Arreglar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb arreglar means to fix, to arrange, and this page covers it in the present tense — the tense for habits, facts and what is happening now. If you want the whole picture, start with the full arreglar conjugation, which has every tense on one page. Here we go deep on one tense only: the full table, how it is formed, when to use it, how it differs from the closest tense, examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the questions people ask most. One example to start: Yo arreglo el coche. — "I fix the car."

No pronunciation is given on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for arreglar, so no pronunciation is shown rather than an invented one. All the forms below come from the verified conjugation tables, so you can trust every form you see here.

The arreglar present tense table

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for arreglar. The gerund is arreglando and the past participle is arreglado.

Person Form
yo arreglo
tú arreglas
él/ella/Ud. arregla
nosotros/as arreglamos
vosotros/as arregláis
ellos/ellas/Uds. arreglan

The gerund arreglando is used with estar for the progressive (estoy arreglando, I am fixing), and the past participle arreglado is used with haber for the perfect tenses (he arreglado, I have fixed).

How the present tense of arreglar is formed

Start with the infinitive arreglar. Take off the -ar ending and you are left with the stem arregl-. Then add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o (yo), -as (tú), -a (él/ella/Ud.), -amos (nosotros/as), -áis (vosotros/as) and -an (ellos/ellas/Uds.). That gives you the six forms in the table above, and for most verbs in this group that is the whole story.

arreglar is regular in the present: every form is exactly the stem plus the ending above, with no stem change and no spelling change. If you know the stem and the six endings, you can build the whole tense without memorising anything extra.

Two details are worth fixing early. First, the vosotros form carries a written accent on the ending: arregláis. Second, the present tense in Spanish has no auxiliary verb: arreglo on its own means both "I fix" and "I am fixing" in English, so you do not need a separate word for the progressive unless you want to stress that something is happening right now.

When to use the present tense of arreglar

Habits and routines

The present is the tense of what you do regularly. Talking about fixing something broken: a car, a bike, a tap, a computer.

  • Yo arreglo el coche. — "I fix the car."
  • Tú arreglas la bicicleta. — "you fix the bike."

Facts and general truths

The present also states facts that are true in general, not just today. Talking about arranging things: a room, a meeting, a trip — arreglar also means to arrange.

  • Él arregla el grifo. — "he/she fixes the tap."
  • Nosotros arreglamos mi ordenador. — "we fix my computer."

What is happening now

The present describes what is happening at this moment. Talking about who fixes what at home, and how long it takes.

  • Vosotros arregláis con mis herramientas. — "you (all) fix with my tools."
  • Ellos arreglan todos los fines de semana. — "they fix every weekend."

Plans in the near future

Spanish also uses the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with a time expression. A plan you have already decided on can be stated in the present, and it sounds more certain than the future tense.

  • Él arregla el grifo. — "he/she fixes the tap."
  • Nosotros arreglamos mi ordenador. — "we fix my computer."

Arreglar present vs present progressive

The present tense and the present progressive (estar + gerund) are close neighbours, and learners mix them up. The present describes a habit, a fact or a routine. The progressive describes something in progress right now, at this very moment. Compare the three pairs below: the first sentence in each pair is a habit, the second is happening now.

  • Present (habit): Yo arreglo el coche. — "I fix the car."

  • Progressive (right now): Yo estoy arreglando el coche. — "I am fixing the car."

  • Present (habit): Tú arreglas la bicicleta. — "you fix the bike."

  • Progressive (right now): Tú estás arreglando la bicicleta. — "you are fixing the bike."

  • Present (habit): Él arregla el grifo. — "he/she fixes the tap."

  • Progressive (right now): Él está arreglando el grifo. — "he/she is fixing the tap."

Use the present when you talk about what you usually do, and the progressive when you want to stress that it is happening as you speak. If you say arreglo every day, that is a routine. If you say Estoy arreglando, you are doing it at this moment.

Examples of arreglar in the present

Eight sentences in the present tense, so you can see the forms in real use. Read the Spanish first, guess the meaning, then check the translation.

