Regular -IR verb

permitir
to allow

Permitir is a regular -ir verb in Spanish.

Practice permitir free →

Permitir conjugation in Spanish

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

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

Permitir — conjugation tables

Permitir (to allow) is a regular -ir verb.

Indicative
Presente guide →
yopermito
permites
élpermite
nospermitimos
vospermitís
ellospermiten
Pretérito Indefinido guide →
yopermití
permitiste
élpermitió
nospermitimos
vospermitisteis
ellospermitieron
Pretérito Imperfecto guide →
yopermitía
permitías
élpermitía
nospermitíamos
vospermitíais
ellospermitían
Futuro guide →
yopermitiré
permitirás
élpermitirá
nospermitiremos
vospermitiréis
ellospermitirán
Condicional guide →
yopermitiría
permitirías
élpermitiría
nospermitiríamos
vospermitiríais
ellospermitirían
Pretérito Perfecto guide →
yohe permitido
has permitido
élha permitido
noshemos permitido
voshabéis permitido
elloshan permitido
Pluscuamperfecto guide →
yohabía permitido
habías permitido
élhabía permitido
noshabíamos permitido
voshabíais permitido
elloshabían permitido
Futuro Compuesto guide →
yohabré permitido
habrás permitido
élhabrá permitido
noshabremos permitido
voshabréis permitido
elloshabrán permitido
Presente Progresivo guide →
yoestoy permitiendo
estás permitiendo
élestá permitiendo
nosestamos permitiendo
vosestáis permitiendo
ellosestán permitiendo
Subjunctive
Pres. Subjuntivo guide →
yopermita
permitas
élpermita
nospermitamos
vospermitáis
ellospermitan
Imperf. Subjuntivo guide →
yopermitiera
permitieras
élpermitiera
nospermitiéramos
vospermitierais
ellospermitieran
Imperative
Imperativo guide →
yo
permite
élpermita
nospermitamos
vospermitid
ellospermitan

Example sentences with permitir

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

1.
permito.
I allow.
2.
¿Permites?
Do you allow?
3.
Permitió ayer.
He/she allowed yesterday.
4.
No permito mucho.
I don't allow much.
5.
Siempre permiten juntos.
They always allow together.

How to use permitir

Allowing

No me permiten salir (they don't allow me out).

Formal permission

¿Me permite? (may I?).

Subjunctive

No permiten que fumemos (they don't allow us to smoke).

Rules topic

Useful for school and society discussions.

Common phrases using permitir

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

permitir + infinitivoto to allow + another verb
no permitoI don't to allow
¿Permites?question form

Idiomatic expressions

¿me permite?may I?
permitirseto afford / allow oneself
si me permiteif I may

Common mistakes with permitir

Permitir 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

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.

Practice permitir — 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 — permitir

Three questions. Press Enter to check each answer.

él / ella (Futuro)
tú (Futuro)
tú (Pretérito Indefinido)

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate permitir in the present tense?

yo: permito, tú: permites, él: permite, nosotros: permitimos, vosotros: permitís, ellos: permiten

Is permitir a regular or irregular verb?

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

How do you use permitir in a GCSE Spanish essay?

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

Similar verbs to permitir

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

dejarto let — a more everyday way to say allow.
prohibirto forbid — the opposite of permitting.
autorizarto authorise — formal permission.

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. Permitir 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.