Acortar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of acortar — “to shorten” 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 acortar 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. Acortar means to shorten, and it is used for making things shorter in length or in time: you shorten a skirt, a journey, a meeting or a holiday. It is the opposite of alargar, and it appears in sewing, travel and work contexts. Acortar 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: Acorto la falda dos centímetros.

Present tense conjugation table: acortar

Every person of acortar in the present tense. The gerund is acortando and the past participle is acortado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo acorto
tú acortas
él/ella/Ud. acorta
nosotros/as acortamos
vosotros/as acortáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. acortan

How the present of acortar is formed

The present of acortar is built from the stem acort- 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 acorto
tú -as acortas
él/ella/Ud. -a acorta
nosotros/as -amos acortamos
vosotros/as -áis acortáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an acortan

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

When to use the present tense with acortar

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo acorto la falda dos centímetros. — I shorten the skirt by two centimetres.

General facts

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

Él/Ella acorta el viaje por la autopista. — He shortens the journey via the motorway.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as acortamos la reunión a media hora. — Right now, We shorten the meeting to half an hour.

Near-future plans

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

Mañana, Tú acortas las vacaciones por el trabajo. — Tomorrow, You shorten the holidays because of work.

Instructions and timeless statements

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

Él/Ella acorta la falda dos centímetros. — He shortens the skirt by two centimetres.

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 acortar.

  1. Yo acorto la falda dos centímetros. — I shorten the skirt by two centimetres. / Ayer, Yo acorté la falda dos centímetros. — Yesterday, I shortened the skirt by two centimetres.
  2. Yo acorto el viaje por la autopista. — I shorten the journey via the motorway. / Ayer, Yo acorté el viaje por la autopista. — Yesterday, I shortened the journey via the motorway.
  3. Yo acorto la reunión a media hora. — I shorten the meeting to half an hour. / Ayer, Yo acorté la reunión a media hora. — Yesterday, I shortened the meeting to half an hour.

Example sentences in the present tense

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

  1. Yo acorto la falda dos centímetros. — I shorten the skirt by two centimetres.
  2. Tú acortas el viaje por la autopista. — You shorten the journey via the motorway.
  3. Él/Ella acorta la reunión a media hora. — He shortens the meeting to half an hour.
  4. Nosotros/as acortamos las vacaciones por el trabajo. — We shorten the holidays because of work.
  5. Vosotros/as acortáis la falda dos centímetros. — You shorten the skirt by two centimetres.
  6. Ellos/as acortan el viaje por la autopista. — They shorten the journey via the motorway.
  7. Yo acorto la reunión a media hora. — I shorten the meeting to half an hour.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo acorta la falda dos centímetros. — Right: Yo acorto la falda dos centímetros. — The person matters: acorta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acorto.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo acorto el viaje por la autopista. — Right: Ayer, yo acorté el viaje por la autopista. — With ayer, use the preterite (acorté), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using acortar where alargar belongs. — Right: Acortar means to shorten, while alargar means to lengthen something, its opposite. — Check the meaning before you choose: acortar fits Acorto la falda dos centímetros.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él acorta el viaje por la autopista. — Right: Espero que él acorte el viaje por la autopista. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: acorte, not the present indicative acorta.

Quiz: the present tense of acortar

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la falda dos centímetros. (present tense, yo) A. acorto B. acortas C. acorta D. acortamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el viaje por la autopista. (present tense, tú) A. acorto B. acorta C. acortamos D. acortas

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ la reunión a media hora. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. acortas B. acortamos C. acorta D. acorto

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ las vacaciones por el trabajo. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. acorta B. acortamos C. acorto D. acortas

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ la falda dos centímetros. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. acortáis B. acorto C. acortas D. acorta

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el viaje por la autopista. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. acorto B. acortas C. acorta D. acortan

  7. Which is the gerund of acortar? A. acorto B. acorté C. acortando D. acortado

  8. Which is the past participle of acortar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. acorté B. acortado C. acortando D. acorto

Answer key

  1. acorto — The yo present form of acortar is acorto.
  2. acortas — The tú present form of acortar is acortas.
  3. acorta — The él/ella/Ud. present form of acortar is acorta.
  4. acortamos — The nosotros/as present form of acortar is acortamos.
  5. acortáis — The vosotros/as present form of acortar is acortáis.
  6. acortan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of acortar is acortan.
  7. acortando — The gerund of acortar is acortando: estoy acortando.
  8. acortado — The past participle of acortar is acortado: he acortado, has acortado, ha acortado.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of acortar formed?

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

When do I use the present tense of acortar?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Acorto la falda dos centímetros.

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

The present (acorto) and the preterite (acorté) 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 acortar?

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

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