Centrar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of centrar — “to centre, to focus” 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 centrar 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. Centrar means to center or to focus, to put something in the middle or to direct attention to a topic. It is used for photos, discussions and work, and it is fully regular. To see it in a real sentence: Centro la imagen en la pantalla. — “I center the image on the screen.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of centrar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: centrar
Every person of centrar in the present tense. The gerund is centrando and the past participle is centrado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | centro |
| tú | centras |
| él/ella/Ud. | centra |
| nosotros/as | centramos |
| vosotros/as | centráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | centran |
How the present indicative of centrar is formed
The present indicative of centrar is built from the stem plus the present indicative 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 | centro |
| tú | -as | centras |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | centra |
| nosotros/as | -amos | centramos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | centráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | centran |
Centrar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is centr- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of centrar is centrando and the past participle is centrado. 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 centrar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and centrar 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 centrar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo centro la imagen en la pantalla todos los días.” — “I center the image on the screen 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 centra la atención en el examen.” — “He/she centers my attention on the exam.”
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 centro can mean both “I center” and “I am centering”.
“Ahora mismo, yo centro el debate en el problema.” — “Right now, I center the debate on the problem.”
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 centro la cámara en su cara.” — “Tomorrow, I will center the camera on his face.”
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 centras la imagen en la pantalla?” — “Do you center the image on the screen?”
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: Centra la atención en el examen. — “He/she centers my attention on the exam.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Centró la atención en el examen. — 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: Centran el debate en el problema. — “They center the debate on the problem.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Centraban el debate en el problema. — 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: Centras la cámara en su cara. — “You center the camera on his face.”
- Future — what will happen: Centrarás la cámara en su cara. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: centrar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show centrar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo centro la imagen en la pantalla. — “I center the image on the screen.”
- Tú centras la atención en el examen. — “You center my attention on the exam.”
- Él centra el debate en el problema. — “He centers the debate on the problem.”
- Nosotros centramos la cámara en su cara. — “We center the camera on his face.”
- Vosotros centráis la imagen en la pantalla. — “You (plural) center the image on the screen.”
- Ellos centran la atención en el examen. — “They center my attention on the exam.”
- ¿Tú centras el debate en el problema? — “Do you center the debate on the problem?”
Common mistakes with centrar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with centrar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo centrar la imagen en la pantalla. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo centro la imagen en la pantalla.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of centrar is centro, not the infinitive centrar.
✗ Vosotros centrais la imagen en la pantalla. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros centráis la imagen en la pantalla.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: centráis, not centrais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo centro la atención en el examen. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo centré la atención en el examen.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: centro is happening now, while centré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating centrar and enfocar as identical in every context. (confusing centrar with enfocar).
✓ Correct: Centrar means to centre, to focus, while enfocar means to focus, a camera or attention.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: centrar fits sentences such as Centro la imagen en la pantalla, while enfocar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: centrar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of centrar. 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 centrar for tú?
- a) centras
- b) centro
- c) centra
- d) centran
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la imagen en la pantalla. — “I center the image on the screen.”
- a) centra
- b) centramos
- c) centras
- d) centro
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la atención en el examen. — “He/she centers my attention on the exam.” (present tense)
- a) centraba
- b) centrará
- c) centra
- d) centró
4. Which is the correct present tense form of centrar for nosotros?
- a) centran
- b) centramos
- c) centro
- d) centra
5. Which sentence uses centrar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él centró la atención en el examen.
- b) Él centra la atención en el examen.
- c) Él centrará la atención en el examen.
- d) Ellos centra la atención en el examen.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el debate en el problema. — “They center the debate on the problem.”
- a) centro
- b) centra
- c) centramos
- d) centran
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ la cámara en su cara? — “Do you center the camera on his face?”
- a) centra
- b) centrarás
- c) centras
- d) centro
8. What is the gerund of centrar?
- a) centré
- b) centrando
- c) centrado
- d) centro
Answer key
a) centras — The tú form is centras. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; centro is yo, centra is él/ella and centran is ellos/ellas.
d) centro — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: centro. The other options are the wrong person.
c) centra — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: centra. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) centramos — Nosotros takes centramos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él centra la atención en el examen. — Él centra la atención en el examen. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) centran — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is centran.
c) centras — The question needs the tú form in the present: centras.
b) centrando — The gerund is centrando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle centrado.
Frequently asked questions
Is centrar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Centrar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: centro, centras, centra, centramos, centráis and centran.
What is the gerund and the past participle of centrar?
The gerund is centrando and the past participle is centrado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I center” in Spanish?
Say centro. For example: Centro la imagen en la pantalla. — “I center the image on the screen.”
What is the difference between centrar and enfocar?
Centrar means “to centre, to focus”, while enfocar means “to focus, a camera or attention”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use centrar when you mean “to centre, to focus” and enfocar when you mean “to focus, a camera or attention”. The full conjugation of centrar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of centrar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- centrar 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.
- Cabecear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with centrar.
- Cercar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with centrar.
- Botar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with centrar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.