Causar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of causar — “to cause” 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 causar 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. Causar means to cause, and it is used for anything that produces an effect: rain causes delays, a fire causes damage, a decision causes problems, good news causes joy. It is a regular -ar verb, common in news and in science. Causar 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: Causo retrasos en el tráfico.

Present tense conjugation table: causar

Every person of causar in the present tense. The gerund is causando and the past participle is causado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo causo
tú causas
él/ella/Ud. causa
nosotros/as causamos
vosotros/as causáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. causan

How the present of causar is formed

The present of causar is built from the stem caus- 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 causo
tú -as causas
él/ella/Ud. -a causa
nosotros/as -amos causamos
vosotros/as -áis causáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an causan

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

When to use the present tense with causar

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo causo retrasos en el tráfico. — I cause delays in the traffic.

General facts

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

Él/Ella causa daños en la casa. — He causes damage to the house.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as causamos problemas en la oficina. — Right now, We cause problems in the office.

Near-future plans

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

Mañana, Tú causas una gran alegría. — Tomorrow, You cause great joy.

Instructions and timeless statements

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

Él/Ella causa retrasos en el tráfico. — He causes delays in the traffic.

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 causar.

  1. Yo causo retrasos en el tráfico. — I cause delays in the traffic. / Ayer, Yo causé retrasos en el tráfico. — Yesterday, I caused delays in the traffic.
  2. Yo causo daños en la casa. — I cause damage to the house. / Ayer, Yo causé daños en la casa. — Yesterday, I caused damage to the house.
  3. Yo causo problemas en la oficina. — I cause problems in the office. / Ayer, Yo causé problemas en la oficina. — Yesterday, I caused problems in the office.

Example sentences in the present tense

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

  1. Yo causo retrasos en el tráfico. — I cause delays in the traffic.
  2. Tú causas daños en la casa. — You cause damage to the house.
  3. Él/Ella causa problemas en la oficina. — He causes problems in the office.
  4. Nosotros/as causamos una gran alegría. — We cause great joy.
  5. Vosotros/as causáis retrasos en el tráfico. — You cause delays in the traffic.
  6. Ellos/as causan daños en la casa. — They cause damage to the house.
  7. Yo causo problemas en la oficina. — I cause problems in the office.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo causa retrasos en el tráfico. — Right: Yo causo retrasos en el tráfico. — The person matters: causa is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is causo.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo causo daños en la casa. — Right: Ayer, yo causé daños en la casa. — With ayer, use the preterite (causé), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using causar where provocar belongs. — Right: Causar means to cause, while provocar means to cause or provoke something. — Check the meaning before you choose: causar fits Causo retrasos en el tráfico.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él causa daños en la casa. — Right: Espero que él cause daños en la casa. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: cause, not the present indicative causa.

Quiz: the present tense of causar

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ retrasos en el tráfico. (present tense, yo) A. causo B. causas C. causa D. causamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ daños en la casa. (present tense, tú) A. causo B. causa C. causamos D. causas

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ problemas en la oficina. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. causas B. causamos C. causa D. causo

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ una gran alegría. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. causa B. causamos C. causo D. causas

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ retrasos en el tráfico. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. causáis B. causo C. causas D. causa

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ daños en la casa. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. causo B. causas C. causa D. causan

  7. Which is the gerund of causar? A. causo B. causé C. causando D. causado

  8. Which is the past participle of causar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. causé B. causado C. causando D. causo

Answer key

  1. causo — The yo present form of causar is causo.
  2. causas — The tú present form of causar is causas.
  3. causa — The él/ella/Ud. present form of causar is causa.
  4. causamos — The nosotros/as present form of causar is causamos.
  5. causáis — The vosotros/as present form of causar is causáis.
  6. causan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of causar is causan.
  7. causando — The gerund of causar is causando: estoy causando.
  8. causado — The past participle of causar is causado: he causado, has causado, ha causado.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of causar formed?

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

When do I use the present tense of causar?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Causo retrasos en el tráfico.

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

The present (causo) and the preterite (causé) 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 causar?

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

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