Armar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of armar — “to assemble, to arm” 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 armar 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. Armar means to assemble or to arm, and the two senses share the idea of putting something together: you assemble furniture, you put together a puzzle, you arm a soldier, you set a trap. It also means to cause a scene, as in armar un escándalo, to kick up a fuss. Armar 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: Armo los muebles del salón.
Present tense conjugation table: armar
Every person of armar in the present tense. The gerund is armando and the past participle is armado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | armo |
| tú | armas |
| él/ella/Ud. | arma |
| nosotros/as | armamos |
| vosotros/as | armáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | arman |
How the present of armar is formed
The present of armar is built from the stem arm- 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 | armo |
| tú | -as | armas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | arma |
| nosotros/as | -amos | armamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | armáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | arman |
For armar there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem arm- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.
When to use the present tense with armar
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo armo los muebles del salón. — I assemble the living-room furniture.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella arma el puzle con los niños. — He assembles the puzzle with the children.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as armamos un escándalo en la tienda. — Right now, We assemble a scene in the shop.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú armas la tienda de campaña. — Tomorrow, You assemble the tent.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella arma los muebles del salón. — He assembles the living-room furniture.
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 armar.
- Yo armo los muebles del salón. — I assemble the living-room furniture. / Ayer, Yo armé los muebles del salón. — Yesterday, I assembled the living-room furniture.
- Yo armo el puzle con los niños. — I assemble the puzzle with the children. / Ayer, Yo armé el puzle con los niños. — Yesterday, I assembled the puzzle with the children.
- Yo armo un escándalo en la tienda. — I assemble a scene in the shop. / Ayer, Yo armé un escándalo en la tienda. — Yesterday, I assembled a scene in the shop.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with armar in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo armo los muebles del salón. — I assemble the living-room furniture.
- Tú armas el puzle con los niños. — You assemble the puzzle with the children.
- Él/Ella arma un escándalo en la tienda. — He assembles a scene in the shop.
- Nosotros/as armamos la tienda de campaña. — We assemble the tent.
- Vosotros/as armáis los muebles del salón. — You assemble the living-room furniture.
- Ellos/as arman el puzle con los niños. — They assemble the puzzle with the children.
- Yo armo un escándalo en la tienda. — I assemble a scene in the shop.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo arma los muebles del salón. — Right: Yo armo los muebles del salón. — The person matters: arma is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is armo.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo armo el puzle con los niños. — Right: Ayer, yo armé el puzle con los niños. — With ayer, use the preterite (armé), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Using armar where montar belongs. — Right: Armar means to assemble, to arm, while montar means to assemble or put something together. — Check the meaning before you choose: armar fits Armo los muebles del salón.
- Wrong: Espero que él arma el puzle con los niños. — Right: Espero que él arme el puzle con los niños. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: arme, not the present indicative arma.
Quiz: the present tense of armar
Eight questions on the present tense of armar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los muebles del salón. (present tense, yo) A. armo B. armas C. arma D. armamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el puzle con los niños. (present tense, tú) A. armo B. arma C. armamos D. armas
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ un escándalo en la tienda. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. armas B. armamos C. arma D. armo
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ la tienda de campaña. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. arma B. armamos C. armo D. armas
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ los muebles del salón. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. armáis B. armo C. armas D. arma
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el puzle con los niños. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. armo B. armas C. arma D. arman
Which is the gerund of armar? A. armo B. armé C. armando D. armado
Which is the past participle of armar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. armé B. armado C. armando D. armo
Answer key
- armo — The yo present form of armar is armo.
- armas — The tú present form of armar is armas.
- arma — The él/ella/Ud. present form of armar is arma.
- armamos — The nosotros/as present form of armar is armamos.
- armáis — The vosotros/as present form of armar is armáis.
- arman — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of armar is arman.
- armando — The gerund of armar is armando: estoy armando.
- armado — The past participle of armar is armado: he armado, has armado, ha armado.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of armar formed?
Take the infinitive armar, drop the -ar ending to get the stem arm-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of armar is fully regular: the stem arm- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of armar?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Armo los muebles del salón.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of armar?
The present (armo) and the preterite (armé) 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 armar?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of armar to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the armar examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Armar conjugation — the full conjugation tables for armar.
- Armar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for armar.
- 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.