Aclarar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of aclarar — “to clarify” 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 aclarar 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. Aclarar means to clarify, and it is used for making an idea clear, explaining a doubt and clearing up a misunderstanding. It also means to lighten in colour and to rinse in the kitchen, but the clarification sense is the one learners meet most, in class, at work and in arguments. Aclarar 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: Aclaro la duda con un ejemplo.

Present tense conjugation table: aclarar

Every person of aclarar in the present tense. The gerund is aclarando and the past participle is aclarado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo aclaro
tú aclaras
él/ella/Ud. aclara
nosotros/as aclaramos
vosotros/as aclaráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aclaran

How the present of aclarar is formed

The present of aclarar is built from the stem aclar- 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 aclaro
tú -as aclaras
él/ella/Ud. -a aclara
nosotros/as -amos aclaramos
vosotros/as -áis aclaráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an aclaran

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

When to use the present tense with aclarar

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo aclaro la duda con un ejemplo. — I clarify the doubt with an example.

General facts

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

Él/Ella aclara el malentendido con una llamada. — He clarifies the misunderstanding with a call.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as aclaramos la situación en la reunión. — Right now, We clarify the situation in the meeting.

Near-future plans

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

Mañana, Tú aclaras mis ideas antes de escribir. — Tomorrow, You clarify my ideas before writing.

Instructions and timeless statements

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

Él/Ella aclara la duda con un ejemplo. — He clarifies the doubt with an example.

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 aclarar.

  1. Yo aclaro la duda con un ejemplo. — I clarify the doubt with an example. / Ayer, Yo aclaré la duda con un ejemplo. — Yesterday, I clarified the doubt with an example.
  2. Yo aclaro el malentendido con una llamada. — I clarify the misunderstanding with a call. / Ayer, Yo aclaré el malentendido con una llamada. — Yesterday, I clarified the misunderstanding with a call.
  3. Yo aclaro la situación en la reunión. — I clarify the situation in the meeting. / Ayer, Yo aclaré la situación en la reunión. — Yesterday, I clarified the situation in the meeting.

Example sentences in the present tense

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

  1. Yo aclaro la duda con un ejemplo. — I clarify the doubt with an example.
  2. Tú aclaras el malentendido con una llamada. — You clarify the misunderstanding with a call.
  3. Él/Ella aclara la situación en la reunión. — He clarifies the situation in the meeting.
  4. Nosotros/as aclaramos mis ideas antes de escribir. — We clarify my ideas before writing.
  5. Vosotros/as aclaráis la duda con un ejemplo. — You clarify the doubt with an example.
  6. Ellos/as aclaran el malentendido con una llamada. — They clarify the misunderstanding with a call.
  7. Yo aclaro la situación en la reunión. — I clarify the situation in the meeting.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo aclara la duda con un ejemplo. — Right: Yo aclaro la duda con un ejemplo. — The person matters: aclara is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aclaro.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo aclaro el malentendido con una llamada. — Right: Ayer, yo aclaré el malentendido con una llamada. — With ayer, use the preterite (aclaré), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using aclarar where explicar belongs. — Right: Aclarar means to clarify, while explicar means to explain something. — Check the meaning before you choose: aclarar fits Aclaro la duda con un ejemplo.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él aclara el malentendido con una llamada. — Right: Espero que él aclare el malentendido con una llamada. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: aclare, not the present indicative aclara.

Quiz: the present tense of aclarar

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la duda con un ejemplo. (present tense, yo) A. aclaro B. aclaras C. aclara D. aclaramos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el malentendido con una llamada. (present tense, tú) A. aclaro B. aclara C. aclaramos D. aclaras

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ la situación en la reunión. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. aclaras B. aclaramos C. aclara D. aclaro

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ mis ideas antes de escribir. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. aclara B. aclaramos C. aclaro D. aclaras

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ la duda con un ejemplo. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. aclaráis B. aclaro C. aclaras D. aclara

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el malentendido con una llamada. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. aclaro B. aclaras C. aclara D. aclaran

  7. Which is the gerund of aclarar? A. aclaro B. aclaré C. aclarando D. aclarado

  8. Which is the past participle of aclarar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. aclaré B. aclarado C. aclarando D. aclaro

Answer key

  1. aclaro — The yo present form of aclarar is aclaro.
  2. aclaras — The tú present form of aclarar is aclaras.
  3. aclara — The él/ella/Ud. present form of aclarar is aclara.
  4. aclaramos — The nosotros/as present form of aclarar is aclaramos.
  5. aclaráis — The vosotros/as present form of aclarar is aclaráis.
  6. aclaran — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of aclarar is aclaran.
  7. aclarando — The gerund of aclarar is aclarando: estoy aclarando.
  8. aclarado — The past participle of aclarar is aclarado: he aclarado, has aclarado, ha aclarado.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of aclarar formed?

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

When do I use the present tense of aclarar?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Aclaro la duda con un ejemplo.

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

The present (aclaro) and the preterite (aclaré) 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 aclarar?

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

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