Introduction
Cantar means “to sing”, and this page covers exactly one thing: cantar in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for cantar, 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 cantar in the present. Cantar is the verb for singing a song, in the shower, in a choir or on a stage. It is followed directly by the song or nothing at all. For example: “Yo canto en la ducha por la mañana.” — I sing in the shower in the morning. Everything on this page uses the forms of cantar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Cantar in the Present Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | canto |
| tú | cantas |
| él/ella/Ud. | canta |
| nosotros/as | cantamos |
| vosotros/as | cantáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cantan |
Gerund: cantando · Past participle: cantado
The gerund is cantando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy cantando” means the action of cantar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is cantado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he cantado” 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 cantar is used.
How the present of cantar is formed
Cantar is a regular -ar verb, so the present follows the standard pattern with no surprises. Take the stem cant (the infinitive without its -ar ending) and add the present endings: -o for yo, -as or -es for tú, -a or -e for él/ella/Ud., -amos / -emos / -imos for nosotros, -áis for vosotros, and -an or -en for ellos/ellas/Uds.. That gives you canto, cantas, canta, cantamos, cantáis and cantan. Because the verb is regular, once you know the stem and the six endings you can produce every form without memorising a list, and the same pattern works for every other regular -ar verb you learn.
When to use the present of cantar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use cantar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. Singing songs
Cantar is the verb for singing a song, in the shower, in a choir or on a stage. It is followed directly by the song or nothing at all. Example: “Yo canto en la ducha por la mañana.” — I sing in the shower in the morning.
2. Singing in a choir or a band
Cantar en + place means to sing somewhere as part of a group: in a choir, in a band, in a church. It is how singers describe where they perform. Example: “Ella canta en un coro los domingos.” — She sings in a choir on Sundays.
3. Singing to someone
Cantar a + person means to sing to someone, often a child at bedtime or a loved one. The personal a marks the listener. Example: “Nosotros cantamos a los niños antes de dormir.” — We sing to the children before bedtime.
4. Habits and routines
The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and cantar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos los días, siempre or cada semana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Yo canto en la ducha por la mañana.” — I sing in the shower in the morning.
5. What is happening right now
The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Spanish often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with cantar in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nosotros cantamos a los niños antes de dormir.” — We sing to the children before bedtime.
Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the preterite describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as todos los días or siempre, while the preterite sentences use ayer or la semana pasada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.
Present Tense: “Yo canto en la ducha todas las mañanas.” — I sing in the shower every morning.
Preterite: “Ayer yo canté en la ducha por la mañana.” — Yesterday I sang in the shower in the morning.
Todas las mañanas describes a routine, so the present is right; ayer names one finished morning, so the preterite is right.
Present Tense: “Ella canta en un coro todos los domingos.” — She sings in a choir every Sunday.
Preterite: “Ella cantó una canción preciosa anoche.” — She sang a beautiful song last night.
Todos los domingos signals repetition, so the present fits; anoche names one finished evening, so the preterite fits.
Present Tense: “Yo canto en la ducha por la mañana.” — I sing in the shower in the morning.
Preterite: “Ayer, yo canté en la ducha por la mañana.” — the same action, but finished yesterday instead of repeated as a habit.
The present sentence is true every day; the preterite sentence is true once, yesterday. That difference — routine versus one finished event — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: cantar 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.
“Yo canto en la ducha por la mañana.” — I sing in the shower in the morning.
“¿Tú cantas en el coro de la iglesia?” — Do you sing in the church choir?
“Ella canta en un coro los domingos.” — She sings in a choir on Sundays.
“Nosotros cantamos a los niños antes de dormir.” — We sing to the children before bedtime.
“Vosotros cantáis muy bien juntos.” — You sing very well together.
“Ellos cantan canciones de amor.” — They sing love songs.
“Yo canto en español y en inglés.” — I sing in Spanish and in English.
“Mi padre canta mientras cocina.” — My father sings while he cooks.
Common mistakes with cantar 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: “Yo canto a una canción.” Right: “Yo canto una canción.” Why: A song is the direct object of cantar, with no preposition: canto una canción. The a is for people: canto a los niños means I sing to the children, which is a different sentence.
Wrong: “Ellos canta canciones de amor.” Right: “Ellos cantan canciones de amor.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form cantan. The singular canta belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Yo canto en el coro ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo canté en el coro.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to canté.
Wrong: “Nosotros cantas a los niños.” Right: “Nosotros cantamos a los niños.” Why: Nosotros needs cantamos. The tú form cantas belongs with tú.
Quiz: cantar 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 ______ en la ducha por la mañana.” (I sing in the shower in the morning.)
- (a) cantas
- (b) canta
- (c) canto
Answer: canto — The yo form of cantar in the present is canto. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ en el coro de la iglesia?” (Do you sing in the church choir?)
- (a) canta
- (b) cantas
- (c) canto
Answer: cantas — The tú form of cantar in the present is cantas. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Ella ______ en un coro los domingos.” (She sings in a choir on Sundays.)
- (a) canta
- (b) canto
- (c) cantas
Answer: canta — The él/ella/Ud. form of cantar in the present is canta. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ a los niños antes de dormir.” (We sing to the children before bedtime.)
- (a) canto
- (b) cantas
- (c) cantamos
Answer: cantamos — The nosotros/as form of cantar in the present is cantamos. 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 cantar in the present?
- (a) cantas
- (b) cantáis
- (c) canto
Answer: cantáis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes cantáis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros cantáis muy bien juntos.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ canciones de amor.” (They sing love songs.)
- (a) canto
- (b) cantas
- (c) cantan
Answer: cantan — The subject needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, which is cantan.
7. Which is the correct yo form of cantar in the present?
- (a) canto
- (b) canta
- (c) cantan
Answer: canto — The yo form is canto. The other two options are the él/ella and ellos/ellas forms.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something that happens regularly?
- (a) Yo canto en la ducha todas las mañanas.
- (b) Ayer yo canté en la ducha por la mañana.
- (c) Ella cantó una canción preciosa anoche.
Answer: Yo canto en la ducha todas las mañanas. — “Yo canto en la ducha todas las mañanas.” describes something repeated, so it takes the present tense. The other two sentences describe single finished occasions in the past, not habits.
Frequently asked questions
Is cantar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Cantar is a regular -ar verb: the stem is cant- and the present endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis and -an. There are no stem changes, so the whole table follows the standard pattern.
Does cantar take a preposition before a song?
No. A song is the direct object: 'Canto una canción', 'Cantan canciones de amor'. The preposition a appears before a person you sing to, and en appears before the place you sing in: 'Canto en un coro'.
How do you say 'to sing along' in Spanish?
Say 'cantar con la música' or use the verb corear for singing along with a crowd. 'Canto con la radio' means I sing along with the radio, which is the everyday way to express it.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of cantar — every tense of cantar in one place.
- Cantar examples and quiz — more sentences with cantar and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on cantar and other verbs.