Aplaudir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of aplaudir — “to applaud” 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 aplaudir 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. Aplaudir means to applaud, and it is used for clapping at a concert, a theatre performance, a speech or a goal. It is a regular -ir verb and a classic verb of audiences and celebrations. Aplaudir is a regular -ir verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Aplaudo al cantante en el concierto.

Present tense conjugation table: aplaudir

Every person of aplaudir in the present tense. The gerund is aplaudiendo and the past participle is aplaudido.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo aplaudo
tú aplaudes
él/ella/Ud. aplaude
nosotros/as aplaudimos
vosotros/as aplaudís
ellos/ellas/Uds. aplauden

How the present of aplaudir is formed

The present of aplaudir is built from the stem aplaud- plus the present endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir 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 aplaudo
tú -es aplaudes
él/ella/Ud. -e aplaude
nosotros/as -imos aplaudimos
vosotros/as -ís aplaudís
ellos/ellas/Uds. -en aplauden

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

When to use the present tense with aplaudir

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo aplaudo al cantante en el concierto. — I applaud the singer at the concert.

General facts

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

Él/Ella aplaude al actor al final de la obra. — He applauds the actor at the end of the play.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as aplaudimos el gol del equipo. — Right now, We applaud the team's goal.

Near-future plans

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

Mañana, Tú aplaudes al orador después del discurso. — Tomorrow, You applaud the speaker after the speech.

Instructions and timeless statements

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

Él/Ella aplaude al cantante en el concierto. — He applauds the singer at the concert.

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 aplaudir.

  1. Yo aplaudo al cantante en el concierto. — I applaud the singer at the concert. / Ayer, Yo aplaudí al cantante en el concierto. — Yesterday, I applauded the singer at the concert.
  2. Yo aplaudo al actor al final de la obra. — I applaud the actor at the end of the play. / Ayer, Yo aplaudí al actor al final de la obra. — Yesterday, I applauded the actor at the end of the play.
  3. Yo aplaudo el gol del equipo. — I applaud the team's goal. / Ayer, Yo aplaudí el gol del equipo. — Yesterday, I applauded the team's goal.

Example sentences in the present tense

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

  1. Yo aplaudo al cantante en el concierto. — I applaud the singer at the concert.
  2. Tú aplaudes al actor al final de la obra. — You applaud the actor at the end of the play.
  3. Él/Ella aplaude el gol del equipo. — He applauds the team's goal.
  4. Nosotros/as aplaudimos al orador después del discurso. — We applaud the speaker after the speech.
  5. Vosotros/as aplaudís al cantante en el concierto. — You applaud the singer at the concert.
  6. Ellos/as aplauden al actor al final de la obra. — They applaud the actor at the end of the play.
  7. Yo aplaudo el gol del equipo. — I applaud the team's goal.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo aplaude al cantante en el concierto. — Right: Yo aplaudo al cantante en el concierto. — The person matters: aplaude is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aplaudo.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo aplaudo al actor al final de la obra. — Right: Ayer, yo aplaudí al actor al final de la obra. — With ayer, use the preterite (aplaudí), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using aplaudir where ovacionar belongs. — Right: Aplaudir means to applaud, while ovacionar means to give someone a standing ovation. — Check the meaning before you choose: aplaudir fits Aplaudo al cantante en el concierto.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él aplaude al actor al final de la obra. — Right: Espero que él aplauda al actor al final de la obra. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: aplauda, not the present indicative aplaude.

Quiz: the present tense of aplaudir

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al cantante en el concierto. (present tense, yo) A. aplaudo B. aplaudes C. aplaude D. aplaudimos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ al actor al final de la obra. (present tense, tú) A. aplaudo B. aplaude C. aplaudimos D. aplaudes

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ el gol del equipo. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. aplaudes B. aplaudimos C. aplaude D. aplaudo

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ al orador después del discurso. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. aplaude B. aplaudimos C. aplaudo D. aplaudes

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ al cantante en el concierto. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. aplaudís B. aplaudo C. aplaudes D. aplaude

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ al actor al final de la obra. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. aplaudo B. aplaudes C. aplaude D. aplauden

  7. Which is the gerund of aplaudir? A. aplaudo B. aplaudí C. aplaudiendo D. aplaudido

  8. Which is the past participle of aplaudir, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. aplaudí B. aplaudido C. aplaudiendo D. aplaudo

Answer key

  1. aplaudo — The yo present form of aplaudir is aplaudo.
  2. aplaudes — The tú present form of aplaudir is aplaudes.
  3. aplaude — The él/ella/Ud. present form of aplaudir is aplaude.
  4. aplaudimos — The nosotros/as present form of aplaudir is aplaudimos.
  5. aplaudís — The vosotros/as present form of aplaudir is aplaudís.
  6. aplauden — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of aplaudir is aplauden.
  7. aplaudiendo — The gerund of aplaudir is aplaudiendo: estoy aplaudiendo.
  8. aplaudido — The past participle of aplaudir is aplaudido: he aplaudido, has aplaudido, ha aplaudido.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of aplaudir formed?

Take the infinitive aplaudir, drop the -ir ending to get the stem aplaud-, then add the present endings: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of aplaudir is fully regular: the stem aplaud- plus the standard -ir endings gives every form.

When do I use the present tense of aplaudir?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Aplaudo al cantante en el concierto.

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

The present (aplaudo) and the preterite (aplaudí) 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 aplaudir?

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

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