Cesar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of cesar — “to cease, to stop” 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 cesar 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. Cesar means to cease or to stop, and it is a formal verb for stopping an activity: the rain ceases, a person ceases smoking, a noise ceases suddenly. It takes de before an infinitive, as in cesar de fumar, and it appears in weather, in law and in formal speech. Cesar 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: Ceso de fumar este año.

Present tense conjugation table: cesar

Every person of cesar in the present tense. The gerund is cesando and the past participle is cesado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo ceso
tú cesas
él/ella/Ud. cesa
nosotros/as cesamos
vosotros/as cesáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cesan

How the present of cesar is formed

The present of cesar is built from the stem ces- 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 ceso
tú -as cesas
él/ella/Ud. -a cesa
nosotros/as -amos cesamos
vosotros/as -áis cesáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an cesan

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

When to use the present tense with cesar

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo ceso de fumar este año. — I cease smoking this year.

General facts

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

Él/Ella cesa de quejarme tanto. — He ceases complaining so much.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as cesamos de trabajar los domingos. — Right now, We cease working on Sundays.

Near-future plans

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

Mañana, Tú cesas de hablar por teléfono. — Tomorrow, You cease talking on the phone.

Instructions and timeless statements

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

Él/Ella cesa de fumar este año. — He ceases smoking this year.

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 cesar.

  1. Yo ceso de fumar este año. — I cease smoking this year. / Ayer, Yo cesé de fumar este año. — Yesterday, I ceased smoking this year.
  2. Yo ceso de quejarme tanto. — I cease complaining so much. / Ayer, Yo cesé de quejarme tanto. — Yesterday, I ceased complaining so much.
  3. Yo ceso de trabajar los domingos. — I cease working on Sundays. / Ayer, Yo cesé de trabajar los domingos. — Yesterday, I ceased working on Sundays.

Example sentences in the present tense

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

  1. Yo ceso de fumar este año. — I cease smoking this year.
  2. Tú cesas de quejarme tanto. — You cease complaining so much.
  3. Él/Ella cesa de trabajar los domingos. — He ceases working on Sundays.
  4. Nosotros/as cesamos de hablar por teléfono. — We cease talking on the phone.
  5. Vosotros/as cesáis de fumar este año. — You cease smoking this year.
  6. Ellos/as cesan de quejarme tanto. — They cease complaining so much.
  7. Yo ceso de trabajar los domingos. — I cease working on Sundays.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo cesa de fumar este año. — Right: Yo ceso de fumar este año. — The person matters: cesa is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is ceso.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo ceso de quejarme tanto. — Right: Ayer, yo cesé de quejarme tanto. — With ayer, use the preterite (cesé), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using cesar where parar belongs. — Right: Cesar means to cease, to stop, while parar means to stop doing something. — Check the meaning before you choose: cesar fits Ceso de fumar este año.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él cesa de quejarme tanto. — Right: Espero que él cese de quejarme tanto. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: cese, not the present indicative cesa.

Quiz: the present tense of cesar

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de fumar este año. (present tense, yo) A. ceso B. cesas C. cesa D. cesamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ de quejarme tanto. (present tense, tú) A. ceso B. cesa C. cesamos D. cesas

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ de trabajar los domingos. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. cesas B. cesamos C. cesa D. ceso

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ de hablar por teléfono. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. cesa B. cesamos C. ceso D. cesas

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ de fumar este año. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. cesáis B. ceso C. cesas D. cesa

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ de quejarme tanto. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. ceso B. cesas C. cesa D. cesan

  7. Which is the gerund of cesar? A. ceso B. cesé C. cesando D. cesado

  8. Which is the past participle of cesar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. cesé B. cesado C. cesando D. ceso

Answer key

  1. ceso — The yo present form of cesar is ceso.
  2. cesas — The tú present form of cesar is cesas.
  3. cesa — The él/ella/Ud. present form of cesar is cesa.
  4. cesamos — The nosotros/as present form of cesar is cesamos.
  5. cesáis — The vosotros/as present form of cesar is cesáis.
  6. cesan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of cesar is cesan.
  7. cesando — The gerund of cesar is cesando: estoy cesando.
  8. cesado — The past participle of cesar is cesado: he cesado, has cesado, ha cesado.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of cesar formed?

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

When do I use the present tense of cesar?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Ceso de fumar este año.

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

The present (ceso) and the preterite (cesé) 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 cesar?

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

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