Cumplir años
To talk about birthdays, Spanish uses cumplir: ¿Cuántos años cumples? (How old are you turning?), Ayer cumplió 40 (He turned 40 yesterday). Cumpleaños = "fulfils years". Other key phrases: cumplir una promesa (keep a promise), cumplir un sueño (make a dream come true).
Indicative tenses of cumplir
Facts and things that happen: the tenses you'll use most.
Present indicative
| yo | cumploI fulfill |
|---|---|
| tú | cumplesyou fulfill |
| él/ella/usted | cumplehe/she fulfills |
| nosotros/as | cumplimoswe fulfill |
| vosotros/as | cumplísyou all fulfill |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | cumplenthey fulfill |
Fully regular -ir verb. Most common use: cumplir años = to have a birthday / turn an age.
Preterite indicative
| yo | cumplíI fulfilled |
|---|---|
| tú | cumplisteyou fulfilled |
| él/ella/usted | cumplióhe/she fulfilled |
| nosotros/as | cumplimoswe fulfilled |
| vosotros/as | cumplisteisyou all fulfilled |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | cumplieronthey fulfilled |
Imperfect indicative
| yo | cumplíaI used to fulfill |
|---|---|
| tú | cumplíasyou used to fulfill |
| él/ella/usted | cumplíahe/she used to fulfill |
| nosotros/as | cumplíamoswe used to fulfill |
| vosotros/as | cumplíaisyou all used to fulfill |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | cumplíanthey used to fulfill |
Present continuous indicative
| yo | estoy cumpliendoI am fulfilling |
|---|---|
| tú | estás cumpliendoyou are fulfilling |
| él/ella/usted | está cumpliendohe/she is fulfilling |
| nosotros/as | estamos cumpliendowe are fulfilling |
| vosotros/as | estáis cumpliendoyou all are fulfilling |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están cumpliendothey are fulfilling |
estar + gerund
Informal future indicative
| yo | voy a cumplirI am going to fulfill |
|---|---|
| tú | vas a cumpliryou are going to fulfill |
| él/ella/usted | va a cumplirhe/she is going to fulfill |
| nosotros/as | vamos a cumplirwe are going to fulfill |
| vosotros/as | vais a cumpliryou all are going to fulfill |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | van a cumplirthey are going to fulfill |
ir a + infinitive
Future indicative
| yo | cumpliréI will fulfill |
|---|---|
| tú | cumplirásyou will fulfill |
| él/ella/usted | cumpliráhe/she will fulfill |
| nosotros/as | cumpliremoswe will fulfill |
| vosotros/as | cumpliréisyou all will fulfill |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | cumpliránthey will fulfill |
Conditional indicative
| yo | cumpliríaI would fulfill |
|---|---|
| tú | cumpliríasyou would fulfill |
| él/ella/usted | cumpliríahe/she would fulfill |
| nosotros/as | cumpliríamoswe would fulfill |
| vosotros/as | cumpliríaisyou all would fulfill |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | cumpliríanthey would fulfill |
Present perfect indicative
| yo | he cumplidoI have fulfilled |
|---|---|
| tú | has cumplidoyou have fulfilled |
| él/ella/usted | ha cumplidohe/she has fulfilled |
| nosotros/as | hemos cumplidowe have fulfilled |
| vosotros/as | habéis cumplidoyou all have fulfilled |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han cumplidothey have fulfilled |
haber (present) + past participle
Past perfect indicative
| yo | había cumplidoI had fulfilled |
|---|---|
| tú | habías cumplidoyou had fulfilled |
| él/ella/usted | había cumplidohe/she had fulfilled |
| nosotros/as | habíamos cumplidowe had fulfilled |
| vosotros/as | habíais cumplidoyou all had fulfilled |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habían cumplidothey had fulfilled |
haber (imperfect) + past participle
Future perfect indicative
| yo | habré cumplidoI will have fulfilled |
|---|---|
| tú | habrás cumplidoyou will have fulfilled |
| él/ella/usted | habrá cumplidohe/she will have fulfilled |
| nosotros/as | habremos cumplidowe will have fulfilled |
| vosotros/as | habréis cumplidoyou all will have fulfilled |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrán cumplidothey will have fulfilled |
haber (future) + past participle
Conditional perfect indicative
| yo | habría cumplidoI would have fulfilled |
|---|---|
| tú | habrías cumplidoyou would have fulfilled |
| él/ella/usted | habría cumplidohe/she would have fulfilled |
| nosotros/as | habríamos cumplidowe would have fulfilled |
| vosotros/as | habríais cumplidoyou all would have fulfilled |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrían cumplidothey would have fulfilled |
haber (conditional) + past participle
Subjunctive tenses of cumplir
Wishes, doubts, emotions and "if" sentences.
