Introduction

Amar means “to love”, and this page covers exactly one thing: amar in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for amar, 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 amar in the present. Amar is the verb for loving a person deeply: a partner, a child, a parent. The person loved takes the personal a. For example: “Yo amo a mi mujer.” — I love my wife. Everything on this page uses the forms of amar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Amar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo amo
tú amas
él/ella/Ud. ama
nosotros/as amamos
vosotros/as amáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aman

Gerund: amando · Past participle: amado

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

How the present of amar is formed

Amar is a regular -ar verb, so the present follows the standard pattern with no surprises. Take the stem am (the infinitive without its -ar ending) and add the present endings: -o for yo, -as or -es for tú, -a or -e for él/ella/Ud., -amos / -emos / -imos for nosotros, -áis for vosotros, and -an or -en for ellos/ellas/Uds.. That gives you amo, amas, ama, amamos, amáis and aman. Because the verb is regular, once you know the stem and the six endings you can produce every form without memorising a list, and the same pattern works for every other regular -ar verb you learn.

When to use the present of amar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use amar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Loving a person

Amar is the verb for loving a person deeply: a partner, a child, a parent. The person loved takes the personal a. Example: “Yo amo a mi mujer.” — I love my wife.

2. Loving something

Amar + thing means to love something: a place, a book, a song. The thing is the direct object, with no preposition. Example: “Mi padre ama su pueblo.” — My father loves his village.

3. Loving to do something

Amar + infinitive means to love doing something. It is stronger than gustar, and it describes a deep liking. Example: “Nosotros amamos viajar.” — We love travelling.

4. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and amar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos los días, siempre or cada semana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Yo amo a mi mujer.” — I love my wife.

5. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Spanish often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with amar in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nosotros amamos viajar.” — We love travelling.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the preterite describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as todos los días or siempre, while the preterite sentences use ayer or la semana pasada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Yo amo a mi mujer todos los días.” — I love my wife every day.

  • Preterite: “Yo amé a mi mujer desde el primer día.” — I loved my wife from the first day.

  • The present sentence describes an ongoing love; the preterite sentence describes when that love began. Amar in the preterite is rarer, because love is usually a state, not a finished event.

  • Present Tense: “Mi padre ama su pueblo siempre.” — My father always loves his village.

  • Preterite: “Mi padre amó su pueblo desde niño.” — My father has loved his village since he was a child.

  • Siempre describes an ongoing love, so the present is right; desde niño looks back to when it began, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Yo amo a mi mujer.” — I love my wife.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo amé a mi mujer.” — the same action, but finished yesterday instead of repeated as a habit.

  • The present sentence is true every day; the preterite sentence is true once, yesterday. That difference — routine versus one finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: amar 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. “Yo amo a mi mujer.” — I love my wife.

  2. “¿Tú amas a tu familia?” — Do you love your family?

  3. “Mi padre ama su pueblo.” — My father loves his village.

  4. “Nosotros amamos viajar.” — We love travelling.

  5. “Vosotros amáis la música.” — You love music.

  6. “Ellos aman a sus hijos.” — They love their children.

  7. “Yo amo el mar.” — I love the sea.

  8. “Mi madre ama cocinar.” — My mother loves cooking.

Common mistakes with amar 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: “Yo amo mi mujer.” Right: “Yo amo a mi mujer.” Why: Loving a person needs the personal a: amo a mi mujer. Without the a the sentence sounds unfinished to a native speaker.

  • Wrong: “Ellos ama a sus hijos.” Right: “Ellos aman a sus hijos.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form aman. The singular ama belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as mi padre.

  • Wrong: “Yo amo a mi mujer ayer.” Right: “Yo amé a mi mujer desde el primer día.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. For a love that began in the past, the preterite is used with desde: 'Amé a mi mujer desde el primer día'.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros amas viajar.” Right: “Nosotros amamos viajar.” Why: Nosotros needs amamos. The tú form amas belongs with tú.

Quiz: amar 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 mi mujer.” (I love my wife.)

  • (a) amas
  • (b) ama
  • (c) amo

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

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ a tu familia?” (Do you love your family?)

  • (a) ama
  • (b) amas
  • (c) amo

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

3. Complete the sentence: “Mi padre ______ su pueblo.” (My father loves his village.)

  • (a) ama
  • (b) amo
  • (c) amas

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

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ viajar.” (We love travelling.)

  • (a) amo
  • (b) amas
  • (c) amamos

Answer: amamos — The nosotros/as form of amar in the present is amamos. 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 amar in the present?

  • (a) amas
  • (b) amáis
  • (c) amo

Answer: amáis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes amáis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros amáis la música.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ a sus hijos.” (They love their children.)

  • (a) amo
  • (b) amas
  • (c) aman

Answer: aman — The subject needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, which is aman.

7. Which is the correct yo form of amar in the present?

  • (a) amo
  • (b) ama
  • (c) aman

Answer: amo — The yo form is amo. The other two options are the él/ella and ellos/ellas forms.

8. Which sentence describes a habit, something that happens regularly?

  • (a) Yo amo a mi mujer todos los días.
  • (b) Yo amé a mi mujer desde el primer día.
  • (c) Yo amé a mi mujer desde el primer día.

Answer: Yo amo a mi mujer todos los días. — “Yo amo a mi mujer todos los días.” describes something repeated, so it takes the present tense. The other two sentences describe single finished occasions in the past, not habits.

Frequently asked questions

Is amar regular in the present tense?

Yes. Amar is a regular -ar verb: the stem is am- and the present endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis and -an. There are no stem changes, so the whole table follows the standard pattern.

Does amar take the personal a before a person?

Yes: amar a mi mujer, amar a sus hijos. Before a thing, there is no a: amar el mar, amar su pueblo. Before an infinitive, there is no preposition either: amar viajar.

What is the difference between amar and querer?

Amar means to love deeply, usually a partner, a child or a family member, while querer means to love or to want, and it is used more broadly: for friends, for things, and for wishes. 'Te quiero' is the everyday way to say I love you to family and friends; 'Te amo' is stronger and more romantic.

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