-er verb irregular · yo-go-zco C1 · Advanced

Conjugate merecer in Spanish

to deserve

merecer is an irregular -er verb ranked #2242 among the most common Spanish verbs. For example: "Mereces lo mejor en la vida." (You deserve the best in life.). Use the tables below for full conjugation across all 7 tenses.

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⚡ Irregular verb — merecer (yo-go-zco) does not follow standard -er patterns. Pay close attention to the stems in each tense.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo merezco *
mereces
él/ella/Ud. merece
nosotros merecemos
vosotros merecéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. merecen
Example

Mereces lo mejor en la vida.

You deserve the best in life.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo merecí
mereciste
él/ella/Ud. mereció
nosotros merecimos
vosotros merecisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. merecieron
Example

Ayer yo merecí.

Yesterday I deserve.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo merecía
merecías
él/ella/Ud. merecía
nosotros merecíamos
vosotros merecíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. merecían
Example

Antes yo merecía con frecuencia.

Before, I used to deserve often.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo mereceré
merecerás
él/ella/Ud. merecerá
nosotros mereceremos
vosotros mereceréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. merecerán
Example

Mañana yo mereceré.

Tomorrow I will deserve.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo merecería
merecerías
él/ella/Ud. merecería
nosotros mereceríamos
vosotros mereceríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. merecerían
Example

Si pudiera, yo merecería.

If I could, I would deserve.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo merezca *
merezcas *
él/ella/Ud. merezca *
nosotros merezcamos *
vosotros merezcáis *
ellos/ellas/Uds. merezcan *
Example

Espero que tú merezcas.

I hope that you deserve.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo -
merece
él/ella/Ud. merezca *
nosotros merezcamos *
vosotros mereced
ellos/ellas/Uds. merezcan *
Example

Eso no merece la pena.

That's not worth it.

Test yourself

Type the correct conjugation for each prompt.

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Example sentences

Common phrases with merecer

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