Learning Spanish verbs can be challenging, but mastering conjugation is key to fluency. The verb “servir,” meaning “to serve,” is a frequently used Spanish verb and understanding its conjugations across various tenses is essential for effective communication. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of how to conjugate “servir” in Spanish, covering indicative, subjunctive, and imperative moods.
Understanding “Servir”: To Serve in Spanish
“Servir” is a Spanish verb that translates to “to serve” in English. It’s considered an irregular verb, meaning its conjugation patterns deviate from typical Spanish verb rules, particularly in the present tense and preterite tense. Knowing how to properly conjugate “servir” will significantly enhance your ability to express yourself in Spanish, whether you’re talking about serving food, being of service, or any other context where “to serve” is applicable.
This article breaks down the conjugation of “servir” across 18 major Spanish tenses, providing tables for each tense and mood. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to use “servir” in various contexts and tenses.
Indicative Tenses of Servir
The indicative mood in Spanish is used to express factual actions, events, or states of being. Here’s how “servir” is conjugated in the indicative tenses:
Servir in the Indicative Present (Presente)
The Present Indicative tense of “servir” is used for actions happening now or in the near future, as well as for stating facts. Think of it as the “I serve,” “you serve,” “he/she/it serves” tense.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sirvo | I serve |
| Tú | sirves | you serve |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sirve | s/he serves, you (formal) serve |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | servimos | we serve |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | servís | you (plural) serve |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sirven | they serve, you (plural formal) serve |
Servir in the Indicative Preterite (Pretérito Indefinido)
The Preterite Indicative tense describes actions completed in the past at a specific point in time. This is the “I served,” “you served,” “he/she/it served” tense for completed past actions.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | serví | I served |
| Tú | serviste | you served |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sirvió | s/he served, you (formal) served |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | servimos | we served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | servisteis | you (plural) served |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sirvieron | they served, you (plural formal) served |
Servir in the Indicative Imperfect (Pretérito Imperfecto)
The Imperfect Indicative tense is used for ongoing or repeated actions in the past, and for descriptions of past states of being. Think “I used to serve,” “I was serving,” or “I would serve” (in the habitual past sense).
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | servía | I used to serve, I was serving |
| Tú | servías | you used to serve, you were serving |
| Ella / Él / Usted | servía | s/he used to serve, s/he was serving, you (formal) used to serve, you (formal) were serving |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | servíamos | we used to serve, we were serving |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | servíais | you (plural) used to serve, you (plural) were serving |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | servían | they used to serve, they were serving, you (plural formal) used to serve, you (plural formal) were serving |
Servir in the Indicative Present Continuous (Presente Progresivo)
The Present Continuous Indicative tense (also known as Present Progressive) describes actions happening right now, at this very moment. This is the “I am serving,” “you are serving,” “he/she/it is serving” tense.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy sirviendo | I am serving |
| Tú | estás sirviendo | you are serving |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está sirviendo | s/he is serving, you (formal) are serving |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos sirviendo | we are serving |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis sirviendo | you (plural) are serving |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están sirviendo | they are serving, you (plural formal) are serving |
Servir in the Indicative Informal Future (Futuro Próximo)
The Informal Future Indicative tense (also known as Near Future) expresses actions that will happen in the very near future. It’s constructed with “ir a” + infinitive, and translates to “I am going to serve,” “you are going to serve,” etc.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a servir | I am going to serve |
| Tú | vas a servir | you are going to serve |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a servir | s/he is going to serve, you (formal) are going to serve |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a servir | we are going to serve |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a servir | you (plural) are going to serve |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a servir | they are going to serve, you (plural formal) are going to serve |
Servir in the Indicative Future (Futuro Simple)
The Future Indicative tense describes actions that will happen at some point in the future. This is the “I will serve,” “you will serve,” “he/she/it will serve” tense.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | serviré | I will serve |
| Tú | servirás | you will serve |
| Ella / Él / Usted | servirá | s/he will serve, you (formal) will serve |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | serviremos | we will serve |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | serviréis | you (plural) will serve |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | servirán | they will serve, you (plural formal) will serve |
Servir in the Indicative Conditional (Condicional Simple)
The Conditional Indicative tense expresses hypothetical actions or probabilities in the future, often translated as “would serve.” It’s also used for polite requests.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | serviría | I would serve |
| Tú | servirías | you would serve |
| Ella / Él / Usted | serviría | s/he would serve, you (formal) would serve |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | serviríamos | we would serve |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | serviríais | you (plural) would serve |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | servirían | they would serve, you (plural formal) would serve |
Servir in the Indicative Present Perfect (Pretérito Perfecto)
The Present Perfect Indicative tense describes actions completed recently or actions that are still relevant to the present. It’s formed with “haber” in the present tense + past participle “servido,” and translates to “I have served,” “you have served,” etc.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he servido | I have served |
| Tú | has servido | you have served |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha servido | s/he has served, you (formal) have served |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos servido | we have served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis servido | you (plural) have served |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han servido | they have served, you (plural formal) have served |
Servir in the Indicative Past Perfect (Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto)
The Past Perfect Indicative tense (also known as Pluperfect) describes actions that had been completed before another action in the past. Formed with “haber” in the imperfect tense + past participle “servido,” it translates to “I had served,” “you had served,” etc.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había servido | I had served |
| Tú | habías servido | you had served |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había servido | s/he had served, you (formal) had served |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos servido | we had served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais servido | you (plural) had served |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían servido | they had served, you (plural formal) had served |
Servir in the Indicative Future Perfect (Futuro Perfecto)
The Future Perfect Indicative tense describes actions that will have been completed by a certain point in the future. Formed with “haber” in the future tense + past participle “servido,” it translates to “I will have served,” “you will have served,” etc.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré servido | I will have served |
