Aparcar in the Present Tense

Aparcar means “to park”, and this page covers exactly one thing: aparcar 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 aparcar, 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 aparcar in the present. For example: “Yo aparco el coche en la calle.” — I park the car in the street. Everything on this page uses the forms of aparcar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Aparcar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo aparco
tú aparcas
él/ella/Ud. aparca
nosotros/as aparcamos
vosotros/as aparcáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aparcan

Gerund: aparcando · Past participle: aparcado

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

How the present of aparcar is formed

Aparcar is regular in the present tense. Take the stem aparc and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving aparco, aparcas, aparca, aparcamos, aparcáis, aparcan. Watch the accents: the yo form is aparco and the él/ella/Ud. form is aparca.

When to use the present of aparcar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use aparcar 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 aparcar is no exception. Example: “Yo aparco el coche en la calle todos los días.” — I park the car in the street 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 aparcar means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Aparca delante de la casa.” — He/she parks in front of the house.

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 aparco en el garaje por la noche ahora.” — I park in the garage at night 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 aparcamos cerca de la estación.” — We park near the station.

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 aparcas el coche en la calle.” — You park the car in the street.

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 aparco el coche en la calle todos los días.” — I park the car in the street every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo aparqué el coche en la calle.” — Yesterday, I parked the car in the street.

  • 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 aparca delante de la casa cada semana.” — He/she parks in front of the house every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él aparcó delante de la casa.” — Last week, he parked in front of the house.

  • 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 aparcamos en el garaje por la noche a menudo.” — We park in the garage at night often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros aparcamos en el garaje por la noche.” — Yesterday, we parked in the garage at night.

  • 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: aparcar 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. “Aparco el coche en la calle.” — I park the car in the street.

  2. “Aparcas delante de la casa.” — You park in front of the house.

  3. “Aparca en el garaje por la noche.” — He/she parks in the garage at night.

  4. “Aparcamos cerca de la estación.” — We park near the station.

  5. “Aparcáis el coche en la calle.” — You park the car in the street.

  6. “Aparcan delante de la casa.” — They park in front of the house.

  7. “Aparco en el garaje por la noche.” — I park in the garage at night.

  8. “Aparca cerca de la estación.” — He/she parks near the station.

Common mistakes with aparcar 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 aparca el coche en la calle.” Right: “Ellos aparcan el coche en la calle.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form aparcan. The singular aparca belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.

  • Wrong: “Espero que yo aparce delante de la casa.” Right: “Espero que yo aparque delante de la casa.” Why: Aparcar is a spelling-change verb: the final consonant of the stem changes before e, so the subjunctive is aparque.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros aparcas en el garaje por la noche.” Right: “Nosotros aparcamos en el garaje por la noche.” Why: Nosotros needs aparcamos. The tú form aparcas belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos aparco cerca de la estación todos los días.” Right: “Ellos aparcan cerca de la estación todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form aparcan, not the yo form aparco. 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: aparcar 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 ______ el coche en la calle.” (The car in the street.)

  • (a) aparco
  • (b) aparcas
  • (c) aparca

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

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ delante de la casa?” (In front of the house.)

  • (a) aparco
  • (b) aparca
  • (c) aparcas

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

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ en el garaje por la noche.” (In the garage at night.)

  • (a) aparcas
  • (b) aparca
  • (c) aparco

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

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ cerca de la estación.” (Near the station.)

  • (a) aparcamos
  • (b) aparco
  • (c) aparcas

Answer: aparcamos — The nosotros/as form of aparcar in the present is aparcamos. 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 aparcar in the present?

  • (a) aparco
  • (b) aparcas
  • (c) aparcáis

Answer: aparcáis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes aparcáis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros aparcáis el coche en la calle.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ delante de la casa.” (In front of the house.)

  • (a) aparcas
  • (b) aparcan
  • (c) aparco

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

  • (a) aparco
  • (b) aparcas
  • (c) aparca

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

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo aparqué el coche en la calle todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros aparcaremos el coche en la calle mañana.
  • (c) Yo aparco el coche en la calle todos los días.

Answer: Yo aparco el coche en la calle todos los días. — “Yo aparco el coche en la calle 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 aparcar regular in the present?

Aparcar is a spelling-change verb, so some forms change spelling to keep the same consonant sound, but the present forms in the table above are the correct ones: aparco, aparcas, aparca, aparcamos, aparcáis, aparcan.

What is the past participle of aparcar?

The past participle is aparcado: 'He aparcado' means 'I have parked'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is aparcando.

Does aparcar take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Aparcar is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e, so the subjunctive is aparque and the preterite is aparqué. In the examples on this page, aparcar appears with complements such as el coche en la calle and delante de la casa, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of aparcar?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo aparco, tú aparcas, él/ella/Ud. aparca, nosotros/as aparcamos, vosotros/as aparcáis, ellos/ellas/Uds. aparcan. Then write three of your own sentences with aparcar in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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