Barrer Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb barrer means to sweep, 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 barrer 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 barro la cocina. — "I sweep the kitchen."

No pronunciation is given on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for barrer, 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 barrer present tense table

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for barrer. The gerund is barriendo and the past participle is barrido.

Person Form
yo barro
tú barres
él/ella/Ud. barre
nosotros/as barremos
vosotros/as barréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. barren

The gerund barriendo is used with estar for the progressive (estoy barriendo, I am sweeping), and the past participle barrido is used with haber for the perfect tenses (he barrido, I have swept).

How the present tense of barrer is formed

Start with the infinitive barrer. Take off the -er ending and you are left with the stem barr-. Then add the present endings for -er verbs: -o (yo), -es (tú), -e (él/ella/Ud.), -emos (nosotros/as), -éis (vosotros/as) and -en (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.

barrer 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: barréis. Second, the present tense in Spanish has no auxiliary verb: barro on its own means both "I sweep" and "I am sweeping" 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 barrer

Habits and routines

The present is the tense of what you do regularly. Talking about sweeping the floor: the kitchen, the patio, the whole house.

  • Yo barro la cocina. — "I sweep the kitchen."
  • Tú barres el suelo. — "you sweep the floor."

Facts and general truths

The present also states facts that are true in general, not just today. Talking about daily chores: sweeping in the morning before anything else.

  • Él barre el patio. — "he/she sweeps the patio."
  • Nosotros barremos todos los días. — "we sweep every day."

What is happening now

The present describes what is happening at this moment. Talking about the tool: a broom, and sweeping up leaves or dust.

  • Vosotros barréis por la mañana. — "you (all) sweep in the morning."
  • Ellos barren con una escoba nueva. — "they sweep with a new broom."

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 barre el patio. — "he/she sweeps the patio."
  • Nosotros barremos todos los días. — "we sweep every day."

Barrer 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 barro la cocina. — "I sweep the kitchen."

  • Progressive (right now): Yo estoy barriendo la cocina. — "I am sweeping the kitchen."

  • Present (habit): Tú barres el suelo. — "you sweep the floor."

  • Progressive (right now): Tú estás barriendo el suelo. — "you are sweeping the floor."

  • Present (habit): Él barre el patio. — "he/she sweeps the patio."

  • Progressive (right now): Él está barriendo el patio. — "he/she is sweeping the patio."

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 barro every day, that is a routine. If you say Estoy barriendo, you are doing it at this moment.

Examples of barrer 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. Barro la cocina todos los días. — "I sweep the kitchen every day."
  2. Mi abuela barre el patio por la mañana. — "My grandmother sweeps the patio in the morning."
  3. Ayer barrí el suelo con una escoba nueva. — "Yesterday I swept the floor with a new broom."
  4. De niña, barría el patio con mi hermana. — "As a girl, I used to sweep the patio with my sister."
  5. Mañana barreré la cocina antes de que lleguen los invitados. — "Tomorrow I will sweep the kitchen before the guests arrive."
  6. Si tuviera una escoba mejor, barrería más rápido. — "If I had a better broom, I would sweep faster."
  7. Él barre por la mañana. — "he/she sweeps in the morning."
  8. Nosotros barremos con una escoba nueva. — "we sweep with a new broom."

Common mistakes with barrer 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 barre la cocina.

Wrong: Yo barre la cocina.

Right: Yo barro la cocina.

Barrer is an -er verb, so the yo present ends in -o: barro. Barre is the él/ella form.

2. Ayer yo barro el suelo.

Wrong: Ayer yo barro el suelo.

Right: Ayer yo barrí el suelo.

A finished action yesterday needs the preterite: barrí. Barro is the present tense.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

Wrong: Ayer yo barro la cocina.

Right: Ayer yo barrí la cocina.

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

4. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros barreis la cocina.

Right: Vosotros barréis la cocina.

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

Quiz: test yourself on barrer 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 ___ la cocina
    • a) barro
    • b) barres
    • c) barre
    • d) barremos
  2. Tú ___ el suelo
    • a) barro
    • b) barre
    • c) barremos
    • d) barres
  3. Él ___ el patio
    • a) barres
    • b) barremos
    • c) barre
    • d) barro
  4. Nosotros ___ todos los días
    • a) barre
    • b) barremos
    • c) barro
    • d) barres
  5. Vosotros ___ por la mañana
    • a) barréis
    • b) barro
    • c) barres
    • d) barre
  6. Ellos ___ con una escoba nueva
    • a) barro
    • b) barres
    • c) barre
    • d) barren
  7. Yo ___ la cocina
    • a) barre
    • b) barremos
    • c) barro
    • d) barres
  8. Tú ___ el suelo
    • a) barremos
    • b) barres
    • c) barro
    • d) barre

Answers

  1. a) barro — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
  2. d) barres — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.
  3. c) barre — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form, because the subject is él/ella/Ud..
  4. b) barremos — The sentence needs the nosotros/as form, because the subject is nosotros/as.
  5. a) barréis — The sentence needs the vosotros/as form, because the subject is vosotros/as.
  6. d) barren — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, because the subject is ellos/ellas/Uds..
  7. c) barro — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
  8. b) barres — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.

Frequently asked questions about barrer in the present

Is barrer regular?

Yes, barrer is a regular -er verb: barro, barres, barre, barremos, barréis, barren. The double r stays in every form.

What is the difference between barrer and limpiar?

Barrer is specifically sweeping with a broom. Limpiar is the general word for cleaning, which can mean sweeping, washing or dusting.

Is barrer regular in the present?

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

What are the gerund and the past participle of barrer?

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

How to remember barrer

Four small habits will fix barrer in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: barro, barres, barre, barremos, barréis, barren. 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 (barro), one about yesterday with the preterite (barrí), and one about tomorrow with the future (barreré). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from ordenar: Barrer is sweeping the floor with a broom; ordenar is putting things in order. You barres el suelo and ordenas la habitación — different chores. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund barriendo and the past participle barrido. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy barriendo) and the present perfect (he barrido), which covers most everyday conversation.

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