| Tú | habrás servido | you will have served |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá servido | s/he will have served, you (formal) will have served |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos servido | we will have served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis servido | you (plural) will have served |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán servido | they will have served, you (plural formal) will have served |
Servir in the Indicative Conditional Perfect (Condicional Perfecto)
The Conditional Perfect Indicative tense describes what would have happened but didn’t. Formed with “haber” in the conditional tense + past participle “servido,” it translates to “I would have served,” “you would have served,” etc.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría servido | I would have served |
| Tú | habrías servido | you would have served |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría servido | s/he would have served, you (formal) would have served |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos servido | we would have served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais servido | you (plural) would have served |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían servido | they would have served, you (plural formal) would have served |
Subjunctive Tenses of Servir
The subjunctive mood is used to express desires, doubts, emotions, and hypothetical situations. Here are the subjunctive conjugations of “servir”:
Servir in the Subjunctive Present (Presente de Subjuntivo)
The Present Subjunctive tense is used in dependent clauses to express wishes, recommendations, doubts, or emotions in the present.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sirva | I serve |
| Tú | sirvas | you serve |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sirva | s/he serves, you (formal) serve |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sirvamos | we serve |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sirváis | you (plural) serve |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sirvan | they serve, you (plural formal) serve |
Servir in the Subjunctive Imperfect (Imperfecto de Subjuntivo)
The Imperfect Subjunctive tense has two forms and is used to express hypothetical situations in the past, wishes about the past, or in “si” (if) clauses. We will show the “-ra” form here.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sirviera | I served |
| Tú | sirvieras | you served |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sirviera | s/he served, you (formal) served |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sirviéramos | we served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sirvierais | you (plural) served |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sirvieran | they served, you (plural formal) served |
Servir in the Subjunctive Future (Futuro de Subjuntivo)
The Future Subjunctive is rarely used in modern Spanish, mostly found in legal or formal writing. It expresses actions that might happen in the future in subjunctive clauses.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sirviere | I will serve |
| Tú | sirvieres | you will serve |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sirviere | s/he will serve, you (formal) will serve |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sirviéremos | we will serve |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sirviereis | you (plural) will serve |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sirvieren | they will serve, you (plural formal) will serve |
Servir in the Subjunctive Present Perfect (Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo)
The Present Perfect Subjunctive describes actions that have been completed and are connected to the present subjunctive context, often expressing doubt, emotion, or wishes about completed actions. Formed with “haber” in the present subjunctive + past participle “servido.”
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya servido | I have served |
| Tú | hayas servido | you have served |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya servido | s/he has served, you (formal) have served |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos servido | we have served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis servido | you (plural) have served |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan servido | they have served, you (plural formal) have served |
Servir in the Subjunctive Past Perfect (Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo)
The Past Perfect Subjunctive (Pluperfect Subjunctive) describes actions that had been completed before another past action in a subjunctive context. Formed with “haber” in the imperfect subjunctive + past participle “servido.”
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera servido | I had served |
| Tú | hubieras servido | you had served |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera servido | s/he had served, you (formal) had served |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos servido | we had served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais servido | you (plural) had served |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran servido | they had served, you (plural formal) had served |
Servir in the Subjunctive Future Perfect (Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo)
The Future Perfect Subjunctive is very rare, and mostly found in very formal or legal contexts. It describes actions that will have been completed by a certain time in the future within a subjunctive context. Formed with “haber” in the future subjunctive + past participle “servido.”
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere servido | I will have served |
| Tú | hubieres servido | you will have served |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere servido | s/he will have served, you (formal) will have served |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos servido | we will have served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis servido | you (plural) will have served |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren servido | they will have served, you (plural formal) will have served |
Imperative Tenses of Servir
The imperative mood is used to give commands or instructions.
Servir in the Imperative Affirmative (Imperativo Afirmativo)
The Affirmative Imperative is used to tell someone to do something.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | – | – |
| Tú | sirve | (to you) serve! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sirva | (to you formal) serve! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sirvamos | let’s serve! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | servid | (to you plural) serve! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sirvan | (to you plural formal) serve! |
Servir in the Imperative Negative (Imperativo Negativo)
The Negative Imperative is used to tell someone not to do something.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | – | – |
| Tú | no sirvas | (to you) don’t serve! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no sirva | (to you formal) don’t serve! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no sirvamos | let’s not serve! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no sirváis | (to you plural) don’t serve! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no sirvan | (to you plural formal) don’t serve! |
Example Sentences with “Servir”
Understanding conjugation is best reinforced by seeing verbs in action. Here are some example sentences using different conjugations of “servir”:
- No sirve de nada seguir pensando. (It’s useless to keep on thinking any more. – Indicative Present)
- Llorar no sirve de nada. (Crying is of no avail. – Indicative Present)
- La cena se servirá a bordo del avión. (Dinner will be served on board the plane. – Indicative Future)
- Es importante que sirvas a los demás. (It’s important that you serve others. – Subjunctive Present)
- Si sirvieras mejor, te ascenderían. (If you served better, you would be promoted. – Subjunctive Imperfect)
Conclusion: Mastering “Servir” Conjugation
By studying these conjugation tables and examples, you’ve taken a significant step towards mastering the Spanish verb “servir.” Consistent practice and exposure to the Spanish language will further solidify your understanding and usage of “servir” in all its forms. Remember to use resources like flashcards, language learning apps, and real-life conversations to reinforce your knowledge and achieve fluency in Spanish verb conjugation.
To further your Spanish verb studies, consider exploring other common irregular verbs and practicing their conjugations as well. Consistent effort and dedication are the keys to success in learning Spanish!
