Alimentar in the Present Tense

Alimentar means “to feed”, and this page covers exactly one thing: alimentar 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 alimentar, 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 alimentar in the present. For example: “Yo alimento a los niños con verdura.” — I feed the children with vegetables. Everything on this page uses the forms of alimentar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Alimentar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo alimento
tú alimentas
él/ella/Ud. alimenta
nosotros/as alimentamos
vosotros/as alimentáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. alimentan

Gerund: alimentando · Past participle: alimentado

The gerund is alimentando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy alimentando” means the action of alimentar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is alimentado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he alimentado” 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 alimentar is used.

How the present of alimentar is formed

Alimentar is regular in the present tense. Take the stem aliment and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving alimento, alimentas, alimenta, alimentamos, alimentáis, alimentan. Watch the accents: the yo form is alimento and the él/ella/Ud. form is alimenta.

When to use the present of alimentar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use alimentar 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 alimentar is no exception. Example: “Yo alimento a los niños con verdura todos los días.” — I feed the children with vegetables 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 alimentar means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Alimenta al perro dos veces al día.” — He/she feeds the dog twice a day.

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 alimento a las plantas con abono ahora.” — I feed the plants with fertiliser 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 alimentamos al bebé con leche.” — We feed the baby with milk.

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 alimentas a los niños con verdura.” — You feed the children with vegetables.

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 alimento a los niños con verdura todos los días.” — I feed the children with vegetables every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo alimenté a los niños con verdura.” — Yesterday, I fed the children with vegetables.

  • 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 alimenta al perro dos veces al día cada semana.” — He/she feeds the dog twice a day every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él alimentó al perro dos veces al día.” — Last week, he fed the dog twice a day.

  • 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 alimentamos a las plantas con abono a menudo.” — We feed the plants with fertiliser often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros alimentamos a las plantas con abono.” — Yesterday, we fed the plants with fertiliser.

  • 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: alimentar 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. “Alimento a los niños con verdura.” — I feed the children with vegetables.

  2. “Alimentas al perro dos veces al día.” — You feed the dog twice a day.

  3. “Alimenta a las plantas con abono.” — He/she feeds the plants with fertiliser.

  4. “Alimentamos al bebé con leche.” — We feed the baby with milk.

  5. “Alimentáis a los niños con verdura.” — You feed the children with vegetables.

  6. “Alimentan al perro dos veces al día.” — They feed the dog twice a day.

  7. “Alimento a las plantas con abono.” — I feed the plants with fertiliser.

  8. “Alimenta al bebé con leche.” — He/she feeds the baby with milk.

Common mistakes with alimentar 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 alimenta a los niños con verdura.” Right: “Ellos alimentan a los niños con verdura.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form alimentan. The singular alimenta belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.

  • Wrong: “Yo alimento al perro dos veces al día ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo alimenté al perro dos veces al día.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to alimenté.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros alimentas a las plantas con abono.” Right: “Nosotros alimentamos a las plantas con abono.” Why: Nosotros needs alimentamos. The tú form alimentas belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos alimento al bebé con leche todos los días.” Right: “Ellos alimentan al bebé con leche todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form alimentan, not the yo form alimento. 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: alimentar 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 ______ a los niños con verdura.” (The children with vegetables.)

  • (a) alimento
  • (b) alimentas
  • (c) alimenta

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

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ al perro dos veces al día?” (The dog twice a day.)

  • (a) alimento
  • (b) alimenta
  • (c) alimentas

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

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ a las plantas con abono.” (The plants with fertiliser.)

  • (a) alimentas
  • (b) alimenta
  • (c) alimento

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

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ al bebé con leche.” (The baby with milk.)

  • (a) alimentamos
  • (b) alimento
  • (c) alimentas

Answer: alimentamos — The nosotros/as form of alimentar in the present is alimentamos. 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 alimentar in the present?

  • (a) alimento
  • (b) alimentas
  • (c) alimentáis

Answer: alimentáis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes alimentáis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros alimentáis a los niños con verdura.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ al perro dos veces al día.” (The dog twice a day.)

  • (a) alimentas
  • (b) alimentan
  • (c) alimento

Answer: alimentan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of alimentar in the present is alimentan. 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 alimentar in the present?

  • (a) alimento
  • (b) alimentas
  • (c) alimenta

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

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo alimenté a los niños con verdura todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros alimentaremos a los niños con verdura mañana.
  • (c) Yo alimento a los niños con verdura todos los días.

Answer: Yo alimento a los niños con verdura todos los días. — “Yo alimento a los niños con verdura 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 alimentar regular in the present?

Yes. Alimentar is regular in the present: alimento, alimentas, alimenta, alimentamos, alimentáis, alimentan. 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 alimentar?

The past participle is alimentado: 'He alimentado' means 'I have fed'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is alimentando.

Does alimentar take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Alimentar is fully regular: alimenté, alimentaba, alimentaré. Alimentar a los niños is to feed the children. In the examples on this page, alimentar appears with complements such as a los niños con verdura and al perro dos veces al día, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of alimentar?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo alimento, tú alimentas, él/ella/Ud. alimenta, nosotros/as alimentamos, vosotros/as alimentáis, ellos/ellas/Uds. alimentan. Then write three of your own sentences with alimentar in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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