Alternar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of alternar — “to alternate” 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 alternar 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. Alternar means to alternate, and it is used for taking turns and for switching between two things: you alternate work and rest, day and night alternate, two presenters alternate on a programme. It also means to go out socially in the sense of alternar con gente, to mix with people. Alternar 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: Alterno el trabajo y el descanso.

Present tense conjugation table: alternar

Every person of alternar in the present tense. The gerund is alternando and the past participle is alternado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo alterno
tú alternas
él/ella/Ud. alterna
nosotros/as alternamos
vosotros/as alternáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. alternan

How the present of alternar is formed

The present of alternar is built from the stem altern- 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 alterno
tú -as alternas
él/ella/Ud. -a alterna
nosotros/as -amos alternamos
vosotros/as -áis alternáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an alternan

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

When to use the present tense with alternar

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo alterno el trabajo y el descanso. — I alternate work and rest.

General facts

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

Él/Ella alterna el día y la noche. — He alternates day and night.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as alternamos dos presentadores en el programa. — Right now, We alternate two presenters on the programme.

Near-future plans

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

Mañana, Tú alternas el estudio con el deporte. — Tomorrow, You alternate study with sport.

Instructions and timeless statements

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

Él/Ella alterna el trabajo y el descanso. — He alternates work and rest.

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 alternar.

  1. Yo alterno el trabajo y el descanso. — I alternate work and rest. / Ayer, Yo alterné el trabajo y el descanso. — Yesterday, I alternated work and rest.
  2. Yo alterno el día y la noche. — I alternate day and night. / Ayer, Yo alterné el día y la noche. — Yesterday, I alternated day and night.
  3. Yo alterno dos presentadores en el programa. — I alternate two presenters on the programme. / Ayer, Yo alterné dos presentadores en el programa. — Yesterday, I alternated two presenters on the programme.

Example sentences in the present tense

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

  1. Yo alterno el trabajo y el descanso. — I alternate work and rest.
  2. Tú alternas el día y la noche. — You alternate day and night.
  3. Él/Ella alterna dos presentadores en el programa. — He alternates two presenters on the programme.
  4. Nosotros/as alternamos el estudio con el deporte. — We alternate study with sport.
  5. Vosotros/as alternáis el trabajo y el descanso. — You alternate work and rest.
  6. Ellos/as alternan el día y la noche. — They alternate day and night.
  7. Yo alterno dos presentadores en el programa. — I alternate two presenters on the programme.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo alterna el trabajo y el descanso. — Right: Yo alterno el trabajo y el descanso. — The person matters: alterna is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is alterno.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo alterno el día y la noche. — Right: Ayer, yo alterné el día y la noche. — With ayer, use the preterite (alterné), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using alternar where turnarse belongs. — Right: Alternar means to alternate, while turnarse means to take turns with someone. — Check the meaning before you choose: alternar fits Alterno el trabajo y el descanso.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él alterna el día y la noche. — Right: Espero que él alterne el día y la noche. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: alterne, not the present indicative alterna.

Quiz: the present tense of alternar

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el trabajo y el descanso. (present tense, yo) A. alterno B. alternas C. alterna D. alternamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el día y la noche. (present tense, tú) A. alterno B. alterna C. alternamos D. alternas

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ dos presentadores en el programa. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. alternas B. alternamos C. alterna D. alterno

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el estudio con el deporte. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. alterna B. alternamos C. alterno D. alternas

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ el trabajo y el descanso. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. alternáis B. alterno C. alternas D. alterna

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el día y la noche. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. alterno B. alternas C. alterna D. alternan

  7. Which is the gerund of alternar? A. alterno B. alterné C. alternando D. alternado

  8. Which is the past participle of alternar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. alterné B. alternado C. alternando D. alterno

Answer key

  1. alterno — The yo present form of alternar is alterno.
  2. alternas — The tú present form of alternar is alternas.
  3. alterna — The él/ella/Ud. present form of alternar is alterna.
  4. alternamos — The nosotros/as present form of alternar is alternamos.
  5. alternáis — The vosotros/as present form of alternar is alternáis.
  6. alternan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of alternar is alternan.
  7. alternando — The gerund of alternar is alternando: estoy alternando.
  8. alternado — The past participle of alternar is alternado: he alternado, has alternado, ha alternado.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of alternar formed?

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

When do I use the present tense of alternar?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Alterno el trabajo y el descanso.

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

The present (alterno) and the preterite (alterné) 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 alternar?

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

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