Anticipar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of anticipar — “to anticipate, to bring forward” 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 anticipar 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. Anticipar means to anticipate or to bring forward, to do something earlier than planned or to expect what will happen. It is used for money, trips and events, and it is fully regular. To see it in a real sentence: Anticipo el pago de la factura. — “I anticipate paying the bill.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of anticipar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: anticipar
Every person of anticipar in the present tense. The gerund is anticipando and the past participle is anticipado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | anticipo |
| tú | anticipas |
| él/ella/Ud. | anticipa |
| nosotros/as | anticipamos |
| vosotros/as | anticipáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | anticipan |
How the present indicative of anticipar is formed
The present indicative of anticipar 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 | anticipo |
| tú | -as | anticipas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | anticipa |
| nosotros/as | -amos | anticipamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | anticipáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | anticipan |
Anticipar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is anticip- 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 anticipar is anticipando and the past participle is anticipado. 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 anticipar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and anticipar 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 anticipar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo anticipo el pago de la factura todos los días.” — “I anticipate paying the bill 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 anticipa el viaje a la semana que viene.” — “He/she anticipates the trip to next week.”
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 anticipo can mean both “I anticipate” and “I am anticipateing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo anticipo la reunión al lunes.” — “Right now, I anticipate the meeting to Monday.”
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 anticipo la llegada del tren.” — “Tomorrow, I will anticipate the train's arrival.”
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 anticipas el pago de la factura?” — “Do you anticipate paying the bill?”
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: Anticipa el viaje a la semana que viene. — “He/she anticipates the trip to next week.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Anticipó el viaje a la semana que viene. — 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: Anticipan la reunión al lunes. — “They anticipate the meeting to Monday.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Anticipaban la reunión al lunes. — 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: Anticipas la llegada del tren. — “You anticipate the train's arrival.”
- Future — what will happen: Anticiparás la llegada del tren. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: anticipar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show anticipar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo anticipo el pago de la factura. — “I anticipate paying the bill.”
- Tú anticipas el viaje a la semana que viene. — “You anticipate the trip to next week.”
- Él anticipa la reunión al lunes. — “He anticipates the meeting to Monday.”
- Nosotros anticipamos la llegada del tren. — “We anticipate the train's arrival.”
- Vosotros anticipáis el pago de la factura. — “You (plural) anticipate paying the bill.”
- Ellos anticipan el viaje a la semana que viene. — “They anticipate the trip to next week.”
- ¿Tú anticipas la reunión al lunes? — “Do you anticipate the meeting to Monday?”
Common mistakes with anticipar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with anticipar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo anticipar el pago de la factura. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo anticipo el pago de la factura.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of anticipar is anticipo, not the infinitive anticipar.
✗ Vosotros anticipais el pago de la factura. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros anticipáis el pago de la factura.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: anticipáis, not anticipais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo anticipo el viaje a la semana que viene. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo anticipé el viaje a la semana que viene.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: anticipo is happening now, while anticipé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating anticipar and prever as identical in every context. (confusing anticipar with prever).
✓ Correct: Anticipar means to anticipate, to bring forward, while prever means to foresee.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: anticipar fits sentences such as Anticipo el pago de la factura, while prever belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: anticipar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of anticipar. 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 anticipar for tú?
- a) anticipas
- b) anticipo
- c) anticipa
- d) anticipan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el pago de la factura. — “I anticipate paying the bill.”
- a) anticipa
- b) anticipamos
- c) anticipas
- d) anticipo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el viaje a la semana que viene. — “He/she anticipates the trip to next week.” (present tense)
- a) anticipaba
- b) anticipará
- c) anticipa
- d) anticipó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of anticipar for nosotros?
- a) anticipan
- b) anticipamos
- c) anticipo
- d) anticipa
5. Which sentence uses anticipar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él anticipó el viaje a la semana que viene.
- b) Él anticipa el viaje a la semana que viene.
- c) Él anticipará el viaje a la semana que viene.
- d) Ellos anticipa el viaje a la semana que viene.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la reunión al lunes. — “They anticipate the meeting to Monday.”
- a) anticipo
- b) anticipa
- c) anticipamos
- d) anticipan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ la llegada del tren? — “Do you anticipate the train's arrival?”
- a) anticipa
- b) anticiparás
- c) anticipas
- d) anticipo
8. What is the gerund of anticipar?
- a) anticipé
- b) anticipando
- c) anticipado
- d) anticipo
Answer key
a) anticipas — The tú form is anticipas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; anticipo is yo, anticipa is él/ella and anticipan is ellos/ellas.
d) anticipo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: anticipo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) anticipa — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: anticipa. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) anticipamos — Nosotros takes anticipamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él anticipa el viaje a la semana que viene. — Él anticipa el viaje a la semana que viene. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) anticipan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is anticipan.
c) anticipas — The question needs the tú form in the present: anticipas.
b) anticipando — The gerund is anticipando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle anticipado.
Frequently asked questions
Is anticipar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Anticipar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: anticipo, anticipas, anticipa, anticipamos, anticipáis and anticipan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of anticipar?
The gerund is anticipando and the past participle is anticipado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I anticipate” in Spanish?
Say anticipo. For example: Anticipo el pago de la factura. — “I anticipate paying the bill.”
What is the difference between anticipar and prever?
Anticipar means “to anticipate, to bring forward”, while prever means “to foresee”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use anticipar when you mean “to anticipate, to bring forward” and prever when you mean “to foresee”. The full conjugation of anticipar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of anticipar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- anticipar 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.
- Amortiguar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with anticipar.
- Amansar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with anticipar.
- Amamantar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with anticipar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.