Arder Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of arder — “to burn” 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 arder 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. Arder means to burn, and it is used for fire burning, a house burning, a candle burning and a person burning with fever or with shame. It also appears in the phrase arder en deseos, to burn with desire, and it is a regular -er verb. Arder is a regular -er verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Ardo de fiebre en la cama.
Present tense conjugation table: arder
Every person of arder in the present tense. The gerund is ardiendo and the past participle is ardido.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ardo |
| tú | ardes |
| él/ella/Ud. | arde |
| nosotros/as | ardemos |
| vosotros/as | ardéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arden |
How the present of arder is formed
The present of arder is built from the stem ard- plus the present endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er 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 | ardo |
| tú | -es | ardes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | arde |
| nosotros/as | -emos | ardemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | ardéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | arden |
For arder there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem ard- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.
When to use the present tense with arder
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo ardo de fiebre en la cama. — I burn with fever in bed.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella arde de vergüenza en público. — He burns with embarrassment in public.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as ardemos de ganas de trabajar. — Right now, We burn with eagerness to work.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú ardes de impaciencia en la cola. — Tomorrow, You burn with impatience in the queue.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella arde de fiebre en la cama. — He burns with fever in bed.
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 arder.
- Yo ardo de fiebre en la cama. — I burn with fever in bed. / Ayer, Yo ardí de fiebre en la cama. — Yesterday, I burned with fever in bed.
- Yo ardo de vergüenza en público. — I burn with embarrassment in public. / Ayer, Yo ardí de vergüenza en público. — Yesterday, I burned with embarrassment in public.
- Yo ardo de ganas de trabajar. — I burn with eagerness to work. / Ayer, Yo ardí de ganas de trabajar. — Yesterday, I burned with eagerness to work.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with arder in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo ardo de fiebre en la cama. — I burn with fever in bed.
- Tú ardes de vergüenza en público. — You burn with embarrassment in public.
- Él/Ella arde de ganas de trabajar. — He burns with eagerness to work.
- Nosotros/as ardemos de impaciencia en la cola. — We burn with impatience in the queue.
- Vosotros/as ardéis de fiebre en la cama. — You burn with fever in bed.
- Ellos/as arden de vergüenza en público. — They burn with embarrassment in public.
- Yo ardo de ganas de trabajar. — I burn with eagerness to work.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo arde de fiebre en la cama. — Right: Yo ardo de fiebre en la cama. — The person matters: arde is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is ardo.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo ardo de vergüenza en público. — Right: Ayer, yo ardí de vergüenza en público. — With ayer, use the preterite (ardí), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Using arder where quemar belongs. — Right: Arder means to burn, while quemar means to burn something, to set fire to it. — Check the meaning before you choose: arder fits Ardo de fiebre en la cama.
- Wrong: Espero que él arde de vergüenza en público. — Right: Espero que él arda de vergüenza en público. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: arda, not the present indicative arde.
Quiz: the present tense of arder
Eight questions on the present tense of arder. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de fiebre en la cama. (present tense, yo) A. ardo B. ardes C. arde D. ardemos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ de vergüenza en público. (present tense, tú) A. ardo B. arde C. ardemos D. ardes
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ de ganas de trabajar. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. ardes B. ardemos C. arde D. ardo
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ de impaciencia en la cola. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. arde B. ardemos C. ardo D. ardes
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ de fiebre en la cama. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. ardéis B. ardo C. ardes D. arde
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ de vergüenza en público. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. ardo B. ardes C. arde D. arden
Which is the gerund of arder? A. ardo B. ardí C. ardiendo D. ardido
Which is the past participle of arder, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. ardí B. ardido C. ardiendo D. ardo
Answer key
- ardo — The yo present form of arder is ardo.
- ardes — The tú present form of arder is ardes.
- arde — The él/ella/Ud. present form of arder is arde.
- ardemos — The nosotros/as present form of arder is ardemos.
- ardéis — The vosotros/as present form of arder is ardéis.
- arden — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of arder is arden.
- ardiendo — The gerund of arder is ardiendo: estoy ardiendo.
- ardido — The past participle of arder is ardido: he ardido, has ardido, ha ardido.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of arder formed?
Take the infinitive arder, drop the -er ending to get the stem ard-, then add the present endings: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of arder is fully regular: the stem ard- plus the standard -er endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of arder?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Ardo de fiebre en la cama.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of arder?
The present (ardo) and the preterite (ardí) 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 arder?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of arder to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the arder examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Arder conjugation — the full conjugation tables for arder.
- Arder examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for arder.
- 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.