Ceder means 'to give way', 'to yield' or 'to give up', and it is a regular -er verb common in formal and figurative contexts. Ceder el paso means 'to give way' (in traffic), ceder el asiento 'to give up one's seat', and figuratively no cedió ('he didn't give in'). Because yielding and compromising feature in writing about relationships, debate and society, ceder adds useful range at a higher level. As a regular -er verb the conjugation is predictable, and the road sign ceda el paso ('give way') is a memorable real-world example.
Quick facts
Ceder (to give way) is a regular -er verb.
Ceder el paso (to give way).
Ceder el asiento (to give up one's seat).
No cedió (he didn't give in).
Ceda el paso (give way).
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
ceder is a regular -er verb — it follows the standard -er pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know ceder, you know the template for all regular -er verbs.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice ceder now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: cedo, tú: cedes, él: cede, nosotros: cedemos, vosotros: cedéis, ellos: ceden
The past participle is cedido (he cedido) and the gerund is cediendo (estoy cediendo).
Ceder is not on the AQA, Edexcel or Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists; it is included here as extra vocabulary.
Verbs that are easy to confuse with ceder or that behave like it.
Ceder is not on the AQA, Edexcel or Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists; it is included here as extra vocabulary. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.