Ceder Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of ceder — “to give in, to cede” 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 ceder 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. Ceder means to give in or to cede, to yield a point, a place or a right to someone else. It is used in arguments, traffic and negotiations, and it is a fully regular -er verb. To see it in a real sentence: Cedo el paso al peatón. — “I give in the way to the pedestrian.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of ceder will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: ceder
Every person of ceder in the present tense. The gerund is cediendo and the past participle is cedido.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cedo |
| tú | cedes |
| él/ella/Ud. | cede |
| nosotros/as | cedemos |
| vosotros/as | cedéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ceden |
How the present indicative of ceder is formed
The present indicative of ceder is built from the stem plus the present indicative endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er 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 | cedo |
| tú | -es | cedes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | cede |
| nosotros/as | -emos | cedemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | cedéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | ceden |
Ceder is a regular -er verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is ced- and the endings are the normal -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of ceder is cediendo and the past participle is cedido. 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 ceder
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and ceder 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 ceder fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo cedo el paso al peatón todos los días.” — “I give in the way to the pedestrian 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 cede ante la presión del grupo.” — “He/she gives in to the pressure of the group.”
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 cedo can mean both “I give in” and “I am give ining”.
“Ahora mismo, yo cedo su asiento a la anciana.” — “Right now, I give in my seat to the old lady.”
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 cedo el terreno en la negociación.” — “Tomorrow, I will give in ground in the negotiation.”
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 cedes el paso al peatón?” — “Do you give in the way to the pedestrian?”
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: Cede ante la presión del grupo. — “He/she gives in to the pressure of the group.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Cedió ante la presión del grupo. — 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: Ceden su asiento a la anciana. — “They give in my seat to the old lady.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Cedían su asiento a la anciana. — 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: Cedes el terreno en la negociación. — “You give in ground in the negotiation.”
- Future — what will happen: Cederás el terreno en la negociación. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: ceder in the present tense
Seven sentences that show ceder in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo cedo el paso al peatón. — “I give in the way to the pedestrian.”
- Tú cedes ante la presión del grupo. — “You give in to the pressure of the group.”
- Él cede su asiento a la anciana. — “He gives in my seat to the old lady.”
- Nosotros cedemos el terreno en la negociación. — “We give in ground in the negotiation.”
- Vosotros cedéis el paso al peatón. — “You (plural) give in the way to the pedestrian.”
- Ellos ceden ante la presión del grupo. — “They give in to the pressure of the group.”
- ¿Tú cedes su asiento a la anciana? — “Do you give in my seat to the old lady?”
Common mistakes with ceder in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with ceder in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo ceder el paso al peatón. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo cedo el paso al peatón.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of ceder is cedo, not the infinitive ceder.
✗ Vosotros cedeis el paso al peatón. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros cedéis el paso al peatón.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: cedéis, not cedeis. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo cedo ante la presión del grupo. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo cedí ante la presión del grupo.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: cedo is happening now, while cedí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating ceder and rendirse as identical in every context. (confusing ceder with rendirse).
✓ Correct: Ceder means to give in, to cede, while rendirse means to give up completely.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: ceder fits sentences such as Cedo el paso al peatón, while rendirse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: ceder in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of ceder. 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 ceder for tú?
- a) cedes
- b) cedo
- c) cede
- d) ceden
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el paso al peatón. — “I give in the way to the pedestrian.”
- a) cede
- b) cedemos
- c) cedes
- d) cedo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ ante la presión del grupo. — “He/she gives in to the pressure of the group.” (present tense)
- a) cedía
- b) cederá
- c) cede
- d) cedió
4. Which is the correct present tense form of ceder for nosotros?
- a) ceden
- b) cedemos
- c) cedo
- d) cede
5. Which sentence uses ceder correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él cedió ante la presión del grupo.
- b) Él cede ante la presión del grupo.
- c) Él cederá ante la presión del grupo.
- d) Ellos cede ante la presión del grupo.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ su asiento a la anciana. — “They give in my seat to the old lady.”
- a) cedo
- b) cede
- c) cedemos
- d) ceden
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ el terreno en la negociación? — “Do you give in ground in the negotiation?”
- a) cede
- b) cederás
- c) cedes
- d) cedo
8. What is the gerund of ceder?
- a) cedí
- b) cediendo
- c) cedido
- d) cedo
Answer key
a) cedes — The tú form is cedes. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; cedo is yo, cede is él/ella and ceden is ellos/ellas.
d) cedo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: cedo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) cede — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: cede. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) cedemos — Nosotros takes cedemos. In the present the nosotros ending for -er verbs is -emos, attached to the stem.
b) Él cede ante la presión del grupo. — Él cede ante la presión del grupo. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) ceden — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is ceden.
c) cedes — The question needs the tú form in the present: cedes.
b) cediendo — The gerund is cediendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle cedido.
Frequently asked questions
Is ceder regular in the present tense?
Yes. Ceder is a regular -er verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: cedo, cedes, cede, cedemos, cedéis and ceden.
What is the gerund and the past participle of ceder?
The gerund is cediendo and the past participle is cedido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I give in” in Spanish?
Say cedo. For example: Cedo el paso al peatón. — “I give in the way to the pedestrian.”
What is the difference between ceder and rendirse?
Ceder means “to give in, to cede”, while rendirse means “to give up completely”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use ceder when you mean “to give in, to cede” and rendirse when you mean “to give up completely”. The full conjugation of ceder is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of ceder — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- ceder 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.
- Desprender conjugation — another -er verb to compare with ceder.
- Acometer conjugation — another -er verb to compare with ceder.
- Acoger conjugation — another -er verb to compare with ceder.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.