Afirmar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of afirmar — “to affirm, to state” 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 afirmar 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. Afirmar means to affirm or to state, and it is a formal verb for saying something firmly: you state a fact, you affirm your innocence, you confirm a position in a debate. It appears in law, journalism and academic writing, and it is stronger than decir. Afirmar 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: Afirmo mi inocencia ante el juez.

Present tense conjugation table: afirmar

Every person of afirmar in the present tense. The gerund is afirmando and the past participle is afirmado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo afirmo
tú afirmas
él/ella/Ud. afirma
nosotros/as afirmamos
vosotros/as afirmáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. afirman

How the present of afirmar is formed

The present of afirmar is built from the stem afirm- 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 afirmo
tú -as afirmas
él/ella/Ud. -a afirma
nosotros/as -amos afirmamos
vosotros/as -áis afirmáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an afirman

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

When to use the present tense with afirmar

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo afirmo mi inocencia ante el juez. — I affirm my innocence before the judge.

General facts

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

Él/Ella afirma que todo está bajo control. — He affirms that everything is under control.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as afirmamos mi apoyo al proyecto. — Right now, We affirm my support for the project.

Near-future plans

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

Mañana, Tú afirmas la verdad en la entrevista. — Tomorrow, You affirm the truth in the interview.

Instructions and timeless statements

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

Él/Ella afirma mi inocencia ante el juez. — He affirms my innocence before the judge.

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 afirmar.

  1. Yo afirmo mi inocencia ante el juez. — I affirm my innocence before the judge. / Ayer, Yo afirmé mi inocencia ante el juez. — Yesterday, I affirmed my innocence before the judge.
  2. Yo afirmo que todo está bajo control. — I affirm that everything is under control. / Ayer, Yo afirmé que todo está bajo control. — Yesterday, I affirmed that everything is under control.
  3. Yo afirmo mi apoyo al proyecto. — I affirm my support for the project. / Ayer, Yo afirmé mi apoyo al proyecto. — Yesterday, I affirmed my support for the project.

Example sentences in the present tense

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

  1. Yo afirmo mi inocencia ante el juez. — I affirm my innocence before the judge.
  2. Tú afirmas que todo está bajo control. — You affirm that everything is under control.
  3. Él/Ella afirma mi apoyo al proyecto. — He affirms my support for the project.
  4. Nosotros/as afirmamos la verdad en la entrevista. — We affirm the truth in the interview.
  5. Vosotros/as afirmáis mi inocencia ante el juez. — You affirm my innocence before the judge.
  6. Ellos/as afirman que todo está bajo control. — They affirm that everything is under control.
  7. Yo afirmo mi apoyo al proyecto. — I affirm my support for the project.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo afirma mi inocencia ante el juez. — Right: Yo afirmo mi inocencia ante el juez. — The person matters: afirma is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is afirmo.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo afirmo que todo está bajo control. — Right: Ayer, yo afirmé que todo está bajo control. — With ayer, use the preterite (afirmé), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using afirmar where declarar belongs. — Right: Afirmar means to affirm, to state, while declarar means to declare something officially. — Check the meaning before you choose: afirmar fits Afirmo mi inocencia ante el juez.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él afirma que todo está bajo control. — Right: Espero que él afirme que todo está bajo control. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: afirme, not the present indicative afirma.

Quiz: the present tense of afirmar

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ mi inocencia ante el juez. (present tense, yo) A. afirmo B. afirmas C. afirma D. afirmamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ que todo está bajo control. (present tense, tú) A. afirmo B. afirma C. afirmamos D. afirmas

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ mi apoyo al proyecto. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. afirmas B. afirmamos C. afirma D. afirmo

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ la verdad en la entrevista. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. afirma B. afirmamos C. afirmo D. afirmas

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ mi inocencia ante el juez. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. afirmáis B. afirmo C. afirmas D. afirma

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ que todo está bajo control. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. afirmo B. afirmas C. afirma D. afirman

  7. Which is the gerund of afirmar? A. afirmo B. afirmé C. afirmando D. afirmado

  8. Which is the past participle of afirmar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. afirmé B. afirmado C. afirmando D. afirmo

Answer key

  1. afirmo — The yo present form of afirmar is afirmo.
  2. afirmas — The tú present form of afirmar is afirmas.
  3. afirma — The él/ella/Ud. present form of afirmar is afirma.
  4. afirmamos — The nosotros/as present form of afirmar is afirmamos.
  5. afirmáis — The vosotros/as present form of afirmar is afirmáis.
  6. afirman — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of afirmar is afirman.
  7. afirmando — The gerund of afirmar is afirmando: estoy afirmando.
  8. afirmado — The past participle of afirmar is afirmado: he afirmado, has afirmado, ha afirmado.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of afirmar formed?

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

When do I use the present tense of afirmar?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Afirmo mi inocencia ante el juez.

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

The present (afirmo) and the preterite (afirmé) 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 afirmar?

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

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