Consistir is a regular -ir verb in Spanish.
Practice consistir free →Consistir means 'to consist (of)', and it is a regular -ir verb that is genuinely useful for explaining and defining — exactly the kind of language that lifts an essay. It almost always appears as consistir en: el trabajo consiste en ayudar a los clientes (the job consists of helping customers). Note the preposition is en, not 'of'. Because explaining what something involves is a common task in higher-level writing, consistir en is a valuable structure to have ready. As a regular -ir verb the conjugation is predictable, and it is most often used in the third person.
Quick facts
Consistir (to consist) is a regular -ir verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
El trabajo consiste en… (the job consists of…).
Always consistir en, not 'of'.
Useful for defining what something involves.
Most often used impersonally in the 3rd person.
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
consistir is a regular -ir verb — it follows the standard -ir pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know consistir, you know the template for all regular -ir 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 consistir now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: consisto, tú: consistes, él: consiste, nosotros: consistimos, vosotros: consistís, ellos: consisten
The past participle is consistido (he consistido) and the gerund is consistiendo (estoy consistiendo).
Verbs that are easy to confuse with consistir or that behave like it.
Consistir is on the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.