Cumplir means 'to fulfil' or 'to carry out', and — crucially for GCSE — it is the verb for turning a particular age. Cumplo dieciséis años (I turn sixteen), ¿cuándo cumples años? (when's your birthday?). It also means to keep a promise or meet an obligation: cumplir una promesa, cumplir con el deber. As a regular -ir verb the conjugation is predictable. Because birthdays and celebrations are common topics, the age sense of cumplir is the one to lock in, alongside the everyday phrase ¡que cumplas muchos más! (many happy returns).
Quick facts
Cumplir (to fulfil) is a regular -ir verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Cumplo 16 años (I turn 16).
Cumplir una promesa (to keep a promise).
Cumplir con el deber (to do one's duty).
¿Cuándo cumples años? (when's your birthday?).
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
cumplir 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 cumplir, 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 cumplir now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: cumplo, tú: cumples, él: cumple, nosotros: cumplimos, vosotros: cumplís, ellos: cumplen
The past participle is cumplido (he cumplido) and the gerund is cumpliendo (estoy cumpliendo).
Cumplir is on the Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary list, but not on AQA or Edexcel.
Verbs that are easy to confuse with cumplir or that behave like it.
Cumplir is on the Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary list, but not on AQA or Edexcel. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.