Master PEDIR Conjugation: Complete Guide for All Tenses

Learning verb conjugation in Spanish is not easy, especially for English speakers who are not used to having so many forms. It is particularly difficult in the case of irregular verbs.

When to Use Pedir

In English, there are two different words for “ordering” and “asking”, but in Spanish, both of those meanings are expressed by pedir. Apart from that, this verb can also mean “to apologize” or “to call for.” For this reason, learning all the forms of pedir is very important, as it can be useful in many different situations.

Indicative Tenses of Pedir With Examples

One of the first issues discussed when teaching Spanish verbs is the indicative mood. Teachers explain to the students how to use it to describe various facts or qualities of an item, person, or situation. The indicative mood can be used in the past, present, future, and conditional forms of pedir.

The Conjugation of Pedir Indicative in Simple Tenses

Indicative Pedir Present Conjugation Chart

Examples of pedir conjugation in the present indicative forms:

• Nosotros pedimos una pizza para la cena. - We order a pizza for dinner.
• Tú pides ayuda cuando no entiendes algo. - You ask for help when you don't understand something.

Indicative Pedir Preterite Conjugation Chart

Examples of the conjugation of indicative pedir in preterite tense:

• Ellos pidieron una respuesta rápida del equipo de soporte. - They asked for a quick response from the support team.
• Yo pedí una explicación más clara durante la reunión. - I asked for a clearer explanation during the meeting.

Indicative Pedir Imperfect Conjugation Chart

Examples of using indicative pedir imperfect tense conjugation:

• Él pedía siempre el mismo plato en el restaurante. - He used to ask for the same dish at the restaurant.
• Ellos pedían cuentos antes de dormir. - They used to ask for stories before going to sleep.

Indicative Pedir Present Continuous Conjugation Chart

Examples of indicative pedir in present continuous:

• Nosotros estamos pidiendo más recursos para el proyecto. - We are asking for more resources for the project.
• Él está pidiendo un favor a su amigo. - He is asking for a favor from his friend.

Indicative Pedir Future Conjugation Chart

Examples of conjugation of indicative pedir in the future tense:

• Tú pedirás más tiempo para completar el proyecto. - You will ask for more time to complete the project.
• Ellos pedirán permiso para usar la sala de conferencias. - They will ask for permission to use the conference room.

Indicative Pedir Conditional Conjugation Chart

Examples of using indicative pedir conditional conjugation:

• Yo pediría ayuda si no entendiera el problema. - I would ask for help if I didn't understand the problem.
• Ellos pedirían un reembolso si el producto estuviera defectuoso. - They would ask for a refund if the product were defective.

The Conjugation of Pedir Indicative in Compound Tenses

Examples of indicative pedir in compound tenses:

• Present Perfect: Vosotros habéis pedido más tiempo para completar la tarea. - You all have asked for more time to complete the task.
• Past Perfect (Pluperfect): Yo había pedido ayuda antes de que llegara el profesor. - I had asked for help before the teacher arrived.
• Future Perfect: Tú habrás pedido ayuda antes del final del día. - 

Subjunctive Tenses of Pedir With Examples 

The subjunctive mood is most commonly used to mention our doubts, dreams, wishes, hopes, etc. To make the process of learning and teaching these forms of pedir, we have prepared conjugation charts for simple and compound tenses. 

To make them easier to understand, we also provided a few examples of using these forms in practice.

Subjunctive Pedir in Simple Tenses

Subjunctive Pedir Present Conjugation Chart

Examples of using pedir present subjunctive conjugation:

• Yo espero que tú pidas ayuda si la necesitas. - I hope that you ask for help if you need it.
• Es importante que él pida permiso antes de salir. - It's important that he asks for permission before leaving.

Subjunctive Pedir Imperfect Conjugation

Examples of using pedir subjunctive conjugation in the imperfect tense:

• Si tú pidieras más información, entenderías mejor la situación. - If you asked for more information, you would understand the situation better.
• Ella insistía en que yo pidiera disculpas por el error. -  She insisted that I asked for an apology for the mistake.

Subjunctive Pedir Future Conjugation

Examples of using pedir subjunctive conjugation in the future tense:

• Si tú pidieres información adicional, recibirás un correo electrónico. - If you ask for additional information, you will receive an email.
• Cuando vosotros pidiereis la cuenta, la camarera la traerá enseguida. - When you all will ask for the bill, the waitress will bring it immediately.

Subjunctive Pedir in Compound Tenses

Examples of subjunctive pedir conjugation in the compound tenses:

• Present Perfect Subjunctive: Es posible que él haya pedido una extensión para el proyecto. - It's possible that he has asked for an extension for the project.
• Past Perfect (Pluperfect) Subjunctive: Si nosotros hubiéramos pedido una cita, habríamos evitado la espera. - If we had asked for an appointment, we would have avoided the wait.
• Future Perfect Subjunctive: Si tú hubieres pedido más tiempo, habrías terminado el proyecto. - If you will have asked for more time, you would have finished the project.

Imperative Tenses of Pedir

Whenever you need to make a command, whether affirmative or negative, you need to use the imperative mood. 

With our chart, it may be easier for you to teach, learn, and practice the imperative pedir conjugation.

Examples of using pedir in the imperative tenses:

• Affirmative: Pide ayuda si la necesitas. - Ask for help if you need it.
• Negative: No pidáis permiso sin necesidad. - Don't ask for permission without necessity.

Find More Teaching Aids for Spanish Classes at Speaking Latino

We hope that our charts will be useful whenever you teach or practice with your students the yo form of pedir or any other conjugations of this verb. Feel free to copy as many of them as you like and print them out to hand to your students during a class.

Apart from conjugation charts, we have also prepared many other useful resources for Spanish teachers. At Speaking Latino, you can find, for example, free cultural calendars, sayings printables, or class guides. They will save you time and make your classes more diversified and engaging.

On top of that, we also offer e-books such as our Spanish slang dictionaries, helping to teach a particular variant of the language. Browse through our website and see how many excellent teaching aids you can find there!