-ar verb C1 · Advanced

Conjugate motivar in Spanish

to motivate

motivar is a regular -ar verb ranked #2228 among the most common Spanish verbs. For example: "El profesor motiva a sus alumnos." (The teacher motivates his students.). 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 motivo
motivas
él/ella/Ud. motiva
nosotros motivamos
vosotros motiváis
ellos/ellas/Uds. motivan
Example

El profesor motiva a sus alumnos.

The teacher motivates his students.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo motivé
motivaste
él/ella/Ud. motivó
nosotros motivamos
vosotros motivasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. motivaron
Example

Ayer yo motivé.

Yesterday I motivate.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo motivaba
motivabas
él/ella/Ud. motivaba
nosotros motivábamos
vosotros motivabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. motivaban
Example

Antes yo motivaba con frecuencia.

Before, I used to motivate often.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo motivaré
motivarás
él/ella/Ud. motivará
nosotros motivaremos
vosotros motivaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. motivarán
Example

Mañana yo motivaré.

Tomorrow I will motivate.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo motivaría
motivarías
él/ella/Ud. motivaría
nosotros motivaríamos
vosotros motivaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. motivarían
Example

Si pudiera, yo motivaría.

If I could, I would motivate.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo motive
motives
él/ella/Ud. motive
nosotros motivemos
vosotros motivéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. motiven
Example

Espero que tú motives.

I hope that you motivate.

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

Pronoun Conjugation
yo -
motiva
él/ella/Ud. motive
nosotros motivemos
vosotros motivad
ellos/ellas/Uds. motiven
Example

El profesor motiva a sus alumnos.

The teacher motivates his students.

Test yourself

Type the correct conjugation for each prompt.

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Example sentences

Common phrases with motivar

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