Allow me to introduce you to the grammar lesson on the “Permitir” conjugation in Spanish!

Permitir is the Spanish verb for “to allow, to permit”. It is a regular IR verb and it is used to express giving permission or allowing something to happen.

​​Whether you’re a newbie in Spanish or looking to fine-tune your language skills, this comprehensive guide will help you traverse the regular beauties of “Permitir” with confidence and ease. 

It’s time to learn some Spanish grammar, one tense at a time! Are you ready? Let’s go!

Read more: THE 150 MOST COMMON SPANISH VERBS (IRREGULAR + REGULAR)

“Permitir” Conjugation Indicative / Indicativo

The indicative tense (el modo indicativo) is one of the three grammatical moods used to express different attitudes or purposes in speech. The indicative mood is used to make factual statements, ask questions, and express opinions about actions or events that are considered real or certain.

Present Tense Permitir Conjugation / Presente

The present tense is used to describe actions happening in the present or to express general truths or habitual actions.

Yo	Permito
Tú	Permites
Él/Ella/Usted	Permite
Nosotros	Permitimos
Vosotros	Permitís
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Permiten

Examples:

1. Nosotros permitimos que los niños jueguen en el parque. (We allow the kids to play in the park.)
2. Yo permito que mi hermano use mi computadora. (I allow my brother to use my computer.)
3. Tú permites que ellos entren en la sala. (You allow them to enter the room.)
4. Ellos permiten que sus amigos se queden en su casa. (They allow their friends to stay at their house.)

Simple Past Permitir Conjugation / Pasado 

The simple past tense (preterite) is used to describe completed actions in the past, often with specific time frames or events.

Yo	Permití
Tú	Permitiste
Él/Ella/Usted	Permitió
Nosotros	Permitimos
Vosotros	Permitisteis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Permitieron

Examples:

1. Nosotros permitimos que los estudiantes elijan su propio proyecto. (We allow the students to choose their own project.)
2. Yo permití que mi amiga usara mi libro de texto. (I allowed my friend to use my textbook.)
3. Tú permitiste que el perro entrara en la casa. (You allowed the dog to enter the house.)

Imperfect Permitir Conjugation / Imperfecto

Spanish imperfect tense is used to describe ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions in the past, as well as to set the stage or provide background information

Yo	Permitía
Tú	Permitías
Él/Ella/Usted	Permitía
Nosotros	Permitíamos
Vosotros	Permitíais
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Permitían

Examples:

1. Cuando éramos niños, tú permitías que jugáramos hasta tarde. (When we were kids, you allowed us to play late.)
2. Yo permitía que mis hijos tomaran su tiempo para hacer la tarea. (I allowed my kids to take their time with their homework.)
3. Usted permitía que los empleados trabajaran desde casa. (You allowed the employees to work from home.)
4. Ellas permitían que los perros corrieran en el jardín. (They allowed the dogs to run in the garden.)

Present Continuous / Presente Continuo

The present continuous tense (also known as “estar + gerundio”) is used to describe actions that are currently happening in the present moment or to express temporary situations.

Yo	Estoy permitiendo
Tú	Estás permitiendo
Él/Ella/Usted	Está permitiendo
Nosotros	Estamos permitiendo
Vosotros	Estáis permitiendo
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Están permitiendo

Examples:

1. Ellos están permitiendo que los niños jueguen en el patio. (They are allowing the kids to play in the yard.)
2. Ella está permitiendo que su hermana use su ropa. (She is allowing her sister to wear her clothes.)
3. Yo estoy permitiendo que mis amigos se queden en mi casa. (I am allowing my friends to stay at my house.)

Future Tense Permitir Conjugation / Futuro

The Spanish future tense is used to express actions or events that will happen in the future, indicating something that has not yet occurred.

