Servir conjugation

Servir means "to serve". Here it is in every main tense, with real example sentences and a free checker for your own.

Meaningto serve

Type-ir verb

Gerundsirviendo

Past participleservido

Servir changes form (an irregular, stem-changing or spelling-changing form) in the present, preterite and present subjunctive. Juntos teaches Latin American Spanish, where ustedes replaces vosotros; the vosotros forms are shown for completeness.

Quick answer. Present: sirvo, sirves, sirve, servimos, sirven. Preterite: serví, serviste, sirvió, servimos, sirvieron. All tenses below.

Servir conjugation tables

Jump to: present · preterite · imperfect · future · conditional · present subjunctive · present perfect · commands (imperative)

Servir in the present

what happens now or usually

yo	sirvo
tú	sirves
él / ella / usted	sirve
nosotros	servimos
vosotros (Spain)	servís
ellos / ustedes	sirven

Servir in the preterite

a finished action at a specific time

yo	serví
tú	serviste
él / ella / usted	sirvió
nosotros	servimos
vosotros (Spain)	servisteis
ellos / ustedes	sirvieron

Servir in the imperfect

habits, descriptions and background in the past

yo	servía
tú	servías
él / ella / usted	servía
nosotros	servíamos
vosotros (Spain)	servíais
ellos / ustedes	servían

Servir in the future

what will happen

yo	serviré
tú	servirás
él / ella / usted	servirá
nosotros	serviremos
vosotros (Spain)	serviréis
ellos / ustedes	servirán

Servir in the conditional

what would happen

yo	serviría
tú	servirías
él / ella / usted	serviría
nosotros	serviríamos
vosotros (Spain)	serviríais
ellos / ustedes	servirían

Servir in the present subjunctive

after wishes, doubts and requests (quiero que…)

yo	sirva
tú	sirvas
él / ella / usted	sirva
nosotros	sirvamos
vosotros (Spain)	sirváis
ellos / ustedes	sirvan

Servir in the present perfect

what has happened, up to now (he comido)

yo	he servido
tú	has servido
él / ella / usted	ha servido
nosotros	hemos servido
vosotros (Spain)	habéis servido
ellos / ustedes	han servido

Servir in the commands (imperative)

telling someone to do something (habla, no hables)

tú	sirve
tú (no)	no sirvas
usted	sirva
nosotros	sirvamos
vosotros (Spain)	servid
ustedes	sirvan

Servir in real sentences

Example sentences from the Juntos exercise bank, each checked before learners see it.

Preterite

El camarero nos sirvió la cena cuando llegamos.
The waiter served us dinner when we arrived.

Mistakes learners make with servir

The stem changes e to i: sirvo, sirves, and sirvió, sirvieron in the preterite.
¿Para qué sirve? means "what is it for?", and no sirve means "it doesn't work".
In a restaurant, ¿le sirvo algo más? is "can I get you anything else?"

Write your own sentence with servir

Not sure which past tense to use? The Spanish past tense course explains preterite vs imperfect with practice. Conjugate any other verb with the free Spanish conjugator, browse all 72 verb pages, or check any text with the free Spanish grammar checker.

Related verbs

Previous: seguir · Next: cerrar · all verbs

ir conjugation
to go
decir conjugation
to say / to tell
venir conjugation
to come
salir conjugation
to go out / to leave
dormir conjugation
to sleep
pedir conjugation
to ask for / to order
preferir conjugation
to prefer
sentir conjugation
to feel

Use servir in real conversation

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Questions people ask

Is servir irregular in Spanish?

Partly. Servir changes form in the present, preterite and present subjunctive, through an irregular stem, a stem change or a spelling change. The other tenses follow the regular -ir pattern.

What is the preterite of servir?

Yo serví, tú serviste, él/ella sirvió, nosotros servimos, ellos/ustedes sirvieron.

How do you conjugate servir in the present?

Yo sirvo, tú sirves, él/ella sirve, nosotros servimos, ellos/ustedes sirven.

What is the future of servir?

Yo serviré, tú servirás, él/ella servirá, nosotros serviremos, ellos/ustedes servirán.

What is the present subjunctive of servir?

Que yo sirva, que tú sirvas, que él/ella sirva, que nosotros sirvamos, que ellos/ustedes sirvan.