-ar verb C1 · Advanced

Conjugate cuidar in Spanish

to take care of, to look after

cuidar is a regular -ar verb ranked #2069 among the most common Spanish verbs. For example: "Cuida bien a tus hijos." (Take good care of your children.). 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 cuido
cuidas
él/ella/Ud. cuida
nosotros cuidamos
vosotros cuidáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cuidan
Example

Cuida bien a tus hijos.

Take good care of your children.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo cuidé
cuidaste
él/ella/Ud. cuidó
nosotros cuidamos
vosotros cuidasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cuidaron
Example

Ayer yo cuidé.

Yesterday I take care of, to look after.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo cuidaba
cuidabas
él/ella/Ud. cuidaba
nosotros cuidábamos
vosotros cuidabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cuidaban
Example

Antes yo cuidaba con frecuencia.

Before, I used to take care of, to look after often.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo cuidaré
cuidarás
él/ella/Ud. cuidará
nosotros cuidaremos
vosotros cuidaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cuidarán
Example

Mañana yo cuidaré.

Tomorrow I will take care of, to look after.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo cuidaría
cuidarías
él/ella/Ud. cuidaría
nosotros cuidaríamos
vosotros cuidaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cuidarían
Example

Si pudiera, yo cuidaría.

If I could, I would take care of, to look after.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo cuide
cuides
él/ella/Ud. cuide
nosotros cuidemos
vosotros cuidéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cuiden
Example

Espero que tú cuides.

I hope that you take care of, to look after.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo -
cuida
él/ella/Ud. cuide
nosotros cuidemos
vosotros cuidád
ellos/ellas/Uds. cuiden
Example

Cuida bien a tus hijos.

Take good care of your children.

Test yourself

Type the correct conjugation for each prompt.

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Example sentences

Common phrases with cuidar

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