Cancelar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of cancelar — “to cancel” 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 cancelar 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. Cancelar means to cancel, and it is used for cancelling appointments, flights, subscriptions and meetings: you cancel a dentist appointment, a flight to Madrid, a gym subscription. It is a regular -ar verb, common in travel, health and work. Cancelar is a regular -ar verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Cancelo la cita con el dentista.

Present tense conjugation table: cancelar

Every person of cancelar in the present tense. The gerund is cancelando and the past participle is cancelado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo cancelo
tú cancelas
él/ella/Ud. cancela
nosotros/as cancelamos
vosotros/as canceláis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cancelan

How the present of cancelar is formed

The present of cancelar is built from the stem cancel- plus the present 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 cancelo
tú -as cancelas
él/ella/Ud. -a cancela
nosotros/as -amos cancelamos
vosotros/as -áis canceláis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an cancelan

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

When to use the present tense with cancelar

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo cancelo la cita con el dentista. — I cancel the appointment with the dentist.

General facts

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

Él/Ella cancela el vuelo a Madrid. — He cancels the flight to Madrid.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as cancelamos la suscripción al gimnasio. — Right now, We cancel the gym subscription.

Near-future plans

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

Mañana, Tú cancelas la reunión de mañana. — Tomorrow, You cancel tomorrow's meeting.

Instructions and timeless statements

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

Él/Ella cancela la cita con el dentista. — He cancels the appointment with the dentist.

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 cancelar.

  1. Yo cancelo la cita con el dentista. — I cancel the appointment with the dentist. / Ayer, Yo cancelé la cita con el dentista. — Yesterday, I cancelled the appointment with the dentist.
  2. Yo cancelo el vuelo a Madrid. — I cancel the flight to Madrid. / Ayer, Yo cancelé el vuelo a Madrid. — Yesterday, I cancelled the flight to Madrid.
  3. Yo cancelo la suscripción al gimnasio. — I cancel the gym subscription. / Ayer, Yo cancelé la suscripción al gimnasio. — Yesterday, I cancelled the gym subscription.

Example sentences in the present tense

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

  1. Yo cancelo la cita con el dentista. — I cancel the appointment with the dentist.
  2. Tú cancelas el vuelo a Madrid. — You cancel the flight to Madrid.
  3. Él/Ella cancela la suscripción al gimnasio. — He cancels the gym subscription.
  4. Nosotros/as cancelamos la reunión de mañana. — We cancel tomorrow's meeting.
  5. Vosotros/as canceláis la cita con el dentista. — You cancel the appointment with the dentist.
  6. Ellos/as cancelan el vuelo a Madrid. — They cancel the flight to Madrid.
  7. Yo cancelo la suscripción al gimnasio. — I cancel the gym subscription.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo cancela la cita con el dentista. — Right: Yo cancelo la cita con el dentista. — The person matters: cancela is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is cancelo.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo cancelo el vuelo a Madrid. — Right: Ayer, yo cancelé el vuelo a Madrid. — With ayer, use the preterite (cancelé), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using cancelar where anular belongs. — Right: Cancelar means to cancel, while anular means to annul or cancel something officially. — Check the meaning before you choose: cancelar fits Cancelo la cita con el dentista.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él cancela el vuelo a Madrid. — Right: Espero que él cancele el vuelo a Madrid. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: cancele, not the present indicative cancela.

Quiz: the present tense of cancelar

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la cita con el dentista. (present tense, yo) A. cancelo B. cancelas C. cancela D. cancelamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el vuelo a Madrid. (present tense, tú) A. cancelo B. cancela C. cancelamos D. cancelas

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ la suscripción al gimnasio. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. cancelas B. cancelamos C. cancela D. cancelo

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ la reunión de mañana. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. cancela B. cancelamos C. cancelo D. cancelas

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ la cita con el dentista. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. canceláis B. cancelo C. cancelas D. cancela

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el vuelo a Madrid. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. cancelo B. cancelas C. cancela D. cancelan

  7. Which is the gerund of cancelar? A. cancelo B. cancelé C. cancelando D. cancelado

  8. Which is the past participle of cancelar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. cancelé B. cancelado C. cancelando D. cancelo

Answer key

  1. cancelo — The yo present form of cancelar is cancelo.
  2. cancelas — The tú present form of cancelar is cancelas.
  3. cancela — The él/ella/Ud. present form of cancelar is cancela.
  4. cancelamos — The nosotros/as present form of cancelar is cancelamos.
  5. canceláis — The vosotros/as present form of cancelar is canceláis.
  6. cancelan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of cancelar is cancelan.
  7. cancelando — The gerund of cancelar is cancelando: estoy cancelando.
  8. cancelado — The past participle of cancelar is cancelado: he cancelado, has cancelado, ha cancelado.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of cancelar formed?

Take the infinitive cancelar, drop the -ar ending to get the stem cancel-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of cancelar is fully regular: the stem cancel- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.

When do I use the present tense of cancelar?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Cancelo la cita con el dentista.

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

The present (cancelo) and the preterite (cancelé) 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 cancelar?

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

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