Clavar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of clavar — “to nail, to stick in” 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 clavar 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. Clavar means to nail or to stick in, to fix something with a nail or to push something sharp into a surface. It is a household and workshop verb, fully regular, and it is also used for staring fixedly at someone. To see it in a real sentence: Clavo un clavo en la pared. — “I nail a nail in the wall.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of clavar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: clavar
Every person of clavar in the present tense. The gerund is clavando and the past participle is clavado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | clavo |
| tú | clavas |
| él/ella/Ud. | clava |
| nosotros/as | clavamos |
| vosotros/as | claváis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | clavan |
How the present indicative of clavar is formed
The present indicative of clavar 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 | clavo |
| tú | -as | clavas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | clava |
| nosotros/as | -amos | clavamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | claváis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | clavan |
Clavar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is clav- 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 clavar is clavando and the past participle is clavado. 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 clavar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and clavar 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 clavar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo clavo un clavo en la pared todos los días.” — “I nail a nail in the wall 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 clava la mirada en el suelo.” — “He/she nails my gaze on the ground.”
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 clavo can mean both “I nail” and “I am nailing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo clavo el cartel en la puerta.” — “Right now, I nail the poster on the door.”
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 clavo la estaca en la tierra.” — “Tomorrow, I will nail the stake in the earth.”
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 clavas un clavo en la pared?” — “Do you nail a nail in the wall?”
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: Clava la mirada en el suelo. — “He/she nails my gaze on the ground.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Clavó la mirada en el suelo. — 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: Clavan el cartel en la puerta. — “They nail the poster on the door.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Clavaban el cartel en la puerta. — 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: Clavas la estaca en la tierra. — “You nail the stake in the earth.”
- Future — what will happen: Clavarás la estaca en la tierra. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: clavar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show clavar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo clavo un clavo en la pared. — “I nail a nail in the wall.”
- Tú clavas la mirada en el suelo. — “You nail my gaze on the ground.”
- Él clava el cartel en la puerta. — “He nails the poster on the door.”
- Nosotros clavamos la estaca en la tierra. — “We nail the stake in the earth.”
- Vosotros claváis un clavo en la pared. — “You (plural) nail a nail in the wall.”
- Ellos clavan la mirada en el suelo. — “They nail my gaze on the ground.”
- ¿Tú clavas el cartel en la puerta? — “Do you nail the poster on the door?”
Common mistakes with clavar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with clavar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo clavar un clavo en la pared. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo clavo un clavo en la pared.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of clavar is clavo, not the infinitive clavar.
✗ Vosotros clavais un clavo en la pared. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros claváis un clavo en la pared.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: claváis, not clavais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo clavo la mirada en el suelo. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo clavé la mirada en el suelo.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: clavo is happening now, while clavé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating clavar and fijar as identical in every context. (confusing clavar with fijar).
✓ Correct: Clavar means to nail, to stick in, while fijar means to fix in place.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: clavar fits sentences such as Clavo un clavo en la pared, while fijar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: clavar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of clavar. 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 clavar for tú?
- a) clavas
- b) clavo
- c) clava
- d) clavan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ un clavo en la pared. — “I nail a nail in the wall.”
- a) clava
- b) clavamos
- c) clavas
- d) clavo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la mirada en el suelo. — “He/she nails my gaze on the ground.” (present tense)
- a) clavaba
- b) clavará
- c) clava
- d) clavó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of clavar for nosotros?
- a) clavan
- b) clavamos
- c) clavo
- d) clava
5. Which sentence uses clavar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él clavó la mirada en el suelo.
- b) Él clava la mirada en el suelo.
- c) Él clavará la mirada en el suelo.
- d) Ellos clava la mirada en el suelo.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el cartel en la puerta. — “They nail the poster on the door.”
- a) clavo
- b) clava
- c) clavamos
- d) clavan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ la estaca en la tierra? — “Do you nail the stake in the earth?”
- a) clava
- b) clavarás
- c) clavas
- d) clavo
8. What is the gerund of clavar?
- a) clavé
- b) clavando
- c) clavado
- d) clavo
Answer key
a) clavas — The tú form is clavas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; clavo is yo, clava is él/ella and clavan is ellos/ellas.
d) clavo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: clavo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) clava — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: clava. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) clavamos — Nosotros takes clavamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él clava la mirada en el suelo. — Él clava la mirada en el suelo. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) clavan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is clavan.
c) clavas — The question needs the tú form in the present: clavas.
b) clavando — The gerund is clavando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle clavado.
Frequently asked questions
Is clavar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Clavar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: clavo, clavas, clava, clavamos, claváis and clavan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of clavar?
The gerund is clavando and the past participle is clavado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I nail” in Spanish?
Say clavo. For example: Clavo un clavo en la pared. — “I nail a nail in the wall.”
What is the difference between clavar and fijar?
Clavar means “to nail, to stick in”, while fijar means “to fix in place”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use clavar when you mean “to nail, to stick in” and fijar when you mean “to fix in place”. The full conjugation of clavar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of clavar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- clavar 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.
- Chequear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with clavar.
- Cobijar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with clavar.
- Chatear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with clavar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.