Understanding Servir: The Spanish Verb for “To Serve”
“Servir,” the Spanish verb meaning “to serve,” is a fundamental verb for anyone learning Spanish. It’s categorized as an irregular verb, making its conjugations a key aspect of Spanish grammar to master. Like top verbs such as tener or ir, servir appears frequently in everyday conversation and literature. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of Servir Conjugations across 18 major Spanish tenses, ensuring you have a solid understanding of how to use this versatile verb.
Similar verbs to servir include atender (to attend to, to serve) and despachar (to dispatch, to serve – in a commercial context).
| Verb Aspect | Spanish Term | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | servir | to serve |
| Past Participle | servido | served |
| Gerund | sirviendo | serving |
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Indicative Mood Conjugations of Servir
The indicative mood in Spanish is used to express factual actions, events, or states. Let’s explore servir conjugations in various indicative tenses.
Present Indicative of Servir
The present indicative, or “El Presente,” is used for actions happening now, near future events, and general truths. For example, “Yo sirvo” translates to “I serve.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sirvo | I serve |
| Tú | sirves | You serve (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sirve | She/He serves, You serve (formal) |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | servimos | We serve |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | servís | You serve (plural, informal) |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sirven | They serve, You serve (plural, formal) |
Notice the stem change from “e” to “i” in the singular and third-person plural forms, indicating the irregularity of servir.
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Preterite Indicative of Servir
The preterite indicative, or “El Pretérito Indefinido,” describes actions completed at a specific point in the past. “Serví” means “I served.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | serví | I served |
| Tú | serviste | You served (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sirvió | She/He served, You served (formal) |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | servimos | We served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | servisteis | You served (plural, informal) |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sirvieron | They served, You served (plural, formal) |
The preterite tense of servir is regular, following the standard -ir verb endings.
Learn the preterite tense of ‘servir’ and other Spanish verbs efficiently with our app.
Imperfect Indicative of Servir
The imperfect indicative, “El Pretérito Imperfecto,” depicts ongoing or repeated past actions, or descriptions of past habits. “Servía” translates to “I used to serve” or “I was serving.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | servía | I used to serve, I was serving |
| Tú | servías | You used to serve, You were serving (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | servía | She/He used to serve, She/He was serving, You used to serve, You were serving (formal) |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | servíamos | We used to serve, We were serving |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | servíais | You used to serve, You were serving (plural, informal) |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | servían | They used to serve, They were serving, You used to serve, You were serving (plural, formal) |
The imperfect tense of servir is regular, making it straightforward to learn.
Practice the imperfect tense and understand past actions with our interactive Spanish verb app.
Present Continuous Indicative of Servir
The present continuous, or “El Presente Progresivo,” describes actions happening right now. It’s formed with estar + gerund (sirviendo). “Estoy sirviendo” means “I am serving.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy sirviendo | I am serving |
| Tú | estás sirviendo | You are serving (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está sirviendo | She/He is serving, You are serving (formal) |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos sirviendo | We are serving |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis sirviendo | You are serving (plural, informal) |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están sirviendo | They are serving, You are serving (plural, formal) |
This tense uses the gerund form sirviendo, which is regular for servir.
Master the present continuous and describe actions in progress in Spanish.
Informal Future Indicative of Servir
The informal future, “El Futuro Próximo,” expresses immediate future actions using ir a + infinitive. “Voy a servir” means “I am going to serve.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a servir | I am going to serve |
| Tú | vas a servir | You are going to serve (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a servir | She/He is going to serve, You are going to serve (formal) |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a servir | We are going to serve |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a servir | You are going to serve (plural, informal) |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a servir | They are going to serve, You are going to serve (plural, formal) |
This future form is straightforward and widely used in spoken Spanish.
Learn to talk about the near future with the informal future tense and our app.
Future Indicative of Servir
The future indicative, “El Futuro Simple,” expresses future actions. “Serviré” means “I will serve.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | serviré | I will serve |
| Tú | servirás | You will serve (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | servirá | She/He will serve, You will serve (formal) |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | serviremos | We will serve |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | serviréis | You will serve (plural, informal) |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | servirán | They will serve, You will serve (plural, formal) |
The future tense of servir is regular, formed by adding future endings to the infinitive.
Plan for the future in Spanish by mastering the future indicative tense.
