Acelerar in the Present Tense

Acelerar means “to accelerate”, and this page covers exactly one thing: acelerar in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about routines, facts and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for acelerar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about acelerar in the present. For example: “Yo acelero en la autopista para adelantar.” — I accelerate on the motorway to overtake. Everything on this page uses the forms of acelerar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Acelerar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo acelero
tú aceleras
él/ella/Ud. acelera
nosotros/as aceleramos
vosotros/as aceleráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aceleran

Gerund: acelerando · Past participle: acelerado

The gerund is acelerando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy acelerando” means the action of acelerar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is acelerado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he acelerado” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how acelerar is used.

How the present of acelerar is formed

Acelerar is regular in the present tense. Take the stem aceler and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving acelero, aceleras, acelera, aceleramos, aceleráis, aceleran. Watch the accents: the yo form is acelero and the él/ella/Ud. form is acelera.

When to use the present of acelerar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use acelerar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Routines and habits

The present tense is the tense of what you do regularly. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the right choice, and acelerar is no exception. Example: “Yo acelero en la autopista para adelantar todos los días.” — I accelerate on the motorway to overtake every day.

2. Facts and general truths

The present states facts that are true in general, not just right now. Use it to say what acelerar means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Acelera al salir del semáforo.” — He/she accelerates on leaving the traffic light.

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes actions in progress at this very moment. When something is happening as you speak, the present tense says so directly. Example: “Yo acelero el coche en la recta ahora.” — I accelerate the car on the straight now.

4. Scheduled events in the near future

Spanish often uses the present for things that are already arranged, such as plans for tomorrow or next week. The present sounds more certain than the future in these cases. Example: “Nosotros aceleramos el paso para llegar a tiempo.” — We accelerate my pace to arrive on time.

5. Instructions and everyday speech

In everyday speech the present gives instructions, makes offers and states what someone does. It is the tense you will hear most often in conversation. Example: “Tú aceleras en la autopista para adelantar.” — You accelerate on the motorway to overtake.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present describes routines, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is a habit or a finished event. Time words help: todos los días and cada semana point to the present, while ayer and la semana pasada point to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Yo acelero en la autopista para adelantar todos los días.” — I accelerate on the motorway to overtake every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo aceleré en la autopista para adelantar.” — Yesterday, I accelerated on the motorway to overtake.

  • The present sentence describes a habit; the preterite sentence reports one finished action. Todos los días points to the present, ayer points to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Él acelera al salir del semáforo cada semana.” — He/she accelerates on leaving the traffic light every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él aceleró al salir del semáforo.” — Last week, he accelerated on leaving the traffic light.

  • Cada semana describes a routine, so the present is right; la semana pasada names one finished week, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Nosotros aceleramos el coche en la recta a menudo.” — We accelerate the car on the straight often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros aceleramos el coche en la recta.” — Yesterday, we accelerated the car on the straight.

  • The present sentence counts no single event; the preterite sentence counts one finished action. That difference — habit versus finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: acelerar in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Acelero en la autopista para adelantar.” — I accelerate on the motorway to overtake.

  2. “Aceleras al salir del semáforo.” — You accelerate on leaving the traffic light.

  3. “Acelera el coche en la recta.” — He/she accelerates the car on the straight.

  4. “Aceleramos el paso para llegar a tiempo.” — We accelerate my pace to arrive on time.

  5. “Aceleráis en la autopista para adelantar.” — You accelerate on the motorway to overtake.

  6. “Aceleran al salir del semáforo.” — They accelerate on leaving the traffic light.

  7. “Acelero el coche en la recta.” — I accelerate the car on the straight.

  8. “Acelera el paso para llegar a tiempo.” — He/she accelerates my pace to arrive on time.

Common mistakes with acelerar in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Ellos acelera en la autopista para adelantar.” Right: “Ellos aceleran en la autopista para adelantar.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form aceleran. The singular acelera belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.

  • Wrong: “Yo acelero al salir del semáforo ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo aceleré al salir del semáforo.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to aceleré.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros aceleras el coche en la recta.” Right: “Nosotros aceleramos el coche en la recta.” Why: Nosotros needs aceleramos. The tú form aceleras belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos acelero el paso para llegar a tiempo todos los días.” Right: “Ellos aceleran el paso para llegar a tiempo todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form aceleran, not the yo form acelero. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.

Quiz: acelerar in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ en la autopista para adelantar.” (On the motorway to overtake.)

  • (a) acelero
  • (b) aceleras
  • (c) acelera

Answer: acelero — The yo form of acelerar in the present is acelero. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ al salir del semáforo?” (On leaving the traffic light.)

  • (a) acelero
  • (b) acelera
  • (c) aceleras

Answer: aceleras — The tú form of acelerar in the present is aceleras. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ el coche en la recta.” (The car on the straight.)

  • (a) aceleras
  • (b) acelera
  • (c) acelero

Answer: acelera — The él/ella/Ud. form of acelerar in the present is acelera. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ el paso para llegar a tiempo.” (My pace to arrive on time.)

  • (a) aceleramos
  • (b) acelero
  • (c) aceleras

Answer: aceleramos — The nosotros/as form of acelerar in the present is aceleramos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of acelerar in the present?

  • (a) acelero
  • (b) aceleras
  • (c) aceleráis

Answer: aceleráis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes aceleráis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros aceleráis en la autopista para adelantar.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ al salir del semáforo.” (On leaving the traffic light.)

  • (a) aceleras
  • (b) aceleran
  • (c) acelero

Answer: aceleran — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of acelerar in the present is aceleran. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

7. Which is the correct yo form of acelerar in the present?

  • (a) acelero
  • (b) aceleras
  • (c) acelera

Answer: acelero — The yo form is acelero. The other two options are the forms for other persons.

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo aceleré en la autopista para adelantar todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros aceleraremos en la autopista para adelantar mañana.
  • (c) Yo acelero en la autopista para adelantar todos los días.

Answer: Yo acelero en la autopista para adelantar todos los días. — “Yo acelero en la autopista para adelantar todos los días.” describes a habit, so it takes the present. The second option reports a finished action in the past, and the third looks to the future.

Frequently asked questions

Is acelerar regular in the present?

Yes. Acelerar is regular in the present: acelero, aceleras, acelera, aceleramos, aceleráis, aceleran. Watch the accents on the yo and él forms, and remember that only context tells the nosotros form apart from the present-tense nosotros form when they are identical.

What is the past participle of acelerar?

The past participle is acelerado: 'He acelerado' means 'I have accelerated'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is acelerando.

Does acelerar take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Acelerar is fully regular: aceleré, aceleraba, aceleraré. Acelerar el paso means to hurry up on foot. In the examples on this page, acelerar appears with complements such as en la autopista para adelantar and al salir del semáforo, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of acelerar?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo acelero, tú aceleras, él/ella/Ud. acelera, nosotros/as aceleramos, vosotros/as aceleráis, ellos/ellas/Uds. aceleran. Then write three of your own sentences with acelerar in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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