Chocar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of chocar — “to crash, to collide” 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 chocar 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. Chocar means to crash or to collide, and it is used for cars crashing into walls, trees and each other, and for people bumping into doors and each other. It also means to clash in opinions, as in chocar con alguien, to clash with someone. Chocar is a spelling-changing verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Choco contra la pared.
Present tense conjugation table: chocar
Every person of chocar in the present tense. The gerund is chocando and the past participle is chocado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | choco |
| tú | chocas |
| él/ella/Ud. | choca |
| nosotros/as | chocamos |
| vosotros/as | chocáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | chocan |
How the present of chocar is formed
The present of chocar is built from the stem choc- 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 | choco |
| tú | -as | chocas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | choca |
| nosotros/as | -amos | chocamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | chocáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | chocan |
For chocar there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem choc- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.
When to use the present tense with chocar
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo choco contra la pared. — I crash into the wall.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella choca con la puerta al entrar. — He crashes into the door on the way in.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as chocamos con otro coche en el cruce. — Right now, We crash with another car at the crossroads.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú chocas contra el árbol. — Tomorrow, You crash into the tree.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella choca contra la pared. — He crashes into the wall.
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 chocar.
- Yo choco contra la pared. — I crash into the wall. / Ayer, Yo choqué contra la pared. — Yesterday, I crashed into the wall.
- Yo choco con la puerta al entrar. — I crash into the door on the way in. / Ayer, Yo choqué con la puerta al entrar. — Yesterday, I crashed into the door on the way in.
- Yo choco con otro coche en el cruce. — I crash with another car at the crossroads. / Ayer, Yo choqué con otro coche en el cruce. — Yesterday, I crashed with another car at the crossroads.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with chocar in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo choco contra la pared. — I crash into the wall.
- Tú chocas con la puerta al entrar. — You crash into the door on the way in.
- Él/Ella choca con otro coche en el cruce. — He crashes with another car at the crossroads.
- Nosotros/as chocamos contra el árbol. — We crash into the tree.
- Vosotros/as chocáis contra la pared. — You crash into the wall.
- Ellos/as chocan con la puerta al entrar. — They crash into the door on the way in.
- Yo choco con otro coche en el cruce. — I crash with another car at the crossroads.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo choca contra la pared. — Right: Yo choco contra la pared. — The person matters: choca is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is choco.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo choco con la puerta al entrar. — Right: Ayer, yo choqué con la puerta al entrar. — With ayer, use the preterite (choqué), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Using chocar where colisionar belongs. — Right: Chocar means to crash, to collide, while colisionar means to collide, the formal synonym. — Check the meaning before you choose: chocar fits Choco contra la pared.
- Wrong: Espero que él choca con la puerta al entrar. — Right: Espero que él choque con la puerta al entrar. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: choque, not the present indicative choca.
Quiz: the present tense of chocar
Eight questions on the present tense of chocar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ contra la pared. (present tense, yo) A. choco B. chocas C. choca D. chocamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ con la puerta al entrar. (present tense, tú) A. choco B. choca C. chocamos D. chocas
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ con otro coche en el cruce. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. chocas B. chocamos C. choca D. choco
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ contra el árbol. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. choca B. chocamos C. choco D. chocas
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ contra la pared. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. chocáis B. choco C. chocas D. choca
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ con la puerta al entrar. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. choco B. chocas C. choca D. chocan
Which is the gerund of chocar? A. choco B. choqué C. chocando D. chocado
Which is the past participle of chocar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. choqué B. chocado C. chocando D. choco
Answer key
- choco — The yo present form of chocar is choco.
- chocas — The tú present form of chocar is chocas.
- choca — The él/ella/Ud. present form of chocar is choca.
- chocamos — The nosotros/as present form of chocar is chocamos.
- chocáis — The vosotros/as present form of chocar is chocáis.
- chocan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of chocar is chocan.
- chocando — The gerund of chocar is chocando: estoy chocando.
- chocado — The past participle of chocar is chocado: he chocado, has chocado, ha chocado.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of chocar formed?
Take the infinitive chocar, drop the -ar ending to get the stem choc-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of chocar is fully regular: the stem choc- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of chocar?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Choco contra la pared.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of chocar?
The present (choco) and the preterite (choqué) 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 chocar?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of chocar to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the chocar examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Chocar conjugation — the full conjugation tables for chocar.
- Chocar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for chocar.
- Spanish present tense guide — when and how to use the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Present-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.