In this module, we will explore 36 common Spanish verbs beginning with the letter “P.” 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.
Pagar – to pay
Parar – to stop
Pasear – to stroll, to take a walk
Pasar – to pass, to happen
Patinar – to skate
Pedir – to ask for, to request
Peinar – to comb
Pensar – to think
Perder – to lose
Perdonar – to forgive
Permitir – to allow
Pesar – to weigh
Pintar – to paint
Plantar – to plant
Practicar – to practice
Preguntar – to ask
Preparar – to prepare
Probar – to taste, to try
Proteger – to protect
Proveer – to provide
Publicar – to publish
Poner – to put, to place
Pertenecer – to belong
Producir – to produce
Proponer – to propose
Pulir – to polish
Perseguir – to pursue
Pegar – to hit, to stick
Pacificar – to pacify
Parpadear – to blink
Participar – to participate
Preferir – to prefer
Prometer – to promise
Progresar – to progress
Pulsar – to press
Puntuar – to score, to mark
Pagar – to pay
Present: Yo pago las cuentas cada mes. – I pay the bills every month.
Past: Ella pagó la cena anoche. – She paid for dinner last night.
Future: Nosotros pagaremos por los boletos mañana. – We will pay for the tickets tomorrow.
Parar – to stop
Present: Tú paras el coche en el semáforo. – You stop the car at the traffic light.
Past: Ellos pararon el proyecto por falta de fondos. – They stopped the project due to lack of funds.
Future: Yo pararé de trabajar a las cinco. – I will stop working at five.
Pasear – to stroll, to take a walk
Present: Nosotros paseamos por el parque cada tarde. – We stroll through the park every afternoon.
Past: Ella paseó por la playa al amanecer. – She strolled along the beach at sunrise.
Future: ¿Pasearás conmigo esta noche? – Will you take a walk with me tonight?
Pasar – to pass, to happen
Present: ¿Qué pasa aquí? – What is happening here?
Past: Pasé todo el día estudiando. – I spent the whole day studying.
Future: Este problema pasará pronto. – This problem will pass soon.
Patinar – to skate
Present: Ellos patinan en el hielo cada invierno. – They skate on the ice every winter.
Past: Nosotros patinamos en el parque ayer. – We skated in the park yesterday.
Future: Tú patinarás mejor con más práctica. – You will skate better with more practice.
Pedir – to ask for, to request
Present: Yo siempre pido ayuda cuando la necesito. – I always ask for help when I need it.
Past: Ellos pidieron permiso para salir temprano. – They asked for permission to leave early.
Future: ¿Pedirás un aumento de sueldo? – Will you ask for a raise?
Peinar – to comb
Present: Mi madre me peina el cabello. – My mother combs my hair.
Past: Me peiné rápidamente antes de salir. – I combed my hair quickly before leaving.
Future: Ella se peinará antes de la fiesta. – She will comb her hair before the party.
Pensar – to think
Present: ¿Qué piensas de este libro? – What do you think about this book?
Past: Pensé que llegarías más temprano. – I thought you would arrive earlier.
Future: Ellos pensarán en una solución mañana. – They will think of a solution tomorrow.
Perder – to lose
Present: Siempre pierdo mis llaves. – I always lose my keys.
Past: Él perdió su billetera en el metro. – He lost his wallet on the subway.
Future: No perderemos esta oportunidad. – We will not lose this opportunity.
Perdonar – to forgive
Present: Ella siempre perdona mis errores. – She always forgives my mistakes.
Past: Te perdoné porque me pediste disculpas. – I forgave you because you apologized.
Future: Él perdonará a su amigo eventualmente. – He will forgive his friend eventually.
Permitir – to allow
Present: La profesora permite el uso de calculadoras. – The teacher allows the use of calculators.
Past: No permitieron que yo entrara sin identificación. – They did not allow me to enter without ID.
Future: Permitiremos cambios en el contrato. – We will allow changes to the contract.
Pesar – to weigh
Present: ¿Cuánto pesa tu mochila? – How much does your backpack weigh?
Past: Pesaron las maletas antes del vuelo. – They weighed the suitcases before the flight.
Future: Él pesará el oro en una balanza. – He will weigh the gold on a scale.
Pintar – to paint
Present: Me gusta pintar paisajes al óleo. – I like to paint landscapes in oil.
Past: Ella pintó un retrato hermoso. – She painted a beautiful portrait.
Future: Pintaremos la casa este fin de semana. – We will paint the house this weekend.
Plantar – to plant
Present: Mi abuelo planta tomates en el jardín. – My grandfather plants tomatoes in the garden.
Past: Ellos plantaron árboles el año pasado. – They planted trees last year.
Future: Yo plantaré flores en primavera. – I will plant flowers in the spring.
Practicar – to practice
Present: Tú practicas yoga cada mañana. – You practice yoga every morning.
Past: Nosotros practicamos para el concierto anoche. – We practiced for the concert last night.
Future: ¿Practicarás conmigo esta tarde? – Will you practice with me this afternoon?
Preguntar – to ask
Present: Él siempre pregunta cosas interesantes. – He always asks interesting questions.
Past: Pregunté dónde estaba la estación. – I asked where the station was.
Future: Ella preguntará por el precio mañana. – She will ask about the price tomorrow.
Preparar – to prepare
Present: Estamos preparando la cena. – We are preparing dinner.
Past: Ellos prepararon el informe para la reunión. – They prepared the report for the meeting.
