Regular -IR verb

consumir
to consume

Consumir is a regular -ir verb in Spanish.

Practice consumir free →

Consumir conjugation in Spanish

Consumir means 'to consume', and it is a regular -ir verb that adds precision to writing about food, energy and the environment. Consumimos demasiada energía (we consume too much energy), consumir productos locales (to consume local products). Because consumption is central to environmental and lifestyle essays — a staple of A-Level topics — consumir is a high-value verb for developed arguments. The related noun el consumo ('consumption') is worth learning with it. As a regular -ir verb the conjugation is predictable, so you can focus on using it in analytical sentences.

Quick facts

Meaningto consume
Verb type-ir verb
Regular / IrregularRegular
CEFR levelB1

Consumir — conjugation tables

Consumir (to consume) is a regular -ir verb.

Indicative
Presente guide →
yoconsumo
consumes
élconsume
nosconsumimos
vosconsumís
ellosconsumen
Pretérito Indefinido guide →
yoconsumí
consumiste
élconsumió
nosconsumimos
vosconsumisteis
ellosconsumieron
Pretérito Imperfecto guide →
yoconsumía
consumías
élconsumía
nosconsumíamos
vosconsumíais
ellosconsumían
Futuro guide →
yoconsumiré
consumirás
élconsumirá
nosconsumiremos
vosconsumiréis
ellosconsumirán
Condicional guide →
yoconsumiría
consumirías
élconsumiría
nosconsumiríamos
vosconsumiríais
ellosconsumirían
Pretérito Perfecto guide →
yohe consumido
has consumido
élha consumido
noshemos consumido
voshabéis consumido
elloshan consumido
Pluscuamperfecto guide →
yohabía consumido
habías consumido
élhabía consumido
noshabíamos consumido
voshabíais consumido
elloshabían consumido
Futuro Compuesto guide →
yohabré consumido
habrás consumido
élhabrá consumido
noshabremos consumido
voshabréis consumido
elloshabrán consumido
Presente Progresivo guide →
yoestoy consumiendo
estás consumiendo
élestá consumiendo
nosestamos consumiendo
vosestáis consumiendo
ellosestán consumiendo
Subjunctive
Pres. Subjuntivo guide →
yoconsuma
consumas
élconsuma
nosconsumamos
vosconsumáis
ellosconsuman
Imperf. Subjuntivo guide →
yoconsumiera
consumieras
élconsumiera
nosconsumiéramos
vosconsumierais
ellosconsumieran
Imperative
Imperativo guide →
yo
consume
élconsuma
nosconsumamos
vosconsumid
ellosconsuman

Example sentences with consumir

Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.

1.
consumo.
I consume.
2.
¿Consumes?
Do you consume?
3.
Consumió ayer.
He/she consumed yesterday.
4.
No consumo mucho.
I don't consume much.
5.
Siempre consumen juntos.
They always consume together.

How to use consumir

Consuming

Consumimos mucha energía (we consume a lot of energy).

Environment essays

Central to lifestyle and eco topics.

Food/products

Consumir productos locales.

Related noun

El consumo (consumption).

Common phrases using consumir

Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.

consumir + infinitivoto to consume + another verb
no consumoI don't to consume
¿Consumes?question form

Idiomatic expressions

el consumoconsumption
consumir preferentemente antes debest before

Common mistakes with consumir

Consumir is a regular verb. Make sure you know the endings for each tense — especially the preterite and subjunctive, which is where marks are most often lost.

Grammar notes

consumir 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 consumir, you know the template for all regular -ir verbs.

Practice consumir — free

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 consumir now →

Quick quiz — consumir

Three questions. Press Enter to check each answer.

ellos / ellas (Pretérito Indefinido)
yo (Pretérito Indefinido)
vosotros (Pretérito Indefinido)

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate consumir in the present tense?

yo: consumo, tú: consumes, él: consume, nosotros: consumimos, vosotros: consumís, ellos: consumen

Is consumir a regular or irregular verb?

Consumir is a regular -ir verb following the standard -ir pattern.

How do you use consumir in a GCSE Spanish essay?

Use consumir in multiple tenses to show range — present, preterite and future at minimum. This is a key criterion for higher GCSE marks.

Similar verbs to consumir

Verbs that are easy to confuse with consumir or that behave like it.

gastarto use up / spend — close to consuming.
usarto use — consuming involves using.
comerto eat — consuming food.

Related verbs

hablar caminar trabajar escuchar

This reference is written for UK GCSE and A-Level Spanish learners and their teachers. It is designed for exam revision: every form is checked against standard conjugation rules, and the examples reflect the registers and topics that come up in the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas specifications. Consumir is a high-frequency verb and appears often in exam papers. For active recall, use the free practice tool rather than only reading the tables.