  1. Arreglo el coche con mis herramientas. — "I fix the car with my tools."
  2. Mi padre arregla la bicicleta todos los fines de semana. — "My father fixes the bike every weekend."
  3. Ayer arreglé el grifo de la cocina. — "Yesterday I fixed the kitchen tap."
  4. De joven, arreglaba mi ordenador yo mismo. — "When I was young, I used to fix my computer myself."
  5. Mañana arreglaré el coche antes del viaje. — "Tomorrow I will fix the car before the trip."
  6. Si tuviera más piezas, arreglaría la bicicleta hoy mismo. — "If I had more spare parts, I would fix the bike today."
  7. Él arregla con mis herramientas. — "he/she fixes with my tools."
  8. Nosotros arreglamos todos los fines de semana. — "we fix every weekend."

Common mistakes with arreglar in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why it is wrong.

1. Yo arregla el coche.

Wrong: Yo arregla el coche.

Right: Yo arreglo el coche.

The yo form ends in -o: arreglo. Arregla is the él/ella form.

2. Ayer yo arreglo el grifo.

Wrong: Ayer yo arreglo el grifo.

Right: Ayer yo arreglé el grifo.

A finished action yesterday needs the preterite: arreglé. Arreglo is the present tense.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

Wrong: Ayer yo arreglo el coche.

Right: Ayer yo arreglé el coche.

Ayer (yesterday) signals a finished action, so it needs the preterite: arreglé. The present arreglo describes what you do now or usually, not what you did yesterday.

4. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros arreglais el coche.

Right: Vosotros arregláis el coche.

The vosotros ending carries a written accent: arregláis. Without it, the spelling is wrong, even though the pronunciation is close.

Quiz: test yourself on arreglar in the present

Choose the right form for each sentence. The answers are at the end of this section, with an explanation for every question.

  1. Yo ___ el coche
    • a) arreglo
    • b) arreglas
    • c) arregla
    • d) arreglamos
  2. Tú ___ la bicicleta
    • a) arreglo
    • b) arregla
    • c) arreglamos
    • d) arreglas
  3. Él ___ el grifo
    • a) arreglas
    • b) arreglamos
    • c) arregla
    • d) arreglo
  4. Nosotros ___ mi ordenador
    • a) arregla
    • b) arreglamos
    • c) arreglo
    • d) arreglas
  5. Vosotros ___ con mis herramientas
    • a) arregláis
    • b) arreglo
    • c) arreglas
    • d) arregla
  6. Ellos ___ todos los fines de semana
    • a) arreglo
    • b) arreglas
    • c) arregla
    • d) arreglan
  7. Yo ___ el coche
    • a) arregla
    • b) arreglamos
    • c) arreglo
    • d) arreglas
  8. Tú ___ la bicicleta
    • a) arreglamos
    • b) arreglas
    • c) arreglo
    • d) arregla

Answers

  1. a) arreglo — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
  2. d) arreglas — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.
  3. c) arregla — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form, because the subject is él/ella/Ud..
  4. b) arreglamos — The sentence needs the nosotros/as form, because the subject is nosotros/as.
  5. a) arregláis — The sentence needs the vosotros/as form, because the subject is vosotros/as.
  6. d) arreglan — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, because the subject is ellos/ellas/Uds..
  7. c) arreglo — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
  8. b) arreglas — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.

Frequently asked questions about arreglar in the present

Does arreglar mean to fix or to arrange?

Both. Arreglar means to fix something broken (arreglo el coche) and to arrange or sort something out (arreglo una reunión). The object tells you which meaning is meant.

Is arreglar regular?

Yes, arreglar is a regular -ar verb: arreglo, arreglas, arregla, arreglamos, arregláis, arreglan.

Is arreglar regular in the present?

Yes. arreglar is regular in the present: the six forms are the stem arregl- plus the regular endings, with no stem change. The only thing to watch is the written accent on the stressed endings, for example arreglo.

What are the gerund and the past participle of arreglar?

The gerund is arreglando, used with estar for the progressive (estoy arreglando), and the past participle is arreglado, used with haber for the perfect tenses (he arreglado).

How to remember arreglar

Four small habits will fix arreglar in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: arreglo, arreglas, arregla, arreglamos, arregláis, arreglan. Saying the forms is far more effective than reading them silently, because you hear the endings and the stem at the same time. Second, write three sentences about your own life: one about today with the present (arreglo), one about yesterday with the preterite (arreglé), and one about tomorrow with the future (arreglaré). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from ordenar: Arreglar is fixing something broken; ordenar is putting things in order. You arreglas el grifo que gotea and ordenas la cocina. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund arreglando and the past participle arreglado. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy arreglando) and the present perfect (he arreglado), which covers most everyday conversation.

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