Yo	Permitiré
Tú	Permitirás
Él/Ella/Usted	Permitirá
Nosotros	Permitiremos
Vosotros	Permitiréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Permitirán

Examples:

1. Yo permitiré que mis hijos elijan el destino de las vacaciones. (I will allow my kids to choose the vacation destination.)
2. Tú permitirás que tus amigos entren a la fiesta. (You will allow your friends to enter the party.)
3. Ellos permitirán que los estudiantes usen sus teléfonos en clase. (They will allow the students to use their phones in class.)
4. Ella permitirá que su hermano maneje el coche mañana. (She will allow her brother to drive the car tomorrow.)

Conditional Permitir Conjugation / Condicional

The conditional tense is used to express hypothetical or speculative actions or events that would happen under certain conditions in the present or future.

Yo	Permitiría
Tú	Permitirías
Él/Ella/Usted	Permitiría
Nosotros	Permitiríamos
Vosotros	Permitiríais
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Permitirían

Examples:

1. Yo permitiría que los niños vean una película si terminan la tarea. (I would allow the kids to watch a movie if they finish their homework.)
2. Tú permitirías que tu amigo se quede en tu casa por una semana. (You would allow your friend to stay at your house for a week.)
3. Ellos permitirían que los estudiantes se queden más tiempo en la biblioteca. (They would allow the students to stay longer in the library.)

Present Perfect / pretérito perfecto compuesto

Spanish present perfect tense (also known as “pretérito perfecto compuesto”) is used to express actions that have occurred in the past but have a connection to the present, emphasizing the result or consequences of those actions.

Yo	He permitido
Tú	Has permitido
Él/Ella/Usted	Ha permitido
Nosotros	Hemos permitido
Vosotros	Habéis permitido
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Han permitido

Examples:

1. Nosotros hemos permitido que los niños elijan su merienda. (We have allowed the kids to choose their snack.)
2. Vosotros habéis permitido que vuestros amigos usen vuestra música. (You all have allowed your friends to use your music.)
3. Ellos han permitido que sus hijos viajen con sus abuelos. (They have allowed their children to travel with their grandparents.)

Past Perfect Permitir Conjugation / Pretérico Pluscuamperfecto

Spanish past perfect tense (also known as “pretérito pluscuamperfecto”) is used to describe actions that occurred before another past action or event, expressing a past-in-the-past relationship.

Yo	Había permitido
Tú	Habías permitido
Él/Ella/Usted	Había permitido
Nosotros	Habíamos permitido
Vosotros	Habéis permitido
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Habían permitido

Examples:

1. Vosotros habéis permitido que los estudiantes presenten proyectos en grupos. (You all have allowed the students to present projects in groups.)
2. Tú habías permitido que el perro se quedara afuera toda la noche. (You had allowed the dog to stay outside all night.)
3. Nosotros habíamos permitido que los niños jugaran en la nieve antes de que oscureciera. (We had allowed the kids to play in the snow before it got dark.)
4. Ellos habían permitido que los empleados trabajaran desde casa durante la pandemia. (They had allowed the employees to work from home during the pandemic.)

Future Perfect / Futuro Perfecto

The Spanish future perfect tense is used to express actions that will have been completed in the future, indicating an action that will be finished before another specified future time or event.

Yo	Habré permitido
Tú	Habrás permitido
Él/Ella/Usted	Habrá permitido
Nosotros	Habremos permitido
Vosotros	Habréis permitido
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Habrán permitido

Examples:

1. Vosotros habréis permitido que los niños vean la película para cuando lleguemos. (You all will have allowed the kids to watch the movie by the time we arrive.)
2. Él habrá permitido que sus amigos se queden en su casa para el fin de semana. (He will have allowed his friends to stay at his house for the weekend.)
3. Tú habrás permitido que tu hermana conduzca el coche antes de que termine el día. (You will have allowed your sister to drive the car before the day ends.)

Conditional Perfect / Condicional Perfect

The conditional perfect tense is used to express hypothetical or speculative actions that would have been completed in the past, indicating an action that would have happened prior to another past event.

