Acampar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of acampar — “to camp” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for acampar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Acampar means to camp, and it is used for sleeping outdoors in a tent, whether on a beach, in the mountains or in a campsite. It also appears in protest language, as in acampar delante del parlamento, to camp outside parliament. It is a regular -ar verb and a classic holiday verb. Acampar is a regular -ar verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Acampo en la playa en verano.

Present tense conjugation table: acampar

Every person of acampar in the present tense. The gerund is acampando and the past participle is acampado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo acampo
tú acampas
él/ella/Ud. acampa
nosotros/as acampamos
vosotros/as acampáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. acampan

How the present of acampar is formed

The present of acampar is built from the stem acamp- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.

Person Ending Form
yo -o acampo
tú -as acampas
él/ella/Ud. -a acampa
nosotros/as -amos acampamos
vosotros/as -áis acampáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an acampan

For acampar there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem acamp- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.

When to use the present tense with acampar

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo acampo en la playa en verano. — I camp on the beach in summer.

General facts

Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.

Él/Ella acampa en la montaña con amigos. — He camps in the mountains with friends.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as acampamos junto al río el fin de semana. — Right now, We camp by the river at the weekend.

Near-future plans

Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.

Mañana, Tú acampas en el parque durante la protesta. — Tomorrow, You camp in the park during the protest.

Instructions and timeless statements

Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.

Él/Ella acampa en la playa en verano. — He camps on the beach in summer.

The present vs the preterite

The present and the preterite answer different questions: the present says what happens regularly or right now, while the preterite says what happened once and finished. Compare the same idea in both tenses with acampar.

  1. Yo acampo en la playa en verano. — I camp on the beach in summer. / Ayer, Yo acampé en la playa en verano. — Yesterday, I camped on the beach in summer.
  2. Yo acampo en la montaña con amigos. — I camp in the mountains with friends. / Ayer, Yo acampé en la montaña con amigos. — Yesterday, I camped in the mountains with friends.
  3. Yo acampo junto al río el fin de semana. — I camp by the river at the weekend. / Ayer, Yo acampé junto al río el fin de semana. — Yesterday, I camped by the river at the weekend.

Example sentences in the present tense

Seven sentences with acampar in the present tense only, covering all six persons.

  1. Yo acampo en la playa en verano. — I camp on the beach in summer.
  2. Tú acampas en la montaña con amigos. — You camp in the mountains with friends.
  3. Él/Ella acampa junto al río el fin de semana. — He camps by the river at the weekend.
  4. Nosotros/as acampamos en el parque durante la protesta. — We camp in the park during the protest.
  5. Vosotros/as acampáis en la playa en verano. — You camp on the beach in summer.
  6. Ellos/as acampan en la montaña con amigos. — They camp in the mountains with friends.
  7. Yo acampo junto al río el fin de semana. — I camp by the river at the weekend.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo acampa en la playa en verano. — Right: Yo acampo en la playa en verano. — The person matters: acampa is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acampo.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo acampo en la montaña con amigos. — Right: Ayer, yo acampé en la montaña con amigos. — With ayer, use the preterite (acampé), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using acampar where pernoctar belongs. — Right: Acampar means to camp, while pernoctar means to spend the night somewhere. — Check the meaning before you choose: acampar fits Acampo en la playa en verano.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él acampa en la montaña con amigos. — Right: Espero que él acampe en la montaña con amigos. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: acampe, not the present indicative acampa.

Quiz: the present tense of acampar

Eight questions on the present tense of acampar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en la playa en verano. (present tense, yo) A. acampo B. acampas C. acampa D. acampamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ en la montaña con amigos. (present tense, tú) A. acampo B. acampa C. acampamos D. acampas

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ junto al río el fin de semana. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. acampas B. acampamos C. acampa D. acampo

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ en el parque durante la protesta. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. acampa B. acampamos C. acampo D. acampas

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ en la playa en verano. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. acampáis B. acampo C. acampas D. acampa

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ en la montaña con amigos. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. acampo B. acampas C. acampa D. acampan

  7. Which is the gerund of acampar? A. acampo B. acampé C. acampando D. acampado

  8. Which is the past participle of acampar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. acampé B. acampado C. acampando D. acampo

Answer key

  1. acampo — The yo present form of acampar is acampo.
  2. acampas — The tú present form of acampar is acampas.
  3. acampa — The él/ella/Ud. present form of acampar is acampa.
  4. acampamos — The nosotros/as present form of acampar is acampamos.
  5. acampáis — The vosotros/as present form of acampar is acampáis.
  6. acampan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of acampar is acampan.
  7. acampando — The gerund of acampar is acampando: estoy acampando.
  8. acampado — The past participle of acampar is acampado: he acampado, has acampado, ha acampado.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of acampar formed?

Take the infinitive acampar, drop the -ar ending to get the stem acamp-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of acampar is fully regular: the stem acamp- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.

When do I use the present tense of acampar?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Acampo en la playa en verano.

What is the difference between the present and the preterite of acampar?

The present (acampo) and the preterite (acampé) answer different questions: the present is for habits and for right now, while the preterite is for one finished action. Compare them in the contrast section above.

How do I practise the present of acampar?

Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of acampar to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the acampar examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.

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