Circular Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of circular — “to circulate” 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 circular 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. Circular means to circulate, and it is used for traffic circulating through a city, blood circulating in the body, a rumour circulating in a village and money circulating in an economy. It takes por for the place of circulation, as in circular por la ciudad. Circular 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: Circulo por la ciudad en bicicleta.
Present tense conjugation table: circular
Every person of circular in the present tense. The gerund is circulando and the past participle is circulado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | circulo |
| tú | circulas |
| él/ella/Ud. | circula |
| nosotros/as | circulamos |
| vosotros/as | circuláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | circulan |
How the present of circular is formed
The present of circular is built from the stem circul- 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 | circulo |
| tú | -as | circulas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | circula |
| nosotros/as | -amos | circulamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | circuláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | circulan |
For circular there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem circul- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.
When to use the present tense with circular
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo circulo por la ciudad en bicicleta. — I circulate round the city by bicycle.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella circula por la autopista cada día. — He circulates on the motorway every day.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as circulamos por las calles del centro. — Right now, We circulate through the streets of the centre.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú circulas por el pueblo en moto. — Tomorrow, You circulate round the village by motorbike.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella circula por la ciudad en bicicleta. — He circulates round the city by bicycle.
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 circular.
- Yo circulo por la ciudad en bicicleta. — I circulate round the city by bicycle. / Ayer, Yo circulé por la ciudad en bicicleta. — Yesterday, I circulated round the city by bicycle.
- Yo circulo por la autopista cada día. — I circulate on the motorway every day. / Ayer, Yo circulé por la autopista cada día. — Yesterday, I circulated on the motorway every day.
- Yo circulo por las calles del centro. — I circulate through the streets of the centre. / Ayer, Yo circulé por las calles del centro. — Yesterday, I circulated through the streets of the centre.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with circular in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo circulo por la ciudad en bicicleta. — I circulate round the city by bicycle.
- Tú circulas por la autopista cada día. — You circulate on the motorway every day.
- Él/Ella circula por las calles del centro. — He circulates through the streets of the centre.
- Nosotros/as circulamos por el pueblo en moto. — We circulate round the village by motorbike.
- Vosotros/as circuláis por la ciudad en bicicleta. — You circulate round the city by bicycle.
- Ellos/as circulan por la autopista cada día. — They circulate on the motorway every day.
- Yo circulo por las calles del centro. — I circulate through the streets of the centre.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo circula por la ciudad en bicicleta. — Right: Yo circulo por la ciudad en bicicleta. — The person matters: circula is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is circulo.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo circulo por la autopista cada día. — Right: Ayer, yo circulé por la autopista cada día. — With ayer, use the preterite (circulé), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Using circular where moverse belongs. — Right: Circular means to circulate, while moverse means to move around a place. — Check the meaning before you choose: circular fits Circulo por la ciudad en bicicleta.
- Wrong: Espero que él circula por la autopista cada día. — Right: Espero que él circule por la autopista cada día. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: circule, not the present indicative circula.
Quiz: the present tense of circular
Eight questions on the present tense of circular. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ por la ciudad en bicicleta. (present tense, yo) A. circulo B. circulas C. circula D. circulamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ por la autopista cada día. (present tense, tú) A. circulo B. circula C. circulamos D. circulas
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ por las calles del centro. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. circulas B. circulamos C. circula D. circulo
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ por el pueblo en moto. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. circula B. circulamos C. circulo D. circulas
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ por la ciudad en bicicleta. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. circuláis B. circulo C. circulas D. circula
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ por la autopista cada día. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. circulo B. circulas C. circula D. circulan
Which is the gerund of circular? A. circulo B. circulé C. circulando D. circulado
Which is the past participle of circular, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. circulé B. circulado C. circulando D. circulo
Answer key
- circulo — The yo present form of circular is circulo.
- circulas — The tú present form of circular is circulas.
- circula — The él/ella/Ud. present form of circular is circula.
- circulamos — The nosotros/as present form of circular is circulamos.
- circuláis — The vosotros/as present form of circular is circuláis.
- circulan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of circular is circulan.
- circulando — The gerund of circular is circulando: estoy circulando.
- circulado — The past participle of circular is circulado: he circulado, has circulado, ha circulado.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of circular formed?
Take the infinitive circular, drop the -ar ending to get the stem circul-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of circular is fully regular: the stem circul- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of circular?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Circulo por la ciudad en bicicleta.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of circular?
The present (circulo) and the preterite (circulé) 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 circular?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of circular to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the circular examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Circular conjugation — the full conjugation tables for circular.
- Circular examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for circular.
- 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.