Conditional Indicative of Servir
The conditional indicative, “El Condicional Simple,” expresses hypothetical actions or probabilities, often translated as “would.” “Serviría” means “I would serve.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | serviría | I would serve |
| Tú | servirías | You would serve (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | serviría | She/He would serve, You would serve (formal) |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | serviríamos | We would serve |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | serviríais | You would serve (plural, informal) |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | servirían | They would serve, You would serve (plural, formal) |
The conditional tense of servir is also regular, similar in formation to the future tense.
Express hypothetical situations and possibilities with the conditional tense.
Present Perfect Indicative of Servir
The present perfect indicative, “El Pretérito Perfecto,” describes actions completed recently or still relevant to the present. It’s formed with haber + past participle (servido). “He servido” means “I have served.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he servido | I have served |
| Tú | has servido | You have served (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha servido | She/He has served, You have served (formal) |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos servido | We have served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis servido | You have served (plural, informal) |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han servido | They have served, You have served (plural, formal) |
The past participle servido is regular.
Discuss recent past actions and their present relevance using the present perfect tense.
Past Perfect Indicative of Servir
The past perfect indicative, “El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto,” describes actions completed before another past action. Formed with haber (imperfect) + past participle. “Había servido” means “I had served.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había servido | I had served |
| Tú | habías servido | You had served (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había servido | She/He had served, You had served (formal) |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos servido | We had served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais servido | You had served (plural, informal) |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían servido | They had served, You had served (plural, formal) |
Again, servido remains the regular past participle.
Describe past actions that precede other past actions with the past perfect tense.
Future Perfect Indicative of Servir
The future perfect indicative, “El Futuro Perfecto,” describes actions that will be completed by a certain point in the future. Formed with haber (future) + past participle. “Habré servido” means “I will have served.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré servido | I will have served |
| Tú | habrás servido | You will have served (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá servido | She/He will have served, You will have served (formal) |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos servido | We will have served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis servido | You will have served (plural, informal) |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán servido | They will have served, You will have served (plural, formal) |
Consistent use of the regular past participle servido.
Project into the future perfect and describe completed future actions.
Conditional Perfect Indicative of Servir
The conditional perfect indicative, “El Condicional Perfecto,” expresses hypothetical past actions – what “would have” happened. Formed with haber (conditional) + past participle. “Habría servido” means “I would have served.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría servido | I would have served |
| Tú | habrías servido | You would have served (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría servido | She/He would have served, You would have served (formal) |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos servido | We would have served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais servido | You would have served (plural, informal) |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían servido | They would have served, You would have served (plural, formal) |
Again, featuring the regular past participle servido.
Explore hypothetical past scenarios with the conditional perfect tense.
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Subjunctive Mood Conjugations of Servir
The subjunctive mood expresses uncertainty, desires, emotions, and hypothetical situations. Let’s see servir in the subjunctive.
Present Subjunctive of Servir
The present subjunctive, “El Presente de Subjuntivo,” is used in dependent clauses to express wishes, doubts, or necessities. “Sirva” (in a subjunctive context) can mean “I may serve” or “that I serve.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sirva | I may serve, that I serve |
| Tú | sirvas | You may serve, that you serve (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sirva | She/He may serve, that she/he serve, You may serve, that you serve (formal) |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sirvamos | We may serve, that we serve |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sirváis | You may serve, that you serve (plural, informal) |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sirvan | They may serve, that they serve, You may serve, that you serve (plural, formal) |
The present subjunctive of servir shows the stem change from “e” to “i” similar to the present indicative.
Grasp the nuances of uncertainty and desire with the present subjunctive.
Imperfect Subjunctive of Servir
The imperfect subjunctive, “El Imperfecto Subjuntivo,” often relates to past hypothetical situations or polite requests. “Sirviera” (in subjunctive context) can mean “I served,” “I were to serve,” or “I might serve.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sirviera | I served, I were to serve, I might serve |
| Tú | sirvieras | You served, You were to serve, You might serve (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sirviera | She/He served, She/He were to serve, She/He might serve, You served, You were to serve, You might serve (formal) |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sirviéramos | We served, We were to serve, We might serve |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sirvierais | You served, You were to serve, You might serve (plural, informal) |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sirvieran | They served, They were to serve, They might serve, You served, You were to serve, You might serve (plural, formal) |
The imperfect subjunctive also exhibits the “e” to “i” stem change.
