Asumir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of asumir — “to assume” 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 asumir 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. Asumir means to assume, and it covers assuming a responsibility, assuming a cost, assuming a role and assuming that something is true. It is a formal verb of work, politics and reasoning, and it is a regular -ir verb. Asumir is a regular -ir verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Asumo la responsabilidad del proyecto.

Present tense conjugation table: asumir

Every person of asumir in the present tense. The gerund is asumiendo and the past participle is asumido.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo asumo
tú asumes
él/ella/Ud. asume
nosotros/as asumimos
vosotros/as asumís
ellos/ellas/Uds. asumen

How the present of asumir is formed

The present of asumir is built from the stem asum- plus the present endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir 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 asumo
tú -es asumes
él/ella/Ud. -e asume
nosotros/as -imos asumimos
vosotros/as -ís asumís
ellos/ellas/Uds. -en asumen

For asumir there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem asum- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.

When to use the present tense with asumir

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo asumo la responsabilidad del proyecto. — I assume responsibility for the project.

General facts

Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.

Él/Ella asume el coste de la reparación. — He assumes the cost of the repair.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as asumimos el papel de portavoz. — Right now, We assume the role of spokesperson.

Near-future plans

Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.

Mañana, Tú asumes que todo saldrá bien. — Tomorrow, You assume that everything will turn out well.

Instructions and timeless statements

Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.

Él/Ella asume la responsabilidad del proyecto. — He assumes responsibility for the project.

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 asumir.

  1. Yo asumo la responsabilidad del proyecto. — I assume responsibility for the project. / Ayer, Yo asumí la responsabilidad del proyecto. — Yesterday, I assumed responsibility for the project.
  2. Yo asumo el coste de la reparación. — I assume the cost of the repair. / Ayer, Yo asumí el coste de la reparación. — Yesterday, I assumed the cost of the repair.
  3. Yo asumo el papel de portavoz. — I assume the role of spokesperson. / Ayer, Yo asumí el papel de portavoz. — Yesterday, I assumed the role of spokesperson.

Example sentences in the present tense

Seven sentences with asumir in the present tense only, covering all six persons.

  1. Yo asumo la responsabilidad del proyecto. — I assume responsibility for the project.
  2. Tú asumes el coste de la reparación. — You assume the cost of the repair.
  3. Él/Ella asume el papel de portavoz. — He assumes the role of spokesperson.
  4. Nosotros/as asumimos que todo saldrá bien. — We assume that everything will turn out well.
  5. Vosotros/as asumís la responsabilidad del proyecto. — You assume responsibility for the project.
  6. Ellos/as asumen el coste de la reparación. — They assume the cost of the repair.
  7. Yo asumo el papel de portavoz. — I assume the role of spokesperson.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo asume la responsabilidad del proyecto. — Right: Yo asumo la responsabilidad del proyecto. — The person matters: asume is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is asumo.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo asumo el coste de la reparación. — Right: Ayer, yo asumí el coste de la reparación. — With ayer, use the preterite (asumí), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using asumir where suponer belongs. — Right: Asumir means to assume, while suponer means to suppose something. — Check the meaning before you choose: asumir fits Asumo la responsabilidad del proyecto.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él asume el coste de la reparación. — Right: Espero que él asuma el coste de la reparación. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: asuma, not the present indicative asume.

Quiz: the present tense of asumir

Eight questions on the present tense of asumir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la responsabilidad del proyecto. (present tense, yo) A. asumo B. asumes C. asume D. asumimos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el coste de la reparación. (present tense, tú) A. asumo B. asume C. asumimos D. asumes

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ el papel de portavoz. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. asumes B. asumimos C. asume D. asumo

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ que todo saldrá bien. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. asume B. asumimos C. asumo D. asumes

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ la responsabilidad del proyecto. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. asumís B. asumo C. asumes D. asume

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el coste de la reparación. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. asumo B. asumes C. asume D. asumen

  7. Which is the gerund of asumir? A. asumo B. asumí C. asumiendo D. asumido

  8. Which is the past participle of asumir, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. asumí B. asumido C. asumiendo D. asumo

Answer key

  1. asumo — The yo present form of asumir is asumo.
  2. asumes — The tú present form of asumir is asumes.
  3. asume — The él/ella/Ud. present form of asumir is asume.
  4. asumimos — The nosotros/as present form of asumir is asumimos.
  5. asumís — The vosotros/as present form of asumir is asumís.
  6. asumen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of asumir is asumen.
  7. asumiendo — The gerund of asumir is asumiendo: estoy asumiendo.
  8. asumido — The past participle of asumir is asumido: he asumido, has asumido, ha asumido.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of asumir formed?

Take the infinitive asumir, drop the -ir ending to get the stem asum-, then add the present endings: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of asumir is fully regular: the stem asum- plus the standard -ir endings gives every form.

When do I use the present tense of asumir?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Asumo la responsabilidad del proyecto.

What is the difference between the present and the preterite of asumir?

The present (asumo) and the preterite (asumí) 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 asumir?

Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of asumir to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the asumir examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.

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