Adiestrar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of adiestrar — “to train (an animal)” 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 adiestrar 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. Adiestrar means to train an animal, to teach a dog, a horse or a falcon to obey commands or perform tasks. It is used in dog training, horse riding and working animals, and it is fully regular. To see it in a real sentence: Adiestro al perro para obedecer órdenes. — “I train the dog to obey orders.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of adiestrar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: adiestrar
Every person of adiestrar in the present tense. The gerund is adiestrando and the past participle is adiestrado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | adiestro |
| tú | adiestras |
| él/ella/Ud. | adiestra |
| nosotros/as | adiestramos |
| vosotros/as | adiestráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adiestran |
How the present indicative of adiestrar is formed
The present indicative of adiestrar 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 | adiestro |
| tú | -as | adiestras |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | adiestra |
| nosotros/as | -amos | adiestramos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | adiestráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | adiestran |
Adiestrar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is adiestr- 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 adiestrar is adiestrando and the past participle is adiestrado. 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 adiestrar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and adiestrar 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 adiestrar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo adiestro al perro para obedecer órdenes todos los días.” — “I train the dog to obey orders 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 adiestra al caballo para el salto.” — “He/she trains the horse for jumping.”
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 adiestro can mean both “I train” and “I am training”.
“Ahora mismo, yo adiestro al halcón para la caza.” — “Right now, I train the falcon for hunting.”
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 adiestro al perro guía para ayudar a su dueño.” — “Tomorrow, I will train the guide dog to help its owner.”
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 adiestras al perro para obedecer órdenes?” — “Do you train the dog to obey orders?”
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: Adiestra al caballo para el salto. — “He/she trains the horse for jumping.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Adiestró al caballo para el salto. — 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: Adiestran al halcón para la caza. — “They train the falcon for hunting.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Adiestraban al halcón para la caza. — 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: Adiestras al perro guía para ayudar a su dueño. — “You train the guide dog to help its owner.”
- Future — what will happen: Adiestrarás al perro guía para ayudar a su dueño. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: adiestrar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show adiestrar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo adiestro al perro para obedecer órdenes. — “I train the dog to obey orders.”
- Tú adiestras al caballo para el salto. — “You train the horse for jumping.”
- Él adiestra al halcón para la caza. — “He trains the falcon for hunting.”
- Nosotros adiestramos al perro guía para ayudar a su dueño. — “We train the guide dog to help its owner.”
- Vosotros adiestráis al perro para obedecer órdenes. — “You (plural) train the dog to obey orders.”
- Ellos adiestran al caballo para el salto. — “They train the horse for jumping.”
- ¿Tú adiestras al halcón para la caza? — “Do you train the falcon for hunting?”
Common mistakes with adiestrar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with adiestrar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo adiestrar al perro para obedecer órdenes. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo adiestro al perro para obedecer órdenes.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of adiestrar is adiestro, not the infinitive adiestrar.
✗ Vosotros adiestrais al perro para obedecer órdenes. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros adiestráis al perro para obedecer órdenes.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: adiestráis, not adiestrais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo adiestro al caballo para el salto. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo adiestré al caballo para el salto.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: adiestro is happening now, while adiestré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating adiestrar and enseñar as identical in every context. (confusing adiestrar with enseñar).
✓ Correct: Adiestrar means to train (an animal), while enseñar means to teach.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: adiestrar fits sentences such as Adiestro al perro para obedecer órdenes, while enseñar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: adiestrar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of adiestrar. 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 adiestrar for tú?
- a) adiestras
- b) adiestro
- c) adiestra
- d) adiestran
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ al perro para obedecer órdenes. — “I train the dog to obey orders.”
- a) adiestra
- b) adiestramos
- c) adiestras
- d) adiestro
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al caballo para el salto. — “He/she trains the horse for jumping.” (present tense)
- a) adiestraba
- b) adiestrará
- c) adiestra
- d) adiestró
4. Which is the correct present tense form of adiestrar for nosotros?
- a) adiestran
- b) adiestramos
- c) adiestro
- d) adiestra
5. Which sentence uses adiestrar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él adiestró al caballo para el salto.
- b) Él adiestra al caballo para el salto.
- c) Él adiestrará al caballo para el salto.
- d) Ellos adiestra al caballo para el salto.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ al halcón para la caza. — “They train the falcon for hunting.”
- a) adiestro
- b) adiestra
- c) adiestramos
- d) adiestran
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ al perro guía para ayudar a su dueño? — “Do you train the guide dog to help its owner?”
- a) adiestra
- b) adiestrarás
- c) adiestras
- d) adiestro
8. What is the gerund of adiestrar?
- a) adiestré
- b) adiestrando
- c) adiestrado
- d) adiestro
Answer key
a) adiestras — The tú form is adiestras. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; adiestro is yo, adiestra is él/ella and adiestran is ellos/ellas.
d) adiestro — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: adiestro. The other options are the wrong person.
c) adiestra — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: adiestra. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) adiestramos — Nosotros takes adiestramos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él adiestra al caballo para el salto. — Él adiestra al caballo para el salto. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) adiestran — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is adiestran.
c) adiestras — The question needs the tú form in the present: adiestras.
b) adiestrando — The gerund is adiestrando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle adiestrado.
Frequently asked questions
Is adiestrar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Adiestrar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: adiestro, adiestras, adiestra, adiestramos, adiestráis and adiestran.
What is the gerund and the past participle of adiestrar?
The gerund is adiestrando and the past participle is adiestrado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I train” in Spanish?
Say adiestro. For example: Adiestro al perro para obedecer órdenes. — “I train the dog to obey orders.”
What is the difference between adiestrar and enseñar?
Adiestrar means “to train (an animal)”, while enseñar means “to teach”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use adiestrar when you mean “to train (an animal)” and enseñar when you mean “to teach”. The full conjugation of adiestrar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of adiestrar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- adiestrar 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.
- Abonar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with adiestrar.
- Domesticar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with adiestrar.
- Abrochar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with adiestrar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.