Show up and turn up
Aparecer is used for people showing up (no apareció en la fiesta, he didn't show up at the party) and for lost things turning up (ya aparecieron mis llaves, my keys turned up). Its opposite is desaparecer (to disappear).
Indicative tenses of aparecer
Facts and things that happen: the tenses you'll use most.
Present indicative
| yo | aparezcoI appear |
|---|---|
| tú | aparecesyou appear |
| él/ella/usted | aparecehe/she appears |
| nosotros/as | aparecemoswe appear |
| vosotros/as | aparecéisyou all appear |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | aparecenthey appear |
Only the yo form is irregular: c → zc (aparezco).
Preterite indicative
| yo | aparecíI appeared |
|---|---|
| tú | aparecisteyou appeared |
| él/ella/usted | aparecióhe/she appeared |
| nosotros/as | aparecimoswe appeared |
| vosotros/as | aparecisteisyou all appeared |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | aparecieronthey appeared |
Imperfect indicative
| yo | aparecíaI used to appear |
|---|---|
| tú | aparecíasyou used to appear |
| él/ella/usted | aparecíahe/she used to appear |
| nosotros/as | aparecíamoswe used to appear |
| vosotros/as | aparecíaisyou all used to appear |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | aparecíanthey used to appear |
Present continuous indicative
| yo | estoy apareciendoI am appearing |
|---|---|
| tú | estás apareciendoyou are appearing |
| él/ella/usted | está apareciendohe/she is appearing |
| nosotros/as | estamos apareciendowe are appearing |
| vosotros/as | estáis apareciendoyou all are appearing |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están apareciendothey are appearing |
estar + gerund
Informal future indicative
| yo | voy a aparecerI am going to appear |
|---|---|
| tú | vas a apareceryou are going to appear |
| él/ella/usted | va a aparecerhe/she is going to appear |
| nosotros/as | vamos a aparecerwe are going to appear |
| vosotros/as | vais a apareceryou all are going to appear |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | van a aparecerthey are going to appear |
ir a + infinitive
Future indicative
| yo | apareceréI will appear |
|---|---|
| tú | aparecerásyou will appear |
| él/ella/usted | apareceráhe/she will appear |
| nosotros/as | apareceremoswe will appear |
| vosotros/as | apareceréisyou all will appear |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | apareceránthey will appear |
Conditional indicative
| yo | apareceríaI would appear |
|---|---|
| tú | apareceríasyou would appear |
| él/ella/usted | apareceríahe/she would appear |
| nosotros/as | apareceríamoswe would appear |
| vosotros/as | apareceríaisyou all would appear |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | apareceríanthey would appear |
Present perfect indicative
| yo | he aparecidoI have appeared |
|---|---|
| tú | has aparecidoyou have appeared |
| él/ella/usted | ha aparecidohe/she has appeared |
| nosotros/as | hemos aparecidowe have appeared |
| vosotros/as | habéis aparecidoyou all have appeared |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han aparecidothey have appeared |
haber (present) + past participle
Past perfect indicative
| yo | había aparecidoI had appeared |
|---|---|
| tú | habías aparecidoyou had appeared |
| él/ella/usted | había aparecidohe/she had appeared |
| nosotros/as | habíamos aparecidowe had appeared |
| vosotros/as | habíais aparecidoyou all had appeared |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habían aparecidothey had appeared |
haber (imperfect) + past participle
Future perfect indicative
| yo | habré aparecidoI will have appeared |
|---|---|
| tú | habrás aparecidoyou will have appeared |
| él/ella/usted | habrá aparecidohe/she will have appeared |
| nosotros/as | habremos aparecidowe will have appeared |
| vosotros/as | habréis aparecidoyou all will have appeared |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrán aparecidothey will have appeared |
haber (future) + past participle
Conditional perfect indicative
| yo | habría aparecidoI would have appeared |
|---|---|
| tú | habrías aparecidoyou would have appeared |
| él/ella/usted | habría aparecidohe/she would have appeared |
| nosotros/as | habríamos aparecidowe would have appeared |
| vosotros/as | habríais aparecidoyou all would have appeared |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrían aparecidothey would have appeared |
haber (conditional) + past participle
Subjunctive tenses of aparecer
Wishes, doubts, emotions and "if" sentences.
