Adelantar in the Present Tense

Adelantar means “to overtake, to advance”, and this page covers exactly one thing: adelantar in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about routines, facts and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for adelantar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about adelantar in the present. For example: “Yo adelanto al camión en la autopista.” — I overtake the lorry on the motorway. Everything on this page uses the forms of adelantar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Adelantar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo adelanto
tú adelantas
él/ella/Ud. adelanta
nosotros/as adelantamos
vosotros/as adelantáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. adelantan

Gerund: adelantando · Past participle: adelantado

The gerund is adelantando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy adelantando” means the action of adelantar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is adelantado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he adelantado” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how adelantar is used.

How the present of adelantar is formed

Adelantar is regular in the present tense. Take the stem adelant and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving adelanto, adelantas, adelanta, adelantamos, adelantáis, adelantan. Watch the accents: the yo form is adelanto and the él/ella/Ud. form is adelanta.

When to use the present of adelantar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use adelantar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Routines and habits

The present tense is the tense of what you do regularly. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the right choice, and adelantar is no exception. Example: “Yo adelanto al camión en la autopista todos los días.” — I overtake the lorry on the motorway every day.

2. Facts and general truths

The present states facts that are true in general, not just right now. Use it to say what adelantar means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Adelanta la reunión al lunes.” — He/she overtakes the meeting to Monday.

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes actions in progress at this very moment. When something is happening as you speak, the present tense says so directly. Example: “Yo adelanto a sus compañeros en el trabajo ahora.” — I overtake his colleagues at work now.

4. Scheduled events in the near future

Spanish often uses the present for things that are already arranged, such as plans for tomorrow or next week. The present sounds more certain than the future in these cases. Example: “Nosotros adelantamos por la izquierda con cuidado.” — We overtake on the left carefully.

5. Instructions and everyday speech

In everyday speech the present gives instructions, makes offers and states what someone does. It is the tense you will hear most often in conversation. Example: “Tú adelantas al camión en la autopista.” — You overtake the lorry on the motorway.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present describes routines, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is a habit or a finished event. Time words help: todos los días and cada semana point to the present, while ayer and la semana pasada point to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Yo adelanto al camión en la autopista todos los días.” — I overtake the lorry on the motorway every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo adelanté al camión en la autopista.” — Yesterday, I overtook the lorry on the motorway.

  • The present sentence describes a habit; the preterite sentence reports one finished action. Todos los días points to the present, ayer points to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Él adelanta la reunión al lunes cada semana.” — He/she overtakes the meeting to Monday every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él adelantó la reunión al lunes.” — Last week, he overtook the meeting to Monday.

  • Cada semana describes a routine, so the present is right; la semana pasada names one finished week, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Nosotros adelantamos a sus compañeros en el trabajo a menudo.” — We overtake his colleagues at work often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros adelantamos a sus compañeros en el trabajo.” — Yesterday, we overtook his colleagues at work.

  • The present sentence counts no single event; the preterite sentence counts one finished action. That difference — habit versus finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: adelantar in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Adelanto al camión en la autopista.” — I overtake the lorry on the motorway.

  2. “Adelantas la reunión al lunes.” — You overtake the meeting to Monday.

  3. “Adelanta a sus compañeros en el trabajo.” — He/she overtakes his colleagues at work.

  4. “Adelantamos por la izquierda con cuidado.” — We overtake on the left carefully.

  5. “Adelantáis al camión en la autopista.” — You overtake the lorry on the motorway.

  6. “Adelantan la reunión al lunes.” — They overtake the meeting to Monday.

  7. “Adelanto a sus compañeros en el trabajo.” — I overtake his colleagues at work.

  8. “Adelanta por la izquierda con cuidado.” — He/she overtakes on the left carefully.

Common mistakes with adelantar in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Ellos adelanta al camión en la autopista.” Right: “Ellos adelantan al camión en la autopista.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form adelantan. The singular adelanta belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.

  • Wrong: “Yo adelanto la reunión al lunes ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo adelanté la reunión al lunes.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to adelanté.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros adelantas a sus compañeros en el trabajo.” Right: “Nosotros adelantamos a sus compañeros en el trabajo.” Why: Nosotros needs adelantamos. The tú form adelantas belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos adelanto por la izquierda con cuidado todos los días.” Right: “Ellos adelantan por la izquierda con cuidado todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form adelantan, not the yo form adelanto. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.

Quiz: adelantar in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ al camión en la autopista.” (The lorry on the motorway.)

  • (a) adelanto
  • (b) adelantas
  • (c) adelanta

Answer: adelanto — The yo form of adelantar in the present is adelanto. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ la reunión al lunes?” (The meeting to monday.)

  • (a) adelanto
  • (b) adelanta
  • (c) adelantas

Answer: adelantas — The tú form of adelantar in the present is adelantas. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ a sus compañeros en el trabajo.” (His colleagues at work.)

  • (a) adelantas
  • (b) adelanta
  • (c) adelanto

Answer: adelanta — The él/ella/Ud. form of adelantar in the present is adelanta. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ por la izquierda con cuidado.” (On the left carefully.)

  • (a) adelantamos
  • (b) adelanto
  • (c) adelantas

Answer: adelantamos — The nosotros/as form of adelantar in the present is adelantamos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of adelantar in the present?

  • (a) adelanto
  • (b) adelantas
  • (c) adelantáis

Answer: adelantáis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes adelantáis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros adelantáis al camión en la autopista.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la reunión al lunes.” (The meeting to monday.)

  • (a) adelantas
  • (b) adelantan
  • (c) adelanto

Answer: adelantan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of adelantar in the present is adelantan. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

7. Which is the correct yo form of adelantar in the present?

  • (a) adelanto
  • (b) adelantas
  • (c) adelanta

Answer: adelanto — The yo form is adelanto. The other two options are the forms for other persons.

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo adelanté al camión en la autopista todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros adelantaremos al camión en la autopista mañana.
  • (c) Yo adelanto al camión en la autopista todos los días.

Answer: Yo adelanto al camión en la autopista todos los días. — “Yo adelanto al camión en la autopista todos los días.” describes a habit, so it takes the present. The second option reports a finished action in the past, and the third looks to the future.

Frequently asked questions

Is adelantar regular in the present?

Yes. Adelantar is regular in the present: adelanto, adelantas, adelanta, adelantamos, adelantáis, adelantan. Watch the accents on the yo and él forms, and remember that only context tells the nosotros form apart from the present-tense nosotros form when they are identical.

What is the past participle of adelantar?

The past participle is adelantado: 'He adelantado' means 'I have overtaken'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is adelantando.

Does adelantar take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Adelantar is fully regular: adelanté, adelantaba, adelantaré. Adelantar por la izquierda is to overtake on the left. In the examples on this page, adelantar appears with complements such as al camión en la autopista and la reunión al lunes, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of adelantar?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo adelanto, tú adelantas, él/ella/Ud. adelanta, nosotros/as adelantamos, vosotros/as adelantáis, ellos/ellas/Uds. adelantan. Then write three of your own sentences with adelantar in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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