Aprobar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of aprobar — "to pass (an exam), to approve" 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 aprobar 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. Aprobar has two main senses: to pass an exam, and to approve a law, a project or a budget. In Spain, aprobar un examen means to pass it; in Latin America the same sense is common. To see it in a real sentence: Yo apruebo el examen de conducir — "I pass the driving test".
Present tense conjugation table: aprobar
Every person of aprobar in the present tense. The gerund is aprobando and the past participle is aprobado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | apruebo |
| tú | apruebas |
| él/ella/Ud. | aprueba |
| nosotros/as | aprobamos |
| vosotros/as | aprobáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aprueban |
How the present of aprobar is formed
The present of aprobar is built from the stem aprob- 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 | apruebo |
| tú | -as | apruebas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | aprueba |
| nosotros/as | -amos | aprobamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | aprobáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | aprueban |
The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: apruebo, apruebas, aprueba and aprueban — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: aprobamos, aprobáis.
The gerund of aprobar is aprobando and the past participle is aprobado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of aprobar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and aprobar 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.
Habits and routines
The present describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, yo apruebo el examen de conducir" — "Every day, I pass the driving test"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo aprueba la ley en el parlamento" — "My friend passes the law in parliament"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo apruebo el proyecto de su jefe" — "Right now, I pass his boss's project"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros aprobamos las matemáticas con un diez" — "Tomorrow, we pass maths with a top mark"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos aprueban el presupuesto del año" — "They pass the year's budget"
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: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}yo apruebo el examen de conducir — "I pass the driving test"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo aprobé el examen de conducir — "I passed the driving test"
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: {}tú apruebas la ley en el parlamento — "You pass the law in parliament"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú aprobabas la ley en el parlamento — "You used to pass the law in parliament"
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: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él aprueba el proyecto de su jefe — "He passes his boss's project"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él aprobará el proyecto de su jefe — "He will pass his boss's project"
Examples: aprobar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show aprobar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo apruebo el examen de conducir — "I pass the driving test"
- Tú apruebas la ley en el parlamento — "You pass the law in parliament"
- Él aprueba el proyecto de su jefe — "He passes his boss's project"
- Nosotros aprobamos las matemáticas con un diez — "We pass maths with a top mark"
- Vosotros aprobáis el presupuesto del año — "You pass the year's budget"
- Ellos aprueban el examen de conducir — "They pass the driving test"
- Yo apruebo la ley en el parlamento — "I pass the law in parliament"
Common mistakes with aprobar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with aprobar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo aprobo el examen de conducir.
✓ Correct: Yo apruebo el examen de conducir.
aprobar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is apruebo, not aprobo.
✗ *Tú aprueba la ley en el parlamento.
✓ Correct: Tú apruebas la ley en el parlamento.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes apruebas, él takes aprueba.
✗ *Cada día, yo aprobé el proyecto de su jefe
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo apruebo el proyecto de su jefe
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros aprobais las matemáticas con un diez.
✓ Correct: Vosotros aprobáis las matemáticas con un diez.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: aprobáis, not aprobais.
Quiz: aprobar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of aprobar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of aprobar for tú? A. aprobamos B. apruebas C. apruebo D. aprueba
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el examen de conducir — "I pass the driving test" (present) A. apruebo B. apruebas C. aprueba D. aprobamos
Complete the sentence: Él ______ la ley en el parlamento — "He passes the law in parliament" (present) A. apruebo B. apruebas C. aprobamos D. aprueba
Which is the correct present form of aprobar for nosotros? A. aprobamos B. apruebas C. aprueba D. aprueban
Which sentence uses aprobar correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo aprobaba el proyecto de su jefe B. Mi amigo aprobamos el proyecto de su jefe C. Mi amigo aprueba el proyecto de su jefe D. Mi amigo apruebas el proyecto de su jefe
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ las matemáticas con un diez — "You pass maths with a top mark" (present) A. aprobáis B. apruebo C. apruebas D. aprueba
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el presupuesto del año — "They pass the year's budget" (present) A. apruebas B. aprueba C. aprueban D. apruebo
What is the gerund of aprobar? A. aprobado B. apruebo C. aprobé D. aprobando
Answer key
- apruebas — The tú form in the present is apruebas.
- apruebo — The present form for yo is apruebo.
- aprueba — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is aprueba.
- aprobamos — The nosotros form in the present is aprobamos.
- Mi amigo aprueba el proyecto de su jefe — Mi amigo aprueba el proyecto de su jefe is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- aprobáis — The present form for vosotros/as is aprobáis.
- aprueban — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is aprueban.
- aprobando — The gerund is aprobando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle aprobado.
Frequently asked questions
Is aprobar regular in the present tense?
No — in the present the stem changes: The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: apruebo, apruebas, aprueba and aprueban — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: aprobamos, aprobáis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem.
What is the gerund and the past participle of aprobar?
The gerund is aprobando and the past participle is aprobado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I pass" in the present tense?
Say apruebo. For example: Yo apruebo el examen de conducir — "I pass the driving test".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of aprobar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo apruebo el examen de conducir — "I pass the driving test". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo aprobé el examen de conducir — "Yesterday, I passed the driving test". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of aprobar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- aprobar 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.