Alabar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of alabar — “to praise” 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 alabar 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. Alabar means to praise, to say good things about someone or something. It is used for praising work, children, food and God, and it is a fully regular verb. To see it in a real sentence: Alabo el trabajo de su equipo. — “I praise the team's work.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of alabar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: alabar
Every person of alabar in the present tense. The gerund is alabando and the past participle is alabado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alabo |
| tú | alabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | alaba |
| nosotros/as | alabamos |
| vosotros/as | alabáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alaban |
How the present indicative of alabar is formed
The present indicative of alabar 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 | alabo |
| tú | -as | alabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | alaba |
| nosotros/as | -amos | alabamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | alabáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | alaban |
Alabar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is alab- 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 alabar is alabando and the past participle is alabado. 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 alabar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and alabar 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 alabar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo alabo el trabajo de su equipo todos los días.” — “I praise the team's work 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 alaba a su hijo por las buenas notas.” — “He/she praises his son for his good marks.”
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 alabo can mean both “I praise” and “I am praiseing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo alabo la comida de la abuela.” — “Right now, I praise grandmother's cooking.”
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 alabo a Dios en la iglesia.” — “Tomorrow, I will praise God in church.”
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 alabas el trabajo de su equipo?” — “Do you praise the team's work?”
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: Alaba a su hijo por las buenas notas. — “He/she praises his son for his good marks.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Alabó a su hijo por las buenas notas. — 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: Alaban la comida de la abuela. — “They praise grandmother's cooking.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Alababan la comida de la abuela. — 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: Alabas a Dios en la iglesia. — “You praise God in church.”
- Future — what will happen: Alabarás a Dios en la iglesia. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: alabar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show alabar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo alabo el trabajo de su equipo. — “I praise the team's work.”
- Tú alabas a su hijo por las buenas notas. — “You praise his son for his good marks.”
- Él alaba la comida de la abuela. — “He praises grandmother's cooking.”
- Nosotros alabamos a Dios en la iglesia. — “We praise God in church.”
- Vosotros alabáis el trabajo de su equipo. — “You (plural) praise the team's work.”
- Ellos alaban a su hijo por las buenas notas. — “They praise his son for his good marks.”
- ¿Tú alabas la comida de la abuela? — “Do you praise grandmother's cooking?”
Common mistakes with alabar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with alabar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo alabar el trabajo de su equipo. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo alabo el trabajo de su equipo.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of alabar is alabo, not the infinitive alabar.
✗ Vosotros alabais el trabajo de su equipo. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros alabáis el trabajo de su equipo.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: alabáis, not alabais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo alabo a su hijo por las buenas notas. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo alabé a su hijo por las buenas notas.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: alabo is happening now, while alabé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating alabar and elogiar as identical in every context. (confusing alabar with elogiar).
✓ Correct: Alabar means to praise, while elogiar means to praise formally.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: alabar fits sentences such as Alabo el trabajo de su equipo, while elogiar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: alabar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of alabar. 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 alabar for tú?
- a) alabas
- b) alabo
- c) alaba
- d) alaban
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el trabajo de su equipo. — “I praise the team's work.”
- a) alaba
- b) alabamos
- c) alabas
- d) alabo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a su hijo por las buenas notas. — “He/she praises his son for his good marks.” (present tense)
- a) alababa
- b) alabará
- c) alaba
- d) alabó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of alabar for nosotros?
- a) alaban
- b) alabamos
- c) alabo
- d) alaba
5. Which sentence uses alabar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él alabó a su hijo por las buenas notas.
- b) Él alaba a su hijo por las buenas notas.
- c) Él alabará a su hijo por las buenas notas.
- d) Ellos alaba a su hijo por las buenas notas.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la comida de la abuela. — “They praise grandmother's cooking.”
- a) alabo
- b) alaba
- c) alabamos
- d) alaban
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ a Dios en la iglesia? — “Do you praise God in church?”
- a) alaba
- b) alabarás
- c) alabas
- d) alabo
8. What is the gerund of alabar?
- a) alabé
- b) alabando
- c) alabado
- d) alabo
Answer key
a) alabas — The tú form is alabas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; alabo is yo, alaba is él/ella and alaban is ellos/ellas.
d) alabo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: alabo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) alaba — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: alaba. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) alabamos — Nosotros takes alabamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él alaba a su hijo por las buenas notas. — Él alaba a su hijo por las buenas notas. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) alaban — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is alaban.
c) alabas — The question needs the tú form in the present: alabas.
b) alabando — The gerund is alabando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle alabado.
Frequently asked questions
Is alabar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Alabar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: alabo, alabas, alaba, alabamos, alabáis and alaban.
What is the gerund and the past participle of alabar?
The gerund is alabando and the past participle is alabado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I praise” in Spanish?
Say alabo. For example: Alabo el trabajo de su equipo. — “I praise the team's work.”
What is the difference between alabar and elogiar?
Alabar means “to praise”, while elogiar means “to praise formally”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use alabar when you mean “to praise” and elogiar when you mean “to praise formally”. The full conjugation of alabar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of alabar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- alabar 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.
- Alarmar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with alabar.
- Ajustar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with alabar.
- Alegar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with alabar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.