How to Use the Verb ‘Pertenecer’ in Spanish

Pertenecer is one of those Spanish verbs you need to master to become a fluent and confident Spanish speaker.

Get ready to belong among experienced Spanish speakers as you cover the conjugation in Spanish and different forms of pertenecer. 

Keep reading for a functional lesson on how to use the verb pertenecer in Spanish naturally in your day-to-day conversations.

What is the Meaning of Pertenecer?

Pertenecer is an irregular verb in Spanish that means “to belong”, “to pertain”,  or “to own” in English. 

In Spanish, pertecener is used to reference when a person or object belongs to someone. When it comes to a matter or situation that corresponds to an individual, or entity; pertenecer is used as a way to indicate it pertains to such subjects. 

Irregular verbs in Spanish follow their own rules when it comes to conjugations. This means that the verbs change the form in which they are conjugated according to the subject and tense. 

Refresh your knowledge of irregular verbs by reading this blog post on how to use them.

Let’s take a look at some examples using the verb pertenecer in Spanish.

Ese oso de peluche le pertenece a mi hija.
That teddy bear belongs to my daughter.

Yo pertenezco a una comunidad de mujeres empresarias.
I belong to a community of businesswomen.

¿Quién quiere pertenecer al club de fans?
Who wants to belong to the fan club?

Ese vestido me pertenece.
That dress belongs to me. 

Mantener el orden en la clase le pertenece a los maestros.
Maintaining order in the classroom pertains to the teachers. 

Los Guatemaltecos pertenecen a la comunidad Latina de Estados Unidos.
Guatemalans belong to the Latin community of the United States.

Conjugations of Pertenecer

Let’s take a look at the different conjugations of the verb pertenecer in Spanish in the indicative, imperative, and subjunctive moods. I’ve also placed some examples varying with the present tense of pertenecer, past tense of pertenecer, and other forms. 

Indicative Mood

The indicative mood in Spanish is the grammatical mood that is used in most contexts related to real events. The conjugation of pertenecer in the indicative mood goes as follows.

Yo pertenezco al club de tenis.
I belong to the tennis club.

Tú perteneces a la clase de español de los sábados.
You belong to the Saturday Spanish class.

Él pertenece a la junta directiva.
He belongs to the board.

Nosotros pertenecemos a los scouts.
We belong to the scouts.

Ustedes pertenecen a la generación de millennials.
You belong to the millennial generation. 

Yo pertenecía al equipo perdedor.
I was part of the losing team.

Esa bolsa le pertenecía a tu hermana.
That bag belonged to your sister. 

La casa pertenecerá a tu abuela mientras no se venda.
The house will belong to your grandma while it doesn’t sell. 

Los juguetes pertenecerán al bebé en lo que crece.
The toys will belong to the baby while he grows. 

Mi mamá pertenecía entre las ganadoras del concurso.
My mom belonged among the winners of the contest.

Subjunctive Mood

The subjunctive mood is used to talk about wishes, desires, hopes, hypotheses, or uncertainty. Let’s take a look at the subjunctive mood conjugations for pertenecer in Spanish. 

Es posible que tú pertenezcas a los seleccionados para el equipo.
It’s possible that you are part of those selected for the team.

Quisiera que esos juguetes le pertenecieran a esos niños.
I wish those toys would belong to those kids.

Sería muy lindo si Ana perteneciera a nuestro grupo.
It’d be nice if Ana belonged to our group.

Si nosotros perteneciéramos a esa clase seguro entenderíamos mejor. 
If we were part of that class we would understand better. 

Imperative Mood

The imperative mood uses pertenecer as a command. It doesn’t include most of the subject pronouns, because you can’t give commands to the singular first-person yo.

Structure of the Verb Pertenencer

Pertenecer is categorized as an intransitive verb because it requires an indirect complement. When used in a sentence, pertenecer is followed by the preposition a which is also followed by a complimentary clause known as the indirect complement. 

This helps elaborate on the scenario and situation in which pertenecer is being used on. The indirect compliment can be replaced by the pronoun le or les in the same sentence according to the singular or plural subject. 

Let’s review some example sentences using the structure pertenecer a (belong to).

Este reloj le pertenece a mi mamá.
This watch belongs to my mom. 

Estos dulces les pertenecen a los niños.
These candies belong to the kids. 

Synonyms of Pertenecer in Spanish

The meaning of pertenecer can be replaced with a variety of different words. Let’s take a look at the most common pertenecer synonyms in Spanish.

Concernir (concern), Corresponder (corresponds), and incumbir (behoove)

Concernir, incumbir, and corresponder can be used as synonyms of pertenecer when it’s used to refer to a matter or situation that corresponds or is up to a single person or entity. For example:

Ese asunto le concierne al gobierno.
That matter concerns the government. 

Ese asunto le corresponde al gobierno.
That matter corresponds to the government. 

Ese asunto le incumbe al gobierno. 
That matter is up to the government. 

Referirse (refer) or competer (compete)

Referirse and competer are also used as synonym to pertenecer in Spanish. They can be used to reference a specific function that belongs to someone specific. Use them in sentences similar to:

Le refiere a los jueces decidir quién ganó.
It refers to the judges to decide who won. 

A los jueces les compete decidir quién ganó.
It is up to the judges to decide who won. 

Depender (depend)

Depender can be used as a synonym of pertenecer in Spanish when you’re talking about a situation in which the outcome relies on a person or scenario. For example:

Ganarás el examen dependiendo que tanto estudiaste.
You’ll win the exam depending on how much you studied. 

You Belong Among Top Spanish-Speakers!

¡Tú perteneces entre los mejores estudiantes de Español! After wrapping up this lesson of the verb pertenecer in Spanish you are ready to take it for a spin in a conversation. 

Practice how to use the verb pertenecer in Spanish and improve your ability to construct sentences with our certified Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala. 

Join a free trial class and engage in actual meaningful conversations that elevate your Spanish abilities. At Homeschool Spanish Academy, we have over 10 years of experience and teach more than 24,000 actively enrolled students each month. 

Our schedules are flexible, lessons can be tailored to your needs, and our prices are accessible. Give it a try and expand your Spanish to a whole new level!

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Sofía Godoy Alonso

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

Native speaker of English and Spanish, I’m a sustainable travel and social impact entrepreneur who loves going to new places and meeting people from different cultures and backgrounds. I love spending time with my family and being outdoors with my dogs. Writing, communicating, and creating are my passions. I strongly believe there are more creative ways to solve the issues our world is facing and I like doing my part in any way I can.

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