huir

Huir is a Spanish verb meaning to run away, flee, or escape. It is irregular and belongs to the group of -uir verbs. In the present tense its forms are distinct: yo huyo, tú huyes, él huye, nosotros huimos, vosotros huís, ellos huyen.

In the preterite, huir also shows irregular patterns: yo huí, tú huiste, él huyó, nosotros huimos, vosotros huisteis, ellos huyeron. The imperfect is huía, huías, huía, huíamos, huíais, huían. The future is huiré, huirás, huirá, huiremos, huiréis, huirán. In the present subjunctive you have huya, huyas, huya, huyamos, huyáis, huyan, and in the imperfect subjunctive huyera o huyese, huyeras, huyera, huyéramos, huyerais, huyeran.

The participle is huido and the gerund is huyendo. Huir is typically used with de to indicate escaping from something: huir de un peligro, huir de la responsabilidad. It can also appear with a destination or direction, as in huir hacia la frontera, though this is less common than simply using the verb escaparse or salir. Huir emphasizes the act of fleeing to avoid danger or consequences, rather than a gradual departure.

Etymology traces huir to Latin fugere, through the development of Spanish -uir verbs. It is widely used across Spanish-speaking regions, with meanings closely aligned to “to escape” or “to run away,” and often contrasted with escapar or fugarse, which may carry slightly different nuance or formality.

See also: escapar, fugarse, fuga, evasión.