Permitir is a regular -ir verb in Spanish.
Practice permitir free →Permitir means 'to allow' or 'to permit', and it is a regular -ir verb useful for rules, permission and possibility. Mis padres no me permiten salir (my parents don't allow me to go out), ¿me permite? (may I? — formal). It is followed by an infinitive or by que + subjunctive (no permiten que fumemos). Because discussing what is and isn't allowed comes up across school, family and society topics, permitir is a high-value verb, especially at A-Level. As a regular -ir verb the conjugation is predictable; the grammar point to note is the subjunctive after permitir que.
Quick facts
Permitir (to allow) is a regular -ir verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
No me permiten salir (they don't allow me out).
¿Me permite? (may I?).
No permiten que fumemos (they don't allow us to smoke).
Useful for school and society discussions.
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
permitir 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 permitir, 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 permitir now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: permito, tú: permites, él: permite, nosotros: permitimos, vosotros: permitís, ellos: permiten
The past participle is permitido (he permitido) and the gerund is permitiendo (estoy permitiendo).
Verbs that are easy to confuse with permitir or that behave like it.
Permitir 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.