Regular -AR verb

desayunar
to have breakfast

Desayunar is a regular -ar verb in Spanish.

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Desayunar conjugation in Spanish

Desayunar means 'to have breakfast', and it is a regular -ar verb that, like cenar, rolls the meal into a single verb rather than 'have' plus a noun. Desayuno cereales (I have cereal for breakfast), desayunamos juntos (we had breakfast together). It is a staple of the daily-routine and food topics, where describing what and when you eat is exactly the kind of detail that builds a full answer. As a regular -ar verb the conjugation is predictable, so you can pair it confidently with time expressions to describe your mornings.

Quick facts

Meaningto have breakfast
Verb type-ar verb
Regular / IrregularRegular
CEFR levelA1

Desayunar — conjugation tables

Desayunar (to have breakfast) is a regular -ar verb.

Indicative
Presente guide →
yodesayuno
desayunas
éldesayuna
nosdesayunamos
vosdesayunáis
ellosdesayunan
Pretérito Indefinido guide →
yodesayuné
desayunaste
éldesayunó
nosdesayunamos
vosdesayunasteis
ellosdesayunaron
Pretérito Imperfecto guide →
yodesayunaba
desayunabas
éldesayunaba
nosdesayunábamos
vosdesayunabais
ellosdesayunaban
Futuro guide →
yodesayunaré
desayunarás
éldesayunará
nosdesayunaremos
vosdesayunaréis
ellosdesayunarán
Condicional guide →
yodesayunaría
desayunarías
éldesayunaría
nosdesayunaríamos
vosdesayunaríais
ellosdesayunarían
Pretérito Perfecto guide →
yohe desayunado
has desayunado
élha desayunado
noshemos desayunado
voshabéis desayunado
elloshan desayunado
Pluscuamperfecto guide →
yohabía desayunado
habías desayunado
élhabía desayunado
noshabíamos desayunado
voshabíais desayunado
elloshabían desayunado
Futuro Compuesto guide →
yohabré desayunado
habrás desayunado
élhabrá desayunado
noshabremos desayunado
voshabréis desayunado
elloshabrán desayunado
Presente Progresivo guide →
yoestoy desayunando
estás desayunando
élestá desayunando
nosestamos desayunando
vosestáis desayunando
ellosestán desayunando
Subjunctive
Pres. Subjuntivo guide →
yodesayune
desayunes
éldesayune
nosdesayunemos
vosdesayunéis
ellosdesayunen
Imperf. Subjuntivo guide →
yodesayunara
desayunaras
éldesayunara
nosdesayunáramos
vosdesayunarais
ellosdesayunaran
Imperative
Imperativo guide →
yo
desayuna
éldesayune
nosdesayunemos
vosdesayunad
ellosdesayunen

Example sentences with desayunar

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

1.
desayuno.
I have breakfast.
2.
¿Desayunas?
Do you have breakfast?
3.
Desayunó ayer.
He/she have breakfasted yesterday.
4.
No desayuno mucho.
I don't have breakfast much.
5.
Siempre desayunan juntos.
They always have breakfast together.

How to use desayunar

Having breakfast

Desayuno tostadas (I have toast for breakfast).

With others

Desayunamos juntos (we had breakfast together).

Meal verb

Like cenar, it's a single verb for the meal.

Routine topic

Useful for describing your mornings.

Common phrases using desayunar

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

desayunar + infinitivoto to have breakfast + another verb
no desayunoI don't to have breakfast
¿Desayunas?question form

Idiomatic expressions

el desayunobreakfast
desayunar fuerteto have a big breakfast

Common mistakes with desayunar

Desayunar 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

desayunar is a regular -ar verb — it follows the standard -ar pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know desayunar, you know the template for all regular -ar verbs.

Practice desayunar — 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.

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Quick quiz — desayunar

Three questions. Press Enter to check each answer.

tú (Presente)
ellos / ellas (Futuro)
él / ella (Pretérito Indefinido)

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate desayunar in the present tense?

yo: desayuno, tú: desayunas, él: desayuna, nosotros: desayunamos, vosotros: desayunáis, ellos: desayunan

Is desayunar a regular or irregular verb?

Desayunar is a regular -ar verb following the standard -ar pattern.

How do you use desayunar in a GCSE Spanish essay?

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

Similar verbs to desayunar

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

cenarto have dinner — the evening meal verb.
comerto eat / have lunch.
tomarto have (food or drink), used for breakfast items.

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. Desayunar 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.