Conjugate pillar in Spanish
to catch, to nab
pillar is a regular -ar verb ranked #639 among the most common Spanish verbs. For example: "La policía pilló al ladrón en plena calle." (The police caught the thief right on the street.). Use the tables below for full conjugation across all 7 tenses.
pillar — Spanish Conjugation Chart
to catch, to nab · -ar verb · regular · conjugado.com
Describes current actions, habits, and general truths. The most frequently used tense — master it first.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | pillo |
| tú | pillas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pilla |
| nosotros | pillamos |
| vosotros | pilláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pillan |
No me pilla de camino, pero iré de todos modos.
It's not on my way, but I'll go anyway.
Describes completed past actions with a clear start and end. Key signals: ayer, el lunes pasado, de repente.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | pillé |
| tú | pillaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | pilló |
| nosotros | pillamos |
| vosotros | pillasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pillaron |
Me pillaron copiando en el examen.
They caught me cheating on the exam.
Describes habitual past actions, background context, and ongoing states. Key signals: siempre, normalmente, cuando era niño.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | pillaba |
| tú | pillabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pillaba |
| nosotros | pillábamos |
| vosotros | pillabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pillaban |
Antes yo pillaba con frecuencia.
Before, I used to catch, to nab often.
Describes future events and predictions. In everyday speech, ir a + infinitive is often preferred for planned events.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | pillaré |
| tú | pillarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | pillará |
| nosotros | pillaremos |
| vosotros | pillaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pillarán |
Mañana yo pillaré.
Tomorrow I will catch, to nab.
Expresses what would happen under certain conditions — equivalent to "would" in English. Also used for polite requests.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | pillaría |
| tú | pillarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | pillaría |
| nosotros | pillaríamos |
| vosotros | pillaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pillarían |
Si pudiera, yo pillaría.
If I could, I would catch, to nab.
Used in clauses expressing wishes, doubt, emotion, or uncertainty — typically after que. Triggers: querer, esperar, dudar, ojalá.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | pille |
| tú | pilles |
| él/ella/Ud. | pille |
| nosotros | pillemos |
| vosotros | pilléis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pillen |
Espero que tú pilles.
I hope that you catch, to nab.
Used to give commands and direct requests. Affirmative and negative forms differ significantly in Spanish.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | - |
| tú | pilla |
| él/ella/Ud. | pille |
| nosotros | pillemos |
| vosotros | pillad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pillen |
No me pilla de camino, pero iré de todos modos.
It's not on my way, but I'll go anyway.
Test yourself
Type the correct conjugation for each prompt.
Example sentences
-
La policía pilló al ladrón en plena calle.
The police caught the thief right on the street.
-
Me pillaron copiando en el examen.
They caught me cheating on the exam.
-
No me pilla de camino, pero iré de todos modos.
It's not on my way, but I'll go anyway.
Common phrases with pillar
- pillar a alguien con las manos en la masa to catch someone red-handed
- pillar un resfriado to catch a cold
- me pilla lejos it's far from me / it's out of my way