Future: ¿Prepararás todo para la fiesta? – Will you prepare everything for the party?
Probar – to taste, to try
Present: Quiero probar esta sopa. – I want to taste this soup.
Past: Probamos la nueva receta ayer. – We tried the new recipe yesterday.
Future: Ellos probarán su teoría en el laboratorio. – They will test their theory in the lab.
Proteger – to protect
Present: La madre protege a sus hijos. – The mother protects her children.
Past: Protegimos el medio ambiente con nuestra campaña. – We protected the environment with our campaign.
Future: El gobierno protegerá los derechos de los ciudadanos. – The government will protect citizens’ rights.
Proveer – to provide
Present: La empresa provee agua potable a la comunidad. – The company provides drinking water to the community.
Past: Proveímos suministros durante la emergencia. – We provided supplies during the emergency.
Future: Ellos proveerán ayuda financiera el próximo año. – They will provide financial aid next year.
Publicar – to publish
Present: Ella publica artículos interesantes en su blog. – She publishes interesting articles on her blog.
Past: Publicamos un libro el año pasado. – We published a book last year.
Future: Ellos publicarán el informe mañana. – They will publish the report tomorrow.
Poner – to put, to place
Present: Pongo las llaves en la mesa. – I put the keys on the table.
Past: Él puso las flores en el jarrón. – He placed the flowers in the vase.
Future: Nosotros pondremos los platos en la mesa. – We will put the plates on the table.
Pertenecer – to belong
Present: Este libro pertenece a mi hermana. – This book belongs to my sister.
Past: Esa casa perteneció a mis abuelos. – That house belonged to my grandparents.
Future: El éxito pertenecerá a quienes trabajen duro. – Success will belong to those who work hard.
Producir – to produce
Present: La fábrica produce cientos de productos al día. – The factory produces hundreds of products daily.
Past: Producimos esta película hace tres años. – We produced this movie three years ago.
Future: Ellos producirán más energía renovable en el futuro. – They will produce more renewable energy in the future.
Proponer – to propose
Present: Yo propongo una nueva idea para el proyecto. – I propose a new idea for the project.
Past: Ellos propusieron cambios importantes en la reunión. – They proposed important changes in the meeting.
Future: Nosotros propondremos una solución mañana. – We will propose a solution tomorrow.
Pulir – to polish
Present: Yo pulo los muebles los fines de semana. – I polish the furniture on weekends.
Past: Ellos pulieron el suelo hasta que brilló. – They polished the floor until it shone.
Future: Tú pulirás las joyas mañana. – You will polish the jewelry tomorrow.
Perseguir – to pursue
Present: La policía persigue al sospechoso por la ciudad. – The police pursue the suspect through the city.
Past: El perro persiguió al gato por el jardín. – The dog chased the cat through the garden.
Future: Nosotros perseguiremos nuestros sueños sin rendirnos. – We will pursue our dreams without giving up.
Pegar – to hit, to stick
Present: El niño pega la pelota con fuerza. – The child hits the ball hard.
Past: Ella pegó el cartel en la pared. – She stuck the poster on the wall.
Future: Si lo haces otra vez, te pegaré. – If you do it again, I will hit you.
Pacificar – to pacify
Present: El gobierno intenta pacificar la región. – The government tries to pacify the region.
Past: Los líderes pacificaron el conflicto después de largas negociaciones. – The leaders pacified the conflict after long negotiations.
Future: Las autoridades pacificarán la zona afectada. – The authorities will pacify the affected area.
Parpadear – to blink
Present: Ella parpadea cuando está nerviosa. – She blinks when she is nervous.
Past: Parpadeé varias veces por la luz brillante. – I blinked several times because of the bright light.
Future: Él parpadeará si algo le molesta en los ojos. – He will blink if something bothers his eyes.
Participar – to participate
Present: Ella participa en muchas actividades extracurriculares. – She participates in many extracurricular activities.
Past: Nosotros participamos en el concurso el año pasado. – We participated in the contest last year.
Future: Ellos participarán en el torneo la próxima semana. – They will participate in the tournament next week.
Preferir – to prefer
Present: Yo prefiero té en lugar de café. – I prefer tea instead of coffee.
Past: Preferimos quedarnos en casa ayer. – We preferred to stay home yesterday.
Future: ¿Preferirás el tren o el avión? – Will you prefer the train or the plane?
Prometer – to promise
Present: Ellos prometen llegar a tiempo. – They promise to arrive on time.
Past: Prometí ayudarte con el proyecto. – I promised to help you with the project.
Future: Ella prometerá cuidarse mejor. – She will promise to take better care of herself.
Progresar – to progress
Present: Tú progresas rápidamente en tus estudios. – You progress quickly in your studies.
Past: Nosotros progresamos mucho el año pasado. – We made a lot of progress last year.
Future: Ellos progresarán con más práctica. – They will progress with more practice.
Pulsar – to press
Present: Tú pulsas el botón para encender la máquina. – You press the button to turn on the machine.
Past: Él pulsó el interruptor varias veces. – He pressed the switch several times.
Future: Pulsaremos el timbre cuando lleguemos. – We will press the doorbell when we arrive.
Puntuar – to score, to mark
Present: Yo siempre puntúo los exámenes con cuidado. – I always score exams carefully.
Past: La profesora puntuó los ensayos anoche. – The teacher marked the essays last night.
Future: Ellos puntuarán a los estudiantes la próxima semana. – They will score the students next week.
In this section, we’ve covered 36 Spanish verbs starting with “P.” 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.