What does merecer mean?
merecer means to deserve in English. It is a irregular -er verb.
It can also be used with these related meanings: to have sex, used especially when talking about a nubile girl.
Spanish verb guide
Merecer Conjugation in Spanish
Learn merecer, meaning to deserve, through verified forms and contextual examples.
irregular-ergerund: mereciendoparticiple: merecido
Principal forms of merecer
- Infinitive
- merecer
- Gerund
- mereciendo
- Past participle
- merecido
Merecer conjugation table
Compare the present, preterite, imperfect, and future forms. Reflexive pronouns are included where the verb requires them.
| Pronoun | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | merezco | merecí | merecía | mereceré |
| tú | mereces | mereciste | merecías | merecerás |
| él / ella / usted | merece | mereció | merecía | merecerá |
| nosotros/as | merecemos | merecimos | merecíamos | mereceremos |
| ellos/as / ustedes | merecen | merecieron | merecían | merecerán |
Pattern notes
- Its forms differ from a fully regular -er pattern in the present.
Examples with merecer
Tom se merecía el castigo.Tom deserved the punishment.Tatoeba example · CC BY 2.0 FR
Es más de lo que te mereces.It's more than you deserve.Tatoeba example · CC BY 2.0 FR
A cada cual lo que se merece.To each his own.Tatoeba example · CC BY 2.0 FR
Practice prompts
- Conjugate merecer for yo in the present.
- Use the preterite form for ella.
- Say the nosotros/as imperfect form.
- Write a short sentence in the future.
Practice merecer online
Use VerbyGo for a quick conjugation round with instant feedback and accent checking.