justificarán su decisión con pruebas. – They will justify their decision with evidence.
Jubilar – to retire
Present: Mi padre se jubila el próximo año. – My father is retiring next year.
Past: Ella se jubiló a los 65 años. – She retired at 65 years old.
Future: Jubilaré cuando haya ahorrado suficiente dinero. – I will retire when I have saved enough money.
Juramentar – to swear in
Present: El presidente juramenta a los nuevos jueces. – The president swears in the new judges.
Past: Juramentamos a los testigos en el juicio. – We swore in the witnesses at the trial.
Future: Ellos juramentarán a los oficiales mañana. – They will swear in the officers tomorrow.
Jurar – to swear, to vow
Present: Yo juro decir la verdad. – I swear to tell the truth.
Past: Ellos juraron nunca traicionar al grupo. – They swore never to betray the group.
Future: Juraré lealtad a la bandera. – I will swear loyalty to the flag.
Juzgar – to judge
Present: La gente juzga sin conocer toda la historia. – People judge without knowing the whole story.
Past: El juez juzgó al acusado con imparcialidad. – The judge judged the accused impartially.
Future: Nos juzgarán por nuestras acciones. – They will judge us by our actions.
Jorobar – to bother, to annoy
Present: No jorobes a tu hermana mientras estudia. – Don’t bother your sister while she’s studying.
Past: Jorobé al perro con mi pelota todo el día. – I annoyed the dog with my ball all day.
Future: Si sigues así, jorobarás a todos en la fiesta. – If you keep this up, you’ll bother everyone at the party.
Jerarquizar – to organize hierarchically
Present: Jerarquizamos las tareas según su importancia. – We organize tasks hierarchically based on their importance.
Past: La empresa jerarquizó los puestos el mes pasado. – The company organized the positions hierarchically last month.
Future: Jerarquizaré mis prioridades antes del examen. – I will organize my priorities hierarchically before the exam.
Jeringar – to nag
Present: Mi mamá siempre jeringa sobre mis hábitos de estudio. – My mom always nags about my study habits.
Past: Mi abuela me jeringó hasta que terminé mi tarea. – My grandmother nagged me until I finished my homework.
Future: No creo que jeringue tanto cuando seas mayor. – I don’t think she’ll nag as much when you’re older.
Jactar – to brag, to boast
Present: Él siempre se jacta de sus habilidades deportivas. – He always brags about his athletic skills.
Past: Me jacté de haber ganado el concurso de poesía. – I boasted about winning the poetry contest.
Future: Ellos se jactarán de su éxito en la feria. – They will boast about their success at the fair.
Jipiar – to whimper
Present: El cachorro jipiaba porque tenía hambre. – The puppy was whimpering because it was hungry.
Past: Jipié toda la noche cuando me sentí mal. – I whimpered all night when I felt sick.
Future: Jipiarás si no consigues lo que quieres. – You’ll whimper if you don’t get what you want.
Juguetear – to play around, to frolic
Present: Los niños juguetean en el parque todos los días. – The children frolic in the park every day.
Past: Jugueteamos con las olas en la playa. – We played around with the waves at the beach.
Future: Mañana juguetearán con los juguetes nuevos. – Tomorrow they’ll play around with their new toys.
Jarrear – to downpour
Present: Siempre jarrea en este pueblo durante el verano. – It always downpours in this town during summer.
Past: Jarreó tanto ayer que las calles se inundaron. – It poured so much yesterday that the streets flooded.
Future: Si no llevas paraguas, jarreará cuando salgas. – If you don’t take an umbrella, it will downpour when you leave.
Jeringuear – to pester
Present: Los niños jeringuean a sus padres por helado. – The kids pester their parents for ice cream.
Past: Te jeringueé tanto que al final accediste. – I pestered you so much that you finally agreed.
Future: Nos jeringuearán con sus preguntas todo el día. – They’ll pester us with their questions all day.
Jalopar – to gallop
Present: El caballo jalopa a través del campo. – The horse gallops across the field.
Past: Jalopé sobre un caballo en el rancho. – I galloped on a horse at the ranch.
Future: Jaloparemos juntos en la próxima exhibición. – We’ll gallop together at the next show.
Jibiar – to swerve
Present: El conductor jibió para evitar el accidente. – The driver swerved to avoid the accident.
Past: Jibié cuando vi un animal en la carretera. – I swerved when I saw an animal on the road.
Future: Si no prestas atención, jibiarás en una curva. – If you don’t pay attention, you’ll swerve on a curve.
Jorungar – to poke
Present: Mi primo me jorunga con un palo. – My cousin pokes me with a stick.
Past: Jorungué el pastel para ver si estaba listo. – I poked the cake to see if it was ready.
Future: Jorungarás la fogata para avivar las llamas. – You’ll poke the fire to stoke the flames.
Jabalinear – to skirmish
Present: Los soldados jabalinean en el campo de batalla. – The soldiers skirmish on the battlefield.
Past: Jabalinearon durante horas sin descanso. – They skirmished for hours without rest.
Future: Jabalinearemos hasta que ganemos el terreno. – We’ll skirmish until we win the ground.
Juntar fuerzas – to join forces
Present: Juntamos fuerzas para organizar la protesta. – We join forces to organize the protest.
Past: Juntaron fuerzas para limpiar el parque. – They joined forces to clean the park.
Future: Juntaré fuerzas con mis compañeros para terminar el proyecto. – I’ll join forces with my teammates to finish the project.
Jugarse la vida – to risk one’s life
Present: Te juegas la vida cada vez que cruzas sin mirar. – You risk your life every time you cross without looking.
Past: Me jugué la vida por salvarlo. – I risked my life to save him.
Future: Ellos se jugarán la vida en esa peligrosa misión. – They will risk their lives on that dangerous mission.
Justar – to joust
Present: Los caballeros justan en la arena. – The knights joust in the arena.
Past: Justamos en el festival medieval. – We jousted at the medieval festival.
Future: Justaré en la competencia local el próximo año. – I’ll joust in the local competition next year.
Jinetear – to ride (a horse)
Present: Ella jinetea por el campo todos los fines de semana. – She rides through the countryside every weekend.
Past: Jineteamos en la playa durante las vacaciones. – We rode horses on the beach during the holidays.
Future: Jinetearé en un torneo de equitación el próximo mes. – I will ride in a horseback riding competition next month.
Juzgarse – to judge oneself
Present: No te juzgues tan duramente, todos cometemos errores. – Don’t judge yourself so harshly, we all make mistakes.
Past: Me juzgué por no haberlo hecho mejor. – I judged myself for not doing it better.
Future: Me juzgaré a mí mismo por mis decisiones en el futuro. – I will judge myself by my decisions in the future.
Jubilarse – to retire oneself
Present: Mis padres se jubilan el próximo mes. – My parents are retiring next month.
Past: Se jubiló después de 40 años de trabajo. – He retired after 40 years of work.
Future: Me jubilaré a los 65 años, como es habitual. – I will retire at 65 years old, as is usual
Jalear – to cheer on
Present: Los aficionados jalean a su equipo durante el partido. (The fans cheer on their team during the match.)
Past: Jaleamos al corredor hasta la meta. (We cheered on the runner all the way to the finish line.)
Future: Jalearán a los jugadores desde las gradas. (They will cheer on the players from the stands.)
In this section, we’ve covered 30 Spanish verbs starting with “J.” These verbs are widely used and can help you express actions and states across various situations. Practicing these in different tenses will help you become more versatile in speaking and writing Spanish.