Botar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of botar — “to throw away, to bounce” 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 botar 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. Botar means to throw away or to bounce, to get rid of rubbish, and also for a ball bouncing. The two meanings share the idea of throwing, and the verb is fully regular. To see it in a real sentence: Boto la basura en el contenedor. — “I throw away the rubbish in the container.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of botar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: botar
Every person of botar in the present tense. The gerund is botando and the past participle is botado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | boto |
| tú | botas |
| él/ella/Ud. | bota |
| nosotros/as | botamos |
| vosotros/as | botáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | botan |
How the present indicative of botar is formed
The present indicative of botar is built from the stem plus the present indicative 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 | boto |
| tú | -as | botas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | bota |
| nosotros/as | -amos | botamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | botáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | botan |
Botar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is bot- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of botar is botando and the past participle is botado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of botar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and botar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and botar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo boto la basura en el contenedor todos los días.” — “I throw away the rubbish in the container every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él bota la pelota en el patio.” — “He/she throws away the ball in the yard.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so boto can mean both “I throw away” and “I am throw awaying”.
“Ahora mismo, yo boto los zapatos viejos.” — “Right now, I throw away the old shoes.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo boto el balón contra el suelo.” — “Tomorrow, I will throw away the ball against the ground.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú botas la basura en el contenedor?” — “Do you throw away the rubbish in the container?”
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Bota la pelota en el patio. — “He/she throws away the ball in the yard.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Botó la pelota en el patio. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add “used to” in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Botan los zapatos viejos. — “They throw away the old shoes.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Botaban los zapatos viejos. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Botas el balón contra el suelo. — “You throw away the ball against the ground.”
- Future — what will happen: Botarás el balón contra el suelo. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: botar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show botar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo boto la basura en el contenedor. — “I throw away the rubbish in the container.”
- Tú botas la pelota en el patio. — “You throw away the ball in the yard.”
- Él bota los zapatos viejos. — “He throws away the old shoes.”
- Nosotros botamos el balón contra el suelo. — “We throw away the ball against the ground.”
- Vosotros botáis la basura en el contenedor. — “You (plural) throw away the rubbish in the container.”
- Ellos botan la pelota en el patio. — “They throw away the ball in the yard.”
- ¿Tú botas los zapatos viejos? — “Do you throw away the old shoes?”
Common mistakes with botar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with botar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo botar la basura en el contenedor. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo boto la basura en el contenedor.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of botar is boto, not the infinitive botar.
✗ Vosotros botais la basura en el contenedor. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros botáis la basura en el contenedor.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: botáis, not botais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo boto la pelota en el patio. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo boté la pelota en el patio.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: boto is happening now, while boté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating botar and tirar as identical in every context. (confusing botar with tirar).
✓ Correct: Botar means to throw away, to bounce, while tirar means to throw.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: botar fits sentences such as Boto la basura en el contenedor, while tirar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: botar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of botar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of botar for tú?
- a) botas
- b) boto
- c) bota
- d) botan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la basura en el contenedor. — “I throw away the rubbish in the container.”
- a) bota
- b) botamos
- c) botas
- d) boto
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la pelota en el patio. — “He/she throws away the ball in the yard.” (present tense)
- a) botaba
- b) botará
- c) bota
- d) botó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of botar for nosotros?
- a) botan
- b) botamos
- c) boto
- d) bota
5. Which sentence uses botar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él botó la pelota en el patio.
- b) Él bota la pelota en el patio.
- c) Él botará la pelota en el patio.
- d) Ellos bota la pelota en el patio.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ los zapatos viejos. — “They throw away the old shoes.”
- a) boto
- b) bota
- c) botamos
- d) botan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ el balón contra el suelo? — “Do you throw away the ball against the ground?”
- a) bota
- b) botarás
- c) botas
- d) boto
8. What is the gerund of botar?
- a) boté
- b) botando
- c) botado
- d) boto
Answer key
a) botas — The tú form is botas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; boto is yo, bota is él/ella and botan is ellos/ellas.
d) boto — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: boto. The other options are the wrong person.
c) bota — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: bota. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) botamos — Nosotros takes botamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él bota la pelota en el patio. — Él bota la pelota en el patio. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) botan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is botan.
c) botas — The question needs the tú form in the present: botas.
b) botando — The gerund is botando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle botado.
Frequently asked questions
Is botar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Botar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: boto, botas, bota, botamos, botáis and botan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of botar?
The gerund is botando and the past participle is botado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I throw away” in Spanish?
Say boto. For example: Boto la basura en el contenedor. — “I throw away the rubbish in the container.”
What is the difference between botar and tirar?
Botar means “to throw away, to bounce”, while tirar means “to throw”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use botar when you mean “to throw away, to bounce” and tirar when you mean “to throw”. The full conjugation of botar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of botar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- botar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Cabecear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with botar.
- Bromear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with botar.
- Azotar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with botar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.