Achacar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of achacar — “to blame, to attribute” 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 achacar 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. Achacar means to blame or to attribute, to say that something is someone's fault or is caused by something. It is used with a for the person blamed and is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e. It is a spelling-change verb (c becomes qu before e), but the present tense itself is regular — the spelling change shows up in the subjunctive and the preterite. To see it in a real sentence: Achaco la culpa a su compañero. — “I blame the blame to his colleague.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of achacar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: achacar
Every person of achacar in the present tense. The gerund is achacando and the past participle is achacado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | achaco |
| tú | achacas |
| él/ella/Ud. | achaca |
| nosotros/as | achacamos |
| vosotros/as | achacáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | achacan |
How the present indicative of achacar is formed
The present indicative of achacar is built from the stem plus the present indicative 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 | achaco |
| tú | -as | achacas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | achaca |
| nosotros/as | -amos | achacamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | achacáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | achacan |
Achacar is a spelling-change verb. In the present tense the forms are regular, so the table above follows the normal -ar endings. The spelling change appears when the ending starts with e: the present subjunctive is achaque and the preterite first person is achaqué. The sound stays the same; only the spelling changes to keep it.
The gerund of achacar is achacando and the past participle is achacado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of achacar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and achacar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and achacar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo achaco la culpa a su compañero todos los días.” — “I blame the blame to his colleague every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él achaca el error al cansancio.” — “He/she blames the mistake to tiredness.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so achaco can mean both “I blame” and “I am blameing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo achaco el problema a la falta de tiempo.” — “Right now, I blame the problem to lack of time.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo achaco todo a la mala suerte.” — “Tomorrow, I will blame everything to bad luck.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú achacas la culpa a su compañero?” — “Do you blame the blame to his colleague?”
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Achaca el error al cansancio. — “He/she blames the mistake to tiredness.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Achacó el error al cansancio. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add “used to” in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Achacan el problema a la falta de tiempo. — “They blame the problem to lack of time.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Achacaban el problema a la falta de tiempo. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Achacas todo a la mala suerte. — “You blame everything to bad luck.”
- Future — what will happen: Achacarás todo a la mala suerte. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: achacar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show achacar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo achaco la culpa a su compañero. — “I blame the blame to his colleague.”
- Tú achacas el error al cansancio. — “You blame the mistake to tiredness.”
- Él achaca el problema a la falta de tiempo. — “He blames the problem to lack of time.”
- Nosotros achacamos todo a la mala suerte. — “We blame everything to bad luck.”
- Vosotros achacáis la culpa a su compañero. — “You (plural) blame the blame to his colleague.”
- Ellos achacan el error al cansancio. — “They blame the mistake to tiredness.”
- ¿Tú achacas el problema a la falta de tiempo? — “Do you blame the problem to lack of time?”
Common mistakes with achacar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with achacar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo achacar la culpa a su compañero. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo achaco la culpa a su compañero.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of achacar is achaco, not the infinitive achacar.
✗ Vosotros achacais la culpa a su compañero. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros achacáis la culpa a su compañero.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: achacáis, not achacais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo achaco el error al cansancio. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo achaqué el error al cansancio.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: achaco is happening now, while achaqué is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating achacar and culpar as identical in every context. (confusing achacar with culpar).
✓ Correct: Achacar means to blame, to attribute, while culpar means to blame someone.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: achacar fits sentences such as Achaco la culpa a su compañero, while culpar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: achacar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of achacar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of achacar for tú?
- a) achacas
- b) achaco
- c) achaca
- d) achacan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la culpa a su compañero. — “I blame the blame to his colleague.”
- a) achaca
- b) achacamos
- c) achacas
- d) achaco
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el error al cansancio. — “He/she blames the mistake to tiredness.” (present tense)
- a) achacaba
- b) achacará
- c) achaca
- d) achacó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of achacar for nosotros?
- a) achacan
- b) achacamos
- c) achaco
- d) achaca
5. Which sentence uses achacar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él achacó el error al cansancio.
- b) Él achaca el error al cansancio.
- c) Él achacará el error al cansancio.
- d) Ellos achaca el error al cansancio.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el problema a la falta de tiempo. — “They blame the problem to lack of time.”
- a) achaco
- b) achaca
- c) achacamos
- d) achacan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ todo a la mala suerte? — “Do you blame everything to bad luck?”
- a) achaca
- b) achacarás
- c) achacas
- d) achaco
8. What is the gerund of achacar?
- a) achaqué
- b) achacando
- c) achacado
- d) achaco
Answer key
a) achacas — The tú form is achacas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; achaco is yo, achaca is él/ella and achacan is ellos/ellas.
d) achaco — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: achaco. The other options are the wrong person.
c) achaca — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: achaca. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) achacamos — Nosotros takes achacamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él achaca el error al cansancio. — Él achaca el error al cansancio. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) achacan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is achacan.
c) achacas — The question needs the tú form in the present: achacas.
b) achacando — The gerund is achacando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle achacado.
Frequently asked questions
Is achacar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Achacar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: achaco, achacas, achaca, achacamos, achacáis and achacan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of achacar?
The gerund is achacando and the past participle is achacado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I blame” in Spanish?
Say achaco. For example: Achaco la culpa a su compañero. — “I blame the blame to his colleague.”
What is the difference between achacar and culpar?
Achacar means “to blame, to attribute”, while culpar means “to blame someone”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use achacar when you mean “to blame, to attribute” and culpar when you mean “to blame someone”. The full conjugation of achacar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of achacar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- achacar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Acechar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with achacar.
- Acarrear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with achacar.
- Abrochar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with achacar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.