Yo	Habría permitido
Tú	Habrías permitido
Él/Ella/Usted	Habría permitido
Nosotros	Habríamos permitido
Vosotros	Habríais permitido
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Habrían permitido

Examples:

1. Nosotros habríamos permitido que los niños se quedaran más tiempo en el parque si no hubiera llovido. (We would have allowed the kids to stay longer in the park if it hadn’t rained.)
2. Tú habrías permitido que tus amigos usaran tu coche si lo hubieras tenido limpio. (You would have allowed your friends to use your car if you had kept it clean.)
3. Ella habría permitido que su hermano tomara su teléfono si le hubiera pedido. (She would have allowed her brother to take her phone if he had asked.)
4. Él habría permitido que los estudiantes se quedaran más tarde si lo hubieran pedido. (He would have allowed the students to stay later if they had asked.)

“Permitir” Conjugation Subjunctive / Subjuntivo

The subjunctive tense (el modo subjuntivo) is one of the three grammatical moods used to express different attitudes or purposes in speech. The subjunctive mood is used to express doubt, uncertainty, subjectivity, emotion, and hypothetical situations.

Present Tense / Presente

The Spanish subjunctive present tense is used to express subjective actions, desires, doubts, recommendations, or possibilities, often introduced by certain triggers such as expressions of doubt, necessity, or influence.

Yo	Permita
Tú	Permitas
Él/Ella/Usted	Permita
Nosotros	Permitamos
Vosotros	Permitáis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Permitan

Examples:

1. Es importante que ellos permitan que todos participen en la reunión. (It’s important that they allow everyone to participate in the meeting.)
2. Espero que nosotros permitamos que todos expresen sus opiniones. (I hope that we allow everyone to express their opinions.)
3. Ojalá que ella permita que su amiga se quede en su casa. (I hope that she allows her friend to stay at her house.)
4. Es posible que tú permitas que tu hermano use tu computadora. (It’s possible that you allow your brother to use your computer.)

Imperfect / Imperfecto

This tense is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions, desires, doubts, or recommendations in the past, often introduced by certain triggers such as expressions of doubt, uncertainty, or unreal conditions.

Yo	Permitiera
Tú	Permitieras
Él/Ella/Usted	Permitiera
Nosotros	Permitiéramos
Vosotros	Permitierais
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Permitieran

Examples:

1. Si vosotros permitierais que los niños jueguen más tiempo, estarían más felices. (If you all allowed the kids to play longer, they would be happier.)
2. Si tú permitieras que tus amigos vinieran a tu fiesta, se divertirían mucho. (If you allowed your friends to come to your party, they would have a lot of fun.)
3. Si él permitiera que sus empleados trabajaran desde casa, serían más productivos. (If he allowed his employees to work from home, they would be more productive.)
4. Si ellos permitieran que los estudiantes usaran sus teléfonos, estarían más concentrados. (If they allowed the students to use their phones, they would be more focused.)

Future Tense / Futuro

The Spanish subjunctive future tense is used to express hypothetical or uncertain actions, desires, doubts, or recommendations in the future.

Yo	Permitiere
Tú	Permitieres
Él/Ella/Usted	Permitiere
Nosotros	Permitiéremos
Vosotros	Permitiereis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Permitieren

Examples:

1. Cuando lleguemos a un acuerdo, permitiremos que todos participen. (When we reach an agreement, we will allow everyone to participate.)
2. Si él permitiere que los estudiantes trabajen juntos, el proyecto será mejor. (If he allows the students to work together, the project will be better.)
3. Si tú permitieres que ellos se queden más tiempo, estarán más agradecidos. (If you allow them to stay longer, they will be more grateful.)

Present Perfect / Pretérito Perfecto

Spanish subjunctive present perfect tense is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions, desires, doubts, or recommendations in the present with a connection to the past, indicating actions that would have been completed prior to the present moment.

