Conjugate emplear in Spanish

to employ / to use

emplear is a regular -ar verb ranked #463 among the most common Spanish verbs. For example: "Necesito emplear esto." (I need to employ / to use this.). Use the tables below for full conjugation across all 7 tenses.

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Describes current actions, habits, and general truths. The most frequently used tense — master it first.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo empleo
empleas
él/ella/Ud. emplea
nosotros empleamos
vosotros empleáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. emplean
Example

Yo empleo todos los días.

I employ / to use every day.

Describes completed past actions with a clear start and end. Key signals: ayer, el lunes pasado, de repente.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo empleé
empleaste
él/ella/Ud. empleó
nosotros empleamos
vosotros empleasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. emplearon
Example

Ayer yo empleé.

Yesterday I employ / to use.

Describes habitual past actions, background context, and ongoing states. Key signals: siempre, normalmente, cuando era niño.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo empleaba
empleabas
él/ella/Ud. empleaba
nosotros empleábamos
vosotros empleabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. empleaban
Example

Antes yo empleaba con frecuencia.

Before, I used to employ / to use often.

Describes future events and predictions. In everyday speech, ir a + infinitive is often preferred for planned events.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo emplearé
emplearás
él/ella/Ud. empleará
nosotros emplearemos
vosotros emplearéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. emplearán
Example

Mañana yo emplearé.

Tomorrow I will employ / to use.

Expresses what would happen under certain conditions — equivalent to "would" in English. Also used for polite requests.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo emplearía
emplearías
él/ella/Ud. emplearía
nosotros emplearíamos
vosotros emplearíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. emplearían
Example

Si pudiera, yo emplearía.

If I could, I would employ / to use.

Used in clauses expressing wishes, doubt, emotion, or uncertainty — typically after que. Triggers: querer, esperar, dudar, ojalá.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo emplee
emplees
él/ella/Ud. emplee
nosotros empleemos
vosotros empleéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. empleen
Example

Espero que tú emplees.

I hope that you employ / to use.

Used to give commands and direct requests. Affirmative and negative forms differ significantly in Spanish.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo -
emplea
él/ella/Ud. emplee
nosotros empleemos
vosotros emplead
ellos/ellas/Uds. empleen
Example

¡Emplea!

Employ / to use!

Test yourself

Type the correct conjugation for each prompt.

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Example sentences

Common phrases with emplear

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