Acompañar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of acompañar — “to accompany” 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 acompañar 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. Acompañar means to accompany, and it is used for going with someone somewhere, for keeping someone company and for food that goes with a dish: you accompany a friend to the doctor, you accompany your grandmother on a walk, and rice accompanies fish. It is one of the most useful social verbs in Spanish. Acompañar 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: Acompaño a mi abuela al médico.
Present tense conjugation table: acompañar
Every person of acompañar in the present tense. The gerund is acompañando and the past participle is acompañado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acompaño |
| tú | acompañas |
| él/ella/Ud. | acompaña |
| nosotros/as | acompañamos |
| vosotros/as | acompañáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acompañan |
How the present of acompañar is formed
The present of acompañar is built from the stem acompañ- 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 | acompaño |
| tú | -as | acompañas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | acompaña |
| nosotros/as | -amos | acompañamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | acompañáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | acompañan |
For acompañar there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem acompañ- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.
When to use the present tense with acompañar
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo acompaño a mi abuela al médico. — I accompany my grandmother to the doctor.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella acompaña a mi amigo a la estación. — He accompanies my friend to the station.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as acompañamos el pescado con arroz. — Right now, We accompany fish with rice.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú acompañas a mi hija a la escuela. — Tomorrow, You accompany my daughter to school.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella acompaña a mi abuela al médico. — He accompanies my grandmother to the doctor.
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 acompañar.
- Yo acompaño a mi abuela al médico. — I accompany my grandmother to the doctor. / Ayer, Yo acompañé a mi abuela al médico. — Yesterday, I accompanied my grandmother to the doctor.
- Yo acompaño a mi amigo a la estación. — I accompany my friend to the station. / Ayer, Yo acompañé a mi amigo a la estación. — Yesterday, I accompanied my friend to the station.
- Yo acompaño el pescado con arroz. — I accompany fish with rice. / Ayer, Yo acompañé el pescado con arroz. — Yesterday, I accompanied fish with rice.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with acompañar in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo acompaño a mi abuela al médico. — I accompany my grandmother to the doctor.
- Tú acompañas a mi amigo a la estación. — You accompany my friend to the station.
- Él/Ella acompaña el pescado con arroz. — He accompanies fish with rice.
- Nosotros/as acompañamos a mi hija a la escuela. — We accompany my daughter to school.
- Vosotros/as acompañáis a mi abuela al médico. — You accompany my grandmother to the doctor.
- Ellos/as acompañan a mi amigo a la estación. — They accompany my friend to the station.
- Yo acompaño el pescado con arroz. — I accompany fish with rice.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo acompaña a mi abuela al médico. — Right: Yo acompaño a mi abuela al médico. — The person matters: acompaña is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acompaño.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo acompaño a mi amigo a la estación. — Right: Ayer, yo acompañé a mi amigo a la estación. — With ayer, use the preterite (acompañé), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Using acompañar where seguir belongs. — Right: Acompañar means to accompany, while seguir means to follow someone. — Check the meaning before you choose: acompañar fits Acompaño a mi abuela al médico.
- Wrong: Espero que él acompaña a mi amigo a la estación. — Right: Espero que él acompañe a mi amigo a la estación. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: acompañe, not the present indicative acompaña.
Quiz: the present tense of acompañar
Eight questions on the present tense of acompañar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a mi abuela al médico. (present tense, yo) A. acompaño B. acompañas C. acompaña D. acompañamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ a mi amigo a la estación. (present tense, tú) A. acompaño B. acompaña C. acompañamos D. acompañas
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ el pescado con arroz. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. acompañas B. acompañamos C. acompaña D. acompaño
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ a mi hija a la escuela. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. acompaña B. acompañamos C. acompaño D. acompañas
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ a mi abuela al médico. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. acompañáis B. acompaño C. acompañas D. acompaña
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ a mi amigo a la estación. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. acompaño B. acompañas C. acompaña D. acompañan
Which is the gerund of acompañar? A. acompaño B. acompañé C. acompañando D. acompañado
Which is the past participle of acompañar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. acompañé B. acompañado C. acompañando D. acompaño
Answer key
- acompaño — The yo present form of acompañar is acompaño.
- acompañas — The tú present form of acompañar is acompañas.
- acompaña — The él/ella/Ud. present form of acompañar is acompaña.
- acompañamos — The nosotros/as present form of acompañar is acompañamos.
- acompañáis — The vosotros/as present form of acompañar is acompañáis.
- acompañan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of acompañar is acompañan.
- acompañando — The gerund of acompañar is acompañando: estoy acompañando.
- acompañado — The past participle of acompañar is acompañado: he acompañado, has acompañado, ha acompañado.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of acompañar formed?
Take the infinitive acompañar, drop the -ar ending to get the stem acompañ-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of acompañar is fully regular: the stem acompañ- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of acompañar?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Acompaño a mi abuela al médico.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of acompañar?
The present (acompaño) and the preterite (acompañé) 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 acompañar?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of acompañar to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the acompañar examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Acompañar conjugation — the full conjugation tables for acompañar.
- Acompañar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for acompañar.
- Spanish present tense guide — when and how to use the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Present-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.