Besar in the Present Tense

Besar means “to kiss”, and this page covers exactly one thing: besar in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about routines, facts and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for besar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about besar in the present. For example: “Yo beso a su madre en la mejilla.” — I kiss his mother on the cheek. Everything on this page uses the forms of besar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Besar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo beso
tú besas
él/ella/Ud. besa
nosotros/as besamos
vosotros/as besáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. besan

Gerund: besando · Past participle: besado

The gerund is besando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy besando” means the action of besar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is besado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he besado” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how besar is used.

How the present of besar is formed

Besar is regular in the present tense. Take the stem bes and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving beso, besas, besa, besamos, besáis, besan. Watch the accents: the yo form is beso and the él/ella/Ud. form is besa.

When to use the present of besar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use besar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Routines and habits

The present tense is the tense of what you do regularly. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the right choice, and besar is no exception. Example: “Yo beso a su madre en la mejilla todos los días.” — I kiss his mother on the cheek every day.

2. Facts and general truths

The present states facts that are true in general, not just right now. Use it to say what besar means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Besa a los niños antes de dormir.” — He/she kisses the children before bedtime.

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes actions in progress at this very moment. When something is happening as you speak, the present tense says so directly. Example: “Yo beso en la frente con cariño ahora.” — I kiss on the forehead with love now.

4. Scheduled events in the near future

Spanish often uses the present for things that are already arranged, such as plans for tomorrow or next week. The present sounds more certain than the future in these cases. Example: “Nosotros besamos a su novia al despedirse.” — We kiss his girlfriend as they say goodbye.

5. Instructions and everyday speech

In everyday speech the present gives instructions, makes offers and states what someone does. It is the tense you will hear most often in conversation. Example: “Tú besas a su madre en la mejilla.” — You kiss his mother on the cheek.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present describes routines, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is a habit or a finished event. Time words help: todos los días and cada semana point to the present, while ayer and la semana pasada point to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Yo beso a su madre en la mejilla todos los días.” — I kiss his mother on the cheek every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo besé a su madre en la mejilla.” — Yesterday, I kissed his mother on the cheek.

  • The present sentence describes a habit; the preterite sentence reports one finished action. Todos los días points to the present, ayer points to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Él besa a los niños antes de dormir cada semana.” — He/she kisses the children before bedtime every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él besó a los niños antes de dormir.” — Last week, he kissed the children before bedtime.

  • Cada semana describes a routine, so the present is right; la semana pasada names one finished week, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Nosotros besamos en la frente con cariño a menudo.” — We kiss on the forehead with love often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros besamos en la frente con cariño.” — Yesterday, we kissed on the forehead with love.

  • The present sentence counts no single event; the preterite sentence counts one finished action. That difference — habit versus finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: besar in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Beso a su madre en la mejilla.” — I kiss his mother on the cheek.

  2. “Besas a los niños antes de dormir.” — You kiss the children before bedtime.

  3. “Besa en la frente con cariño.” — He/she kisses on the forehead with love.

  4. “Besamos a su novia al despedirse.” — We kiss his girlfriend as they say goodbye.

  5. “Besáis a su madre en la mejilla.” — You kiss his mother on the cheek.

  6. “Besan a los niños antes de dormir.” — They kiss the children before bedtime.

  7. “Beso en la frente con cariño.” — I kiss on the forehead with love.

  8. “Besa a su novia al despedirse.” — He/she kisses his girlfriend as they say goodbye.

Common mistakes with besar in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Ellos besa a su madre en la mejilla.” Right: “Ellos besan a su madre en la mejilla.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form besan. The singular besa belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.

  • Wrong: “Yo beso a los niños antes de dormir ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo besé a los niños antes de dormir.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to besé.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros besas en la frente con cariño.” Right: “Nosotros besamos en la frente con cariño.” Why: Nosotros needs besamos. The tú form besas belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos beso a su novia al despedirse todos los días.” Right: “Ellos besan a su novia al despedirse todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form besan, not the yo form beso. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.

Quiz: besar in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ a su madre en la mejilla.” (His mother on the cheek.)

  • (a) beso
  • (b) besas
  • (c) besa

Answer: beso — The yo form of besar in the present is beso. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ a los niños antes de dormir?” (The children before bedtime.)

  • (a) beso
  • (b) besa
  • (c) besas

Answer: besas — The tú form of besar in the present is besas. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ en la frente con cariño.” (On the forehead with love.)

  • (a) besas
  • (b) besa
  • (c) beso

Answer: besa — The él/ella/Ud. form of besar in the present is besa. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ a su novia al despedirse.” (His girlfriend as they say goodbye.)

  • (a) besamos
  • (b) beso
  • (c) besas

Answer: besamos — The nosotros/as form of besar in the present is besamos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of besar in the present?

  • (a) beso
  • (b) besas
  • (c) besáis

Answer: besáis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes besáis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros besáis a su madre en la mejilla.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ a los niños antes de dormir.” (The children before bedtime.)

  • (a) besas
  • (b) besan
  • (c) beso

Answer: besan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of besar in the present is besan. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

7. Which is the correct yo form of besar in the present?

  • (a) beso
  • (b) besas
  • (c) besa

Answer: beso — The yo form is beso. The other two options are the forms for other persons.

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo besé a su madre en la mejilla todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros besaremos a su madre en la mejilla mañana.
  • (c) Yo beso a su madre en la mejilla todos los días.

Answer: Yo beso a su madre en la mejilla todos los días. — “Yo beso a su madre en la mejilla todos los días.” describes a habit, so it takes the present. The second option reports a finished action in the past, and the third looks to the future.

Frequently asked questions

Is besar regular in the present?

Yes. Besar is regular in the present: beso, besas, besa, besamos, besáis, besan. Watch the accents on the yo and él forms, and remember that only context tells the nosotros form apart from the present-tense nosotros form when they are identical.

What is the past participle of besar?

The past participle is besado: 'He besado' means 'I have kissed'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is besando.

Does besar take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Besar takes a direct object with no preposition: beso a mi madre, not beso con mi madre. In the examples on this page, besar appears with complements such as a su madre en la mejilla and a los niños antes de dormir, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of besar?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo beso, tú besas, él/ella/Ud. besa, nosotros/as besamos, vosotros/as besáis, ellos/ellas/Uds. besan. Then write three of your own sentences with besar in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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