Arañar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of arañar — “to scratch” 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 arañar 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. Arañar means to scratch, and it is used for a cat scratching a sofa, a nail scratching skin, a branch scratching a car and a person scratching an itch. It also means to scrape by in a figurative sense, as in arañar unos votos, to scrape together a few votes. Arañar is a regular -ar verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Araño el sofá con las uñas.
Present tense conjugation table: arañar
Every person of arañar in the present tense. The gerund is arañando and the past participle is arañado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | araño |
| tú | arañas |
| él/ella/Ud. | araña |
| nosotros/as | arañamos |
| vosotros/as | arañáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arañan |
How the present of arañar is formed
The present of arañar is built from the stem arañ- 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 | araño |
| tú | -as | arañas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | araña |
| nosotros/as | -amos | arañamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | arañáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | arañan |
For arañar there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem arañ- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.
When to use the present tense with arañar
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo araño el sofá con las uñas. — I scratch the sofa with my nails.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella araña la puerta para entrar. — He scratches the door to get in.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as arañamos la piel con la rama. — Right now, We scratch my skin with the branch.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú arañas el coche al aparcar. — Tomorrow, You scratch the car while parking.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella araña el sofá con las uñas. — He scratches the sofa with my nails.
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 arañar.
- Yo araño el sofá con las uñas. — I scratch the sofa with my nails. / Ayer, Yo arañé el sofá con las uñas. — Yesterday, I scratched the sofa with my nails.
- Yo araño la puerta para entrar. — I scratch the door to get in. / Ayer, Yo arañé la puerta para entrar. — Yesterday, I scratched the door to get in.
- Yo araño la piel con la rama. — I scratch my skin with the branch. / Ayer, Yo arañé la piel con la rama. — Yesterday, I scratched my skin with the branch.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with arañar in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo araño el sofá con las uñas. — I scratch the sofa with my nails.
- Tú arañas la puerta para entrar. — You scratch the door to get in.
- Él/Ella araña la piel con la rama. — He scratches my skin with the branch.
- Nosotros/as arañamos el coche al aparcar. — We scratch the car while parking.
- Vosotros/as arañáis el sofá con las uñas. — You scratch the sofa with my nails.
- Ellos/as arañan la puerta para entrar. — They scratch the door to get in.
- Yo araño la piel con la rama. — I scratch my skin with the branch.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo araña el sofá con las uñas. — Right: Yo araño el sofá con las uñas. — The person matters: araña is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is araño.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo araño la puerta para entrar. — Right: Ayer, yo arañé la puerta para entrar. — With ayer, use the preterite (arañé), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Using arañar where rascar belongs. — Right: Arañar means to scratch, while rascar means to scratch an itch. — Check the meaning before you choose: arañar fits Araño el sofá con las uñas.
- Wrong: Espero que él araña la puerta para entrar. — Right: Espero que él arañe la puerta para entrar. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: arañe, not the present indicative araña.
Quiz: the present tense of arañar
Eight questions on the present tense of arañar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el sofá con las uñas. (present tense, yo) A. araño B. arañas C. araña D. arañamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ la puerta para entrar. (present tense, tú) A. araño B. araña C. arañamos D. arañas
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ la piel con la rama. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. arañas B. arañamos C. araña D. araño
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el coche al aparcar. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. araña B. arañamos C. araño D. arañas
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ el sofá con las uñas. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. arañáis B. araño C. arañas D. araña
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ la puerta para entrar. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. araño B. arañas C. araña D. arañan
Which is the gerund of arañar? A. araño B. arañé C. arañando D. arañado
Which is the past participle of arañar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. arañé B. arañado C. arañando D. araño
Answer key
- araño — The yo present form of arañar is araño.
- arañas — The tú present form of arañar is arañas.
- araña — The él/ella/Ud. present form of arañar is araña.
- arañamos — The nosotros/as present form of arañar is arañamos.
- arañáis — The vosotros/as present form of arañar is arañáis.
- arañan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of arañar is arañan.
- arañando — The gerund of arañar is arañando: estoy arañando.
- arañado — The past participle of arañar is arañado: he arañado, has arañado, ha arañado.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of arañar formed?
Take the infinitive arañar, drop the -ar ending to get the stem arañ-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of arañar is fully regular: the stem arañ- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of arañar?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Araño el sofá con las uñas.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of arañar?
The present (araño) and the preterite (arañé) 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 arañar?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of arañar to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the arañar examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Arañar conjugation — the full conjugation tables for arañar.
- Arañar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for arañar.
- Spanish present tense guide — when and how to use the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Present-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.