Adaptar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of adaptar — “to adapt” 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 adaptar 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. Adaptar means to adapt, and it is used for adjusting to a new place, a new job, a new climate or a new situation, and for adapting a book into a film or a play. It takes a for the new situation, as in adaptarse a la vida en Madrid, its reflexive partner. Adaptar 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: Adapto la novela al cine.

Present tense conjugation table: adaptar

Every person of adaptar in the present tense. The gerund is adaptando and the past participle is adaptado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo adapto
tú adaptas
él/ella/Ud. adapta
nosotros/as adaptamos
vosotros/as adaptáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. adaptan

How the present of adaptar is formed

The present of adaptar is built from the stem adapt- 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 adapto
tú -as adaptas
él/ella/Ud. -a adapta
nosotros/as -amos adaptamos
vosotros/as -áis adaptáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an adaptan

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

When to use the present tense with adaptar

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo adapto la novela al cine. — I adapt the novel for the cinema.

General facts

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

Él/Ella adapta el horario al nuevo trabajo. — He adapts the timetable to the new job.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as adaptamos la casa al clima frío. — Right now, We adapt the house to the cold climate.

Near-future plans

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

Mañana, Tú adaptas el plan a las circunstancias. — Tomorrow, You adapt the plan to the circumstances.

Instructions and timeless statements

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

Él/Ella adapta la novela al cine. — He adapts the novel for the cinema.

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 adaptar.

  1. Yo adapto la novela al cine. — I adapt the novel for the cinema. / Ayer, Yo adapté la novela al cine. — Yesterday, I adapted the novel for the cinema.
  2. Yo adapto el horario al nuevo trabajo. — I adapt the timetable to the new job. / Ayer, Yo adapté el horario al nuevo trabajo. — Yesterday, I adapted the timetable to the new job.
  3. Yo adapto la casa al clima frío. — I adapt the house to the cold climate. / Ayer, Yo adapté la casa al clima frío. — Yesterday, I adapted the house to the cold climate.

Example sentences in the present tense

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

  1. Yo adapto la novela al cine. — I adapt the novel for the cinema.
  2. Tú adaptas el horario al nuevo trabajo. — You adapt the timetable to the new job.
  3. Él/Ella adapta la casa al clima frío. — He adapts the house to the cold climate.
  4. Nosotros/as adaptamos el plan a las circunstancias. — We adapt the plan to the circumstances.
  5. Vosotros/as adaptáis la novela al cine. — You adapt the novel for the cinema.
  6. Ellos/as adaptan el horario al nuevo trabajo. — They adapt the timetable to the new job.
  7. Yo adapto la casa al clima frío. — I adapt the house to the cold climate.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo adapta la novela al cine. — Right: Yo adapto la novela al cine. — The person matters: adapta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is adapto.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo adapto el horario al nuevo trabajo. — Right: Ayer, yo adapté el horario al nuevo trabajo. — With ayer, use the preterite (adapté), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using adaptar where ajustar belongs. — Right: Adaptar means to adapt, while ajustar means to adjust something. — Check the meaning before you choose: adaptar fits Adapto la novela al cine.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él adapta el horario al nuevo trabajo. — Right: Espero que él adapte el horario al nuevo trabajo. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: adapte, not the present indicative adapta.

Quiz: the present tense of adaptar

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la novela al cine. (present tense, yo) A. adapto B. adaptas C. adapta D. adaptamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el horario al nuevo trabajo. (present tense, tú) A. adapto B. adapta C. adaptamos D. adaptas

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ la casa al clima frío. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. adaptas B. adaptamos C. adapta D. adapto

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el plan a las circunstancias. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. adapta B. adaptamos C. adapto D. adaptas

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ la novela al cine. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. adaptáis B. adapto C. adaptas D. adapta

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el horario al nuevo trabajo. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. adapto B. adaptas C. adapta D. adaptan

  7. Which is the gerund of adaptar? A. adapto B. adapté C. adaptando D. adaptado

  8. Which is the past participle of adaptar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. adapté B. adaptado C. adaptando D. adapto

Answer key

  1. adapto — The yo present form of adaptar is adapto.
  2. adaptas — The tú present form of adaptar is adaptas.
  3. adapta — The él/ella/Ud. present form of adaptar is adapta.
  4. adaptamos — The nosotros/as present form of adaptar is adaptamos.
  5. adaptáis — The vosotros/as present form of adaptar is adaptáis.
  6. adaptan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of adaptar is adaptan.
  7. adaptando — The gerund of adaptar is adaptando: estoy adaptando.
  8. adaptado — The past participle of adaptar is adaptado: he adaptado, has adaptado, ha adaptado.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of adaptar formed?

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

When do I use the present tense of adaptar?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Adapto la novela al cine.

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

The present (adapto) and the preterite (adapté) 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 adaptar?

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

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