Yo	Haya permitido
Tú	Hayas permitido
Él/Ella/Usted	Haya permitido
Nosotros	Hayamos permitido
Vosotros	Hayáis permitido
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Hayan permitido

Examples:

1. Espero que nosotros hayamos permitido que todos expresen sus ideas durante la reunión. (I hope that we have allowed everyone to express their ideas during the meeting.)
2. Es posible que tú hayas permitido que tus amigos usen tu coche. (It’s possible that you have allowed your friends to use your car.)
3. Me sorprende que ella haya permitido que su hermano tome su teléfono. (I’m surprised that she has allowed her brother to take her phone.)
4. Es una lástima que ellos no hayan permitido que los estudiantes participen más en clase. (It’s a shame that they haven’t allowed the students to participate more in class.)

Past Perfect / Pretérico Pluscuamperfecto

Spanish subjunctive past perfect tense is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions, desires, doubts, or recommendations in the past with a connection to a previous past event, indicating actions that would have been completed before that past event.

Yo	Hubiera permitido
Tú	Hubieras permitido
Él/Ella/Usted	Hubiera permitido
Nosotros	Hubiéramos permitido
Vosotros	Hubierais permitido
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Hubieran permitido

Examples:

1. Si yo hubiera permitido que mis hijos salieran más tarde, habrían disfrutado más de la fiesta. (If I had allowed my kids to stay out later, they would have enjoyed the party more.)
2. Si tú hubieras permitido que tus amigos se quedaran más tiempo, habrías tenido más tiempo para hablar con ellos. (If you had allowed your friends to stay longer, you would have had more time to talk to them.)
3. Si ellos hubieran permitido que los estudiantes presentaran sus proyectos, habríamos aprendido mucho más. (If they had allowed the students to present their projects, we would have learned much more.)

Future Perfect / Futuro Perfecto

The future perfect tense is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions, desires, doubts, or recommendations in the future with a connection to a future event, indicating actions that would have been completed before that future event.

Yo	Hubiere permitido
Tú	Hubieres permitido
Él/Ella/Usted	Hubiere permitido
Nosotros	Hubiéremos permitido
Vosotros	Hubiereis permitido
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Hubieren permitido

Examples:

1. Si él hubiere permitido que los estudiantes trabajaran en grupo, el proyecto habría sido mejor. (If he had allowed the students to work in groups, the project would have been better.)
2. Cuando lleguemos a un acuerdo, habremos permitido que todos participen. (When we reach an agreement, we will have allowed everyone to participate.)
3. Si tú hubieres permitido que tus amigos vinieran, habrías disfrutado mucho más. (If you had allowed your friends to come, you would have enjoyed it much more.)

“Permitir” Conjugation Imperative / Imperativo

The imperative tense (el modo imperativo) is one of the verb moods used to express commands, orders, or requests. It is used to tell someone what to do or what not to do.

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Affirmative / Afirmativos

Spanish affirmative refers to the use of positive statements or expressions that indicate agreement, confirmation, or positive response to a question or statement.

Yo	–
Tú	Permite
Él/Ella/Usted	Permita
Nosotros	Permitamos
Vosotros	Permitid
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Permitan

Examples:

1. Permitamos que todos expresen sus opiniones. (Let’s allow everyone to express their opinions.)
2. Permitid que los niños jueguen en el parque por un rato. (Allow the kids to play in the park for a while.)
3. Permite que tu hermano use tu bicicleta. (Allow your brother to use your bike.)

Negative / Negativos

Spanish negative refers to the use of negative statements or expressions that indicate negation, denial, or disagreement with a question or statement.

Yo	–
Tú	No permitas
Él/Ella/Usted	No permita
Nosotros	No permitamos
Vosotros	No permitáis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	No permitan

Examples:

1. No permitas que tus amigos lleguen tarde a la fiesta. (Don’t allow your friends to arrive late to the party.)
2. No permita que su perro entre en la cocina. (Don’t allow your dog to enter the kitchen.)
3. No permitan que los niños toquen las plantas. (Don’t allow the kids to touch the plants.)

Keep Practicing Your Spanish!

Mastering “Permitir” is about growing within the Spanish culture. Whether you’re just starting on your Spanish language adventure or seeking to refine your skills, knowing how to wield “Permitir” will help you navigate the linguistic landscape with confidence and fluency.

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