-ar verb C1 · Advanced

Conjugate cautivar in Spanish

to captivate

cautivar is a regular -ar verb ranked #1338 among the most common Spanish verbs. For example: "Su sonrisa cautivó a todos los presentes." (Her smile captivated everyone present.). 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 cautivo
cautivas
él/ella/Ud. cautiva
nosotros cautivamos
vosotros cautiváis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cautivan
Example

La música de esa banda me cautiva cada vez que la escucho.

That band's music captivates me every time I listen to it.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo cautivé
cautivaste
él/ella/Ud. cautivó
nosotros cautivamos
vosotros cautivasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cautivaron
Example

Ayer yo cautivé.

Yesterday I captivate.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo cautivaba
cautivabas
él/ella/Ud. cautivaba
nosotros cautivábamos
vosotros cautivabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cautivaban
Example

Antes yo cautivaba con frecuencia.

Before, I used to captivate often.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo cautivaré
cautivarás
él/ella/Ud. cautivará
nosotros cautivaremos
vosotros cautivaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cautivarán
Example

Mañana yo cautivaré.

Tomorrow I will captivate.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo cautivaría
cautivarías
él/ella/Ud. cautivaría
nosotros cautivaríamos
vosotros cautivaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cautivarían
Example

Si pudiera, yo cautivaría.

If I could, I would captivate.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo cautive
cautives
él/ella/Ud. cautive
nosotros cautivemos
vosotros cautivéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cautiven
Example

Espero que tú cautives.

I hope that you captivate.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo -
cautiva
él/ella/Ud. cautive
nosotros cautivemos
vosotros cautivad
ellos/ellas/Uds. cautiven
Example

La música de esa banda me cautiva cada vez que la escucho.

That band's music captivates me every time I listen to it.

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Example sentences

Common phrases with cautivar

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