Carecer Present Tense in Spanish
carecer means "to lack" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for carecer, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo carezco de dinero para el viaje. — "Every day, I lack of money for the trip." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of carecer: full table
Every person of carecer in the present tense. The gerund is careciendo and the past participle is carecido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | carezco |
| tú | careces |
| él/ella/Ud. | carece |
| nosotros/as | carecemos |
| vosotros/as | carecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | carecen |
The gerund of carecer is careciendo and the past participle is carecido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy careciendo), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he carecido).
How the present tense of carecer is formed
The present tense of carecer is built from the stem carec- plus the regular -er endings: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. Take the infinitive, remove the -er ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo carezco, tú careces, él carece, nosotros carecemos, vosotros carecéis and ellos carecen. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | carezco |
| tú | -es | careces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | carece |
| nosotros/as | -emos | carecemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | carecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | carecen |
Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is carezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example carezca.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is careciendo, used for the progressive with estar: estoy careciendo. The past participle is carecido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he carecido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with carecer
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo carezco de dinero para el viaje. — "Every day, I lack of money for the trip." The complement in this sentence is about money for the trip, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear carecer in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú careces de experiencia en el trabajo. — "Now, you lack of experience at work." The complement in this sentence is about experience at work, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear carecer in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él carece de sentido del humor. — "Normally, he/she lacks of a sense of humour." The complement in this sentence is about a sense of humour, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear carecer in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros carecemos de tiempo para estudiar. — "Tomorrow, we lack of time to study." The complement in this sentence is about time to study, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear carecer in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos carecen de dinero para el viaje. — "Always, they lack of money for the trip." The complement in this sentence is about money for the trip, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear carecer in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: carecer
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with carecer.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo carezco de dinero para el viaje. — "Every day, I lack of money for the trip."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo carecí de dinero para el viaje. — "Yesterday, I lackked of money for the trip."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú careces de experiencia en el trabajo. — "Every day, you lack of experience at work."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú careciste de experiencia en el trabajo. — "Yesterday, you lackked of experience at work."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él carece de sentido del humor. — "Every day, he/she lacks of a sense of humour."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él careció de sentido del humor. — "Yesterday, he/she lackked of a sense of humour."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: carecer in the present tense
These eight sentences show carecer in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo carezco de dinero para el viaje. — "I lack of money for the trip."
- Tú careces de experiencia en el trabajo. — "you lack of experience at work."
- Él carece de sentido del humor. — "he/she lacks of a sense of humour."
- Nosotros carecemos de tiempo para estudiar. — "we lack of time to study."
- Vosotros carecéis de dinero para el viaje. — "you (plural) lack of money for the trip."
- Ellos carecen de experiencia en el trabajo. — "they lack of experience at work."
- Yo carezco de sentido del humor. — "I lack of a sense of humour."
- Tú careces de tiempo para estudiar. — "you lack of time to study."
Common mistakes with carecer in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the zc spelling change
- Wrong: Yo careco de dinero para el viaje.
- Right: Yo carezco de dinero para el viaje.
- Why: In the present tense the c becomes zc before o: the yo form is carezco, never careco. The other persons keep the plain c: careces, carece.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me carezco de dinero para el viaje.
- Right: Yo carezco de dinero para el viaje.
- Why: carecer is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add. The extra pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo carezco de experiencia en el trabajo.
- Right: Ayer, yo carecí de experiencia en el trabajo.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo carecí de experiencia en el trabajo. — "Yesterday, I lackked of experience at work." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo carezco de sentido del humor.
- Right: Antes, yo carecía de sentido del humor.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo carecía de sentido del humor. — "In the past, I used to lack of a sense of humour." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros carece de dinero para el viaje.
- Right: Nosotros carecemos de dinero para el viaje.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes carecemos, while carece belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of carecer
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of carecer. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of carecer in the present tense?
- (a) carece
- (b) carecemos
- (c) carezco
- (d) careces
Answer: (c) carezco. The yo form is carezco. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of carecer in the present tense?
- (a) carecemos
- (b) careces
- (c) carezco
- (d) carece
Answer: (b) careces. The tú form is careces. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of carecer in the present tense?
- (a) carece
- (b) carezco
- (c) careces
- (d) carecemos
Answer: (a) carece. The él/ella form is carece. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of carecer in the present tense?
- (a) carezco
- (b) careces
- (c) carece
- (d) carecemos
Answer: (d) carecemos. The nosotros form is carecemos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of carecer in the present tense?
- (a) careces
- (b) carece
- (c) carecen
- (d) carezco
Answer: (c) carecen. The ellos/ellas form is carecen. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ de dinero para el viaje.
- (a) carecemos
- (b) carezco
- (c) careces
- (d) carece
Answer: (b) carezco. The sentence needs the yo form carezco (Every day, I lack of money for the trip.)
7. What is the gerund of carecer?
- (a) carecer
- (b) careciendo
- (c) carecido
- (d) carezco
Answer: (b) careciendo. The gerund is careciendo, used for the progressive: estoy careciendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, yo carezco de experiencia en el trabajo.
- (b) Antes, yo carecía de experiencia en el trabajo.
- (c) Ayer, yo carecí de experiencia en el trabajo.
- (d) Mañana, yo careceré de experiencia en el trabajo.
Answer: (a) Cada día, yo carezco de experiencia en el trabajo.. Cada día, yo carezco de experiencia en el trabajo. (Every day, I lack of experience at work.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo carecí de experiencia en el trabajo. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo careceré de experiencia en el trabajo. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of carecer
Is carecer regular in the present tense?
Almost. carecer is a spelling-changing (c → zc before o and a) -er verb, so its endings are regular, but watch the spelling: Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is carezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example carezca.
How do you say 'lack' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo carezco de dinero para el viaje. — "Every day, I lack of money for the trip." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with carecer?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo carezco de experiencia en el trabajo. — "Every day, I lack of experience at work." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo carecí de experiencia en el trabajo. — "Yesterday, I lackked of experience at work." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with carecer?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros carecemos de tiempo para estudiar. — "Tomorrow, we lack of time to study." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.