Present subjunctive
| yo | cumpla(that) I fulfill |
|---|---|
| tú | cumplas(that) you fulfill |
| él/ella/usted | cumpla(that) he/she fulfills |
| nosotros/as | cumplamos(that) we fulfill |
| vosotros/as | cumpláis(that) you all fulfill |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | cumplan(that) they fulfill |
Imperfect subjunctive
| yo | cumpliera(if) I fulfilled |
|---|---|
| tú | cumplieras(if) you fulfilled |
| él/ella/usted | cumpliera(if) he/she fulfilled |
| nosotros/as | cumpliéramos(if) we fulfilled |
| vosotros/as | cumplierais(if) you all fulfilled |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | cumplieran(if) they fulfilled |
Future subjunctive
| yo | cumpliere(if) I fulfill |
|---|---|
| tú | cumplieres(if) you fulfill |
| él/ella/usted | cumpliere(if) he/she fulfills |
| nosotros/as | cumpliéremos(if) we fulfill |
| vosotros/as | cumpliereis(if) you all fulfill |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | cumplieren(if) they fulfill |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Present perfect subjunctive
| yo | haya cumplido(that) I have fulfilled |
|---|---|
| tú | hayas cumplido(that) you have fulfilled |
| él/ella/usted | haya cumplido(that) he/she has fulfilled |
| nosotros/as | hayamos cumplido(that) we have fulfilled |
| vosotros/as | hayáis cumplido(that) you all have fulfilled |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan cumplido(that) they have fulfilled |
haber (present subj.) + past participle
Past perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiera cumplido(if) I had fulfilled |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieras cumplido(if) you had fulfilled |
| él/ella/usted | hubiera cumplido(if) he/she had fulfilled |
| nosotros/as | hubiéramos cumplido(if) we had fulfilled |
| vosotros/as | hubierais cumplido(if) you all had fulfilled |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieran cumplido(if) they had fulfilled |
haber (imperfect subj.) + past participle
Future perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiere cumplido(if) I will have fulfilled |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieres cumplido(if) you will have fulfilled |
| él/ella/usted | hubiere cumplido(if) he/she will have fulfilled |
| nosotros/as | hubiéremos cumplido(if) we will have fulfilled |
| vosotros/as | hubiereis cumplido(if) you all will have fulfilled |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieren cumplido(if) they will have fulfilled |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Imperative tenses of cumplir
Commands and instructions.
Affirmative imperative
| tú | cumplefulfill! |
|---|---|
| usted | cumplafulfill! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | cumplamoslet's fulfill! |
| vosotros/as | cumplidfulfill! (you all) |
| ustedes | cumplanfulfill! (you all, formal) |
Negative imperative
| tú | no cumplasdon't fulfill! |
|---|---|
| usted | no cumpladon't fulfill! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | no cumplamoslet's not fulfill! |
| vosotros/as | no cumpláisdon't fulfill! (you all) |
| ustedes | no cumplandon't fulfill! (you all, formal) |
Practice cumplir
Two quick exercises. No sign-up, no app: just you and cumplir.
How to use cumplir
Mañana cumplo 30 años.
I turn 30 tomorrow.
Siempre cumple sus promesas.
She always keeps her promises.
Cumplí mi sueño de vivir en España.
I fulfilled my dream of living in Spain.
Tenemos que cumplir el plazo.
We have to meet the deadline.
Hay que cumplir las normas.
You have to follow the rules.
Example sentences with cumplir
- ¿Cuántos años cumples?How old are you turning?
- Mi abuela cumplió 90 años.My grandmother turned 90.
- Cumplimos todos los objetivos.We met all our goals.
- Antes siempre cumplía con todo.I always used to get everything done.
- Cumpliré mi palabra.I'll keep my word.
- Cumple lo que prometes.Keep your promises.
- Ojalá se cumplan tus deseos.I hope your wishes come true.
- El canal ha cumplido cinco años.The channel has turned five.
Verbs like cumplir
Cumplir follows the regular -ir pattern, like vivir and subir.
Frequently asked questions about cumplir
Is cumplir regular or irregular?
Cumplir is completely regular in every tense.
How do you conjugate cumplir in the present tense?
cumplo, cumples, cumple, cumplimos, cumplís, cumplen.
How do you conjugate cumplir in the preterite?
cumplí, cumpliste, cumplió, cumplimos, cumplisteis, cumplieron.
How do you say "I'm turning 30"?
Cumplo 30 años. For "I am 30": tengo 30 años.
What does "cumplir una promesa" mean?
"To keep a promise."
What is the past participle of cumplir?
The past participle is cumplido — also the word for a compliment!
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