Acuñar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of acuñar — “to mint, to coin” 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 acuñar 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. Acuñar means to mint, to make coins in a mint, and also to coin a new word or phrase. It is used for money, language and history, and it is fully regular. To see it in a real sentence: Acuño monedas de oro en la ceca. — “I mint gold coins at the mint.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of acuñar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: acuñar
Every person of acuñar in the present tense. The gerund is acuñando and the past participle is acuñado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acuño |
| tú | acuñas |
| él/ella/Ud. | acuña |
| nosotros/as | acuñamos |
| vosotros/as | acuñáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acuñan |
How the present indicative of acuñar is formed
The present indicative of acuñar 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 | acuño |
| tú | -as | acuñas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | acuña |
| nosotros/as | -amos | acuñamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | acuñáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | acuñan |
Acuñar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is acuñ- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of acuñar is acuñando and the past participle is acuñado. 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 acuñar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and acuñar 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 acuñar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo acuño monedas de oro en la ceca todos los días.” — “I mint gold coins at the mint 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 acuña una palabra nueva en el diccionario.” — “He/she mints a new word in the dictionary.”
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 acuño can mean both “I mint” and “I am minting”.
“Ahora mismo, yo acuño el término en un artículo.” — “Right now, I mint the term in an article.”
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 acuño medallas para los ganadores.” — “Tomorrow, I will mint medals for the winners.”
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 acuñas monedas de oro en la ceca?” — “Do you mint gold coins at the mint?”
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: Acuña una palabra nueva en el diccionario. — “He/she mints a new word in the dictionary.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Acuñó una palabra nueva en el diccionario. — 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: Acuñan el término en un artículo. — “They mint the term in an article.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Acuñaban el término en un artículo. — 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: Acuñas medallas para los ganadores. — “You mint medals for the winners.”
- Future — what will happen: Acuñarás medallas para los ganadores. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: acuñar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show acuñar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo acuño monedas de oro en la ceca. — “I mint gold coins at the mint.”
- Tú acuñas una palabra nueva en el diccionario. — “You mint a new word in the dictionary.”
- Él acuña el término en un artículo. — “He mints the term in an article.”
- Nosotros acuñamos medallas para los ganadores. — “We mint medals for the winners.”
- Vosotros acuñáis monedas de oro en la ceca. — “You (plural) mint gold coins at the mint.”
- Ellos acuñan una palabra nueva en el diccionario. — “They mint a new word in the dictionary.”
- ¿Tú acuñas el término en un artículo? — “Do you mint the term in an article?”
Common mistakes with acuñar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with acuñar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo acuñar monedas de oro en la ceca. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo acuño monedas de oro en la ceca.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of acuñar is acuño, not the infinitive acuñar.
✗ Vosotros acuñais monedas de oro en la ceca. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros acuñáis monedas de oro en la ceca.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: acuñáis, not acuñais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo acuño una palabra nueva en el diccionario. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo acuñé una palabra nueva en el diccionario.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: acuño is happening now, while acuñé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating acuñar and crear as identical in every context. (confusing acuñar with crear).
✓ Correct: Acuñar means to mint, to coin, while crear means to create.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: acuñar fits sentences such as Acuño monedas de oro en la ceca, while crear belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: acuñar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of acuñar. 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 acuñar for tú?
- a) acuñas
- b) acuño
- c) acuña
- d) acuñan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ monedas de oro en la ceca. — “I mint gold coins at the mint.”
- a) acuña
- b) acuñamos
- c) acuñas
- d) acuño
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ una palabra nueva en el diccionario. — “He/she mints a new word in the dictionary.” (present tense)
- a) acuñaba
- b) acuñará
- c) acuña
- d) acuñó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of acuñar for nosotros?
- a) acuñan
- b) acuñamos
- c) acuño
- d) acuña
5. Which sentence uses acuñar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él acuñó una palabra nueva en el diccionario.
- b) Él acuña una palabra nueva en el diccionario.
- c) Él acuñará una palabra nueva en el diccionario.
- d) Ellos acuña una palabra nueva en el diccionario.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el término en un artículo. — “They mint the term in an article.”
- a) acuño
- b) acuña
- c) acuñamos
- d) acuñan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ medallas para los ganadores? — “Do you mint medals for the winners?”
- a) acuña
- b) acuñarás
- c) acuñas
- d) acuño
8. What is the gerund of acuñar?
- a) acuñé
- b) acuñando
- c) acuñado
- d) acuño
Answer key
a) acuñas — The tú form is acuñas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; acuño is yo, acuña is él/ella and acuñan is ellos/ellas.
d) acuño — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: acuño. The other options are the wrong person.
c) acuña — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: acuña. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) acuñamos — Nosotros takes acuñamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él acuña una palabra nueva en el diccionario. — Él acuña una palabra nueva en el diccionario. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) acuñan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is acuñan.
c) acuñas — The question needs the tú form in the present: acuñas.
b) acuñando — The gerund is acuñando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle acuñado.
Frequently asked questions
Is acuñar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Acuñar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: acuño, acuñas, acuña, acuñamos, acuñáis and acuñan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of acuñar?
The gerund is acuñando and the past participle is acuñado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I mint” in Spanish?
Say acuño. For example: Acuño monedas de oro en la ceca. — “I mint gold coins at the mint.”
What is the difference between acuñar and crear?
Acuñar means “to mint, to coin”, while crear means “to create”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use acuñar when you mean “to mint, to coin” and crear when you mean “to create”. The full conjugation of acuñar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of acuñar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- acuñar 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.
- Acosar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with acuñar.
- Acoplar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with acuñar.
- Acondicionar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with acuñar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.