Tirar means 'to throw', 'to pull' and 'to throw away', and it is a versatile regular -ar verb. Tira la pelota (throw the ball), no tires basura (don't throw rubbish), and on a door, tirar means 'pull' (opposite of empujar, 'push'). The reflexive tirarse can mean to dive or throw oneself. Because throwing and disposing come up in sport, the environment and everyday situations, tirar earns frequent use. As a regular -ar verb the conjugation is predictable, and the idiom ir tirando ('to get by / manage') is a useful colloquial extra.
Quick facts
Tirar (to throw / pull) is a regular -ar verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Tira la pelota (throw the ball).
No tires basura (don't throw rubbish).
On a door, tirar = pull (vs empujar, push).
Ir tirando (to get by / manage).
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
tirar 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 tirar, you know the template for all regular -ar 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 tirar now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: tiro, tú: tiras, él: tira, nosotros: tiramos, vosotros: tiráis, ellos: tiran
The past participle is tirado (he tirado) and the gerund is tirando (estoy tirando).
Verbs that are easy to confuse with tirar or that behave like it.
Tirar 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.