Explore hypothetical pasts and polite expressions with the imperfect subjunctive.
Future Subjunctive of Servir
The future subjunctive, “El Futuro de Subjuntivo,” is rarely used in modern Spanish, mostly found in legal or literary contexts. “Sirviere” (subjunctive) translates to “if I should serve.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sirviere | if I should serve |
| Tú | sirvieres | if you should serve (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sirviere | if she/he/you (formal) should serve |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sirviéremos | if we should serve |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | sirviereis | if you (plural, informal) should serve |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sirvieren | if they/you (plural, formal) should serve |
While less common, understanding its form completes your knowledge of servir conjugations.
Learn about the future subjunctive for completeness, even if rarely used.
Present Perfect Subjunctive of Servir
The present perfect subjunctive, “El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo,” describes past actions relevant to a subjunctive present or future. Formed with haber (present subjunctive) + past participle. “Haya servido” means “that I have served” or “may have served.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya servido | that I have served, may have served |
| Tú | hayas servido | that you have served, may have served (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya servido | that she/he/you (formal) have served, may have served |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos servido | that we have served, may have served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis servido | that you (plural, informal) have served, may have served |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan servido | that they/you (plural, formal) have served, may have served |
Consistent use of the regular past participle servido.
Express completed actions in subjunctive contexts with the present perfect subjunctive.
Past Perfect Subjunctive of Servir
The past perfect subjunctive, “El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo,” describes actions completed before another past subjunctive action. Formed with haber (imperfect subjunctive) + past participle. “Hubiera servido” means “that I had served.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera servido | that I had served |
| Tú | hubieras servido | that you had served (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera servido | that she/he/you (formal) had served |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos servido | that we had served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais servido | that you (plural, informal) had served |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran servido | that they/you (plural, formal) had served |
Regular past participle servido maintained.
Discuss past completed actions in relation to other past subjunctive actions.
Future Perfect Subjunctive of Servir
The future perfect subjunctive, “El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo,” is also very rare, used for actions that will be completed in a hypothetical future scenario. Formed with haber (future subjunctive) + past participle. “Hubiere servido” means “if I will have served.”
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere servido | if I will have served |
| Tú | hubieres servido | if you will have served (informal) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere servido | if she/he/you (formal) will have served |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos servido | if we will have served |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis servido | if you (plural, informal) will have served |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren servido | if they/you (plural, formal) will have served |
Primarily for advanced learners and literary analysis.
Complete your subjunctive knowledge with the rare future perfect subjunctive.
Looking for more practice with the subjunctive mood? Our app offers quizzes and exercises to help!
Imperative Mood Conjugations of Servir
The imperative mood is used to give commands or instructions.
Affirmative Imperative of Servir
The affirmative imperative, “El Imperativo Afirmativo,” gives positive commands. “Sirve” means “serve!” (to tú).
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Tú | sirve | Serve! (informal singular) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | sirva | Serve! (formal singular) |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | sirvamos | Let’s serve! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | servid | Serve! (informal plural) |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | sirvan | Serve! (formal plural) |
Note the irregular tú form sirve with the stem change.
Learn to give commands in Spanish using the affirmative imperative.
Negative Imperative of Servir
The negative imperative, “El Imperativo Negativo,” gives negative commands – telling someone “don’t” do something. “No sirvas” means “don’t serve!” (to tú).
| Pronoun | Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Tú | no sirvas | Don’t serve! (informal singular) |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no sirva | Don’t serve! (formal singular) |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no sirvamos | Let’s not serve! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no sirváis | Don’t serve! (informal plural) |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no sirvan | Don’t serve! (formal plural) |
The negative imperative uses subjunctive forms.
Tell people what not to do with the negative imperative in Spanish.
Example Sentences and Usage of Servir
- No servirá de nada seguir pensando. (It’s useless to keep thinking anymore. / It won’t serve any purpose to keep thinking.)
- Llorar no sirve de nada. (Crying is of no use. / Crying serves no purpose.)
- La cena se servirá a bordo del avión. (Dinner will be served on board the plane.)
Downloadable Servir Conjugation Cheat Sheet
For your convenience, download a printable cheat sheet of Servir Spanish conjugations in image or PDF format to keep handy.
Download Servir Cheat Sheet PDF
Download our Servir conjugation chart for quick reference.
Practice Servir Conjugations with Ella Verbs App
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