Prender is a regular -er verb in Spanish.
Practice prender free →Prender means 'to light', 'to switch on' and 'to catch (fire)', and it is a regular -er verb whose use varies by region — it is especially common in Latin America for turning on lights and devices (prender la luz, to turn on the light), where Spain often prefers encender. Prender fuego means 'to set fire'. Because switching things on is everyday vocabulary, prender is worth knowing, particularly if you encounter Latin American Spanish. As a regular -er verb the conjugation is predictable, and its opposite is apagar ('to switch off / put out').
Quick facts
Prender (to turn on / catch) is a regular -er verb.
Prender la luz (to turn on the light) — common in Latin America.
Prender fuego (to set fire).
Spain often prefers encender.
Apagar (to switch off).
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
prender is a regular -er verb — it follows the standard -er pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know prender, you know the template for all regular -er 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 prender now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: prendo, tú: prendes, él: prende, nosotros: prendemos, vosotros: prendéis, ellos: prenden
The past participle is prendido (he prendido) and the gerund is prendiendo (estoy prendiendo).
Prender is not on the AQA, Edexcel or Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists; it is included here as extra vocabulary.
Verbs that are easy to confuse with prender or that behave like it.
Prender is not on the AQA, Edexcel or Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists; it is included here as extra vocabulary. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.