Present subjunctive
| yo | aparezca(that) I appear |
|---|---|
| tú | aparezcas(that) you appear |
| él/ella/usted | aparezca(that) he/she appears |
| nosotros/as | aparezcamos(that) we appear |
| vosotros/as | aparezcáis(that) you all appear |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | aparezcan(that) they appear |
Imperfect subjunctive
| yo | apareciera(if) I appeared |
|---|---|
| tú | aparecieras(if) you appeared |
| él/ella/usted | apareciera(if) he/she appeared |
| nosotros/as | apareciéramos(if) we appeared |
| vosotros/as | aparecierais(if) you all appeared |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | aparecieran(if) they appeared |
Future subjunctive
| yo | apareciere(if) I appear |
|---|---|
| tú | aparecieres(if) you appear |
| él/ella/usted | apareciere(if) he/she appears |
| nosotros/as | apareciéremos(if) we appear |
| vosotros/as | apareciereis(if) you all appear |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | aparecieren(if) they appear |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Present perfect subjunctive
| yo | haya aparecido(that) I have appeared |
|---|---|
| tú | hayas aparecido(that) you have appeared |
| él/ella/usted | haya aparecido(that) he/she has appeared |
| nosotros/as | hayamos aparecido(that) we have appeared |
| vosotros/as | hayáis aparecido(that) you all have appeared |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan aparecido(that) they have appeared |
haber (present subj.) + past participle
Past perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiera aparecido(if) I had appeared |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieras aparecido(if) you had appeared |
| él/ella/usted | hubiera aparecido(if) he/she had appeared |
| nosotros/as | hubiéramos aparecido(if) we had appeared |
| vosotros/as | hubierais aparecido(if) you all had appeared |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieran aparecido(if) they had appeared |
haber (imperfect subj.) + past participle
Future perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiere aparecido(if) I will have appeared |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieres aparecido(if) you will have appeared |
| él/ella/usted | hubiere aparecido(if) he/she will have appeared |
| nosotros/as | hubiéremos aparecido(if) we will have appeared |
| vosotros/as | hubiereis aparecido(if) you all will have appeared |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieren aparecido(if) they will have appeared |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Imperative tenses of aparecer
Commands and instructions.
Affirmative imperative
| tú | apareceappear! |
|---|---|
| usted | aparezcaappear! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | aparezcamoslet's appear! |
| vosotros/as | aparecedappear! (you all) |
| ustedes | aparezcanappear! (you all, formal) |
Negative imperative
| tú | no aparezcasdon't appear! |
|---|---|
| usted | no aparezcadon't appear! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | no aparezcamoslet's not appear! |
| vosotros/as | no aparezcáisdon't appear! (you all) |
| ustedes | no aparezcandon't appear! (you all, formal) |
Practice aparecer
Two quick exercises. No sign-up, no app: just you and aparecer.
How to use aparecer
Al final apareció a las once.
In the end he showed up at eleven.
Ya aparecieron mis gafas.
My glasses turned up.
Aparece en una película.
She appears in a movie.
De repente apareció un perro.
Suddenly a dog appeared.
Tu nombre no aparece.
Your name doesn't show up.
Example sentences with aparecer
- ¿Dónde aparece eso?Where does that appear?
- Siempre aparezco tarde.I always show up late.
- No apareció nadie.Nobody showed up.
- El sol aparecía entre las nubes.The sun was appearing between the clouds.
- Ya aparecerá.It'll turn up.
- Espero que aparezca pronto.I hope it turns up soon.
- Ha aparecido un problema.A problem has come up.
- No aparezcas sin avisar.Don't show up without warning.
Verbs like aparecer
Verbs ending in -cer after a vowel get the same zc in the yo form: parezco, conozco, ofrezco.
Frequently asked questions about aparecer
Is aparecer regular or irregular?
Aparecer is irregular only in the yo form of the present (aparezco) and the present subjunctive (aparezca). All other tenses are regular.
How do you conjugate aparecer in the present tense?
aparezco, apareces, aparece, aparecemos, aparecéis, aparecen.
How do you conjugate aparecer in the preterite?
aparecí, apareciste, apareció, aparecimos, aparecisteis, aparecieron.
Aparecer or parecer?
Aparecer = to appear / show up. Parecer = to seem: parece cansado (he seems tired).
How do you say "he didn't show up" in Spanish?
No apareció. You can also say no se presentó.
What is the past participle of aparecer?
The past participle is aparecido and the gerund is apareciendo.
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