Cobijar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of cobijar — “to shelter, to cover” 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 cobijar 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. Cobijar means to shelter or to cover, to protect someone from cold, rain or danger with a blanket, a roof or your arms. It is a warm, protective verb, fully regular, and it is used in homes and in figurative speech. To see it in a real sentence: Cobijo al niño con una manta. — “I shelter the child with a blanket.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of cobijar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: cobijar
Every person of cobijar in the present tense. The gerund is cobijando and the past participle is cobijado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cobijo |
| tú | cobijas |
| él/ella/Ud. | cobija |
| nosotros/as | cobijamos |
| vosotros/as | cobijáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cobijan |
How the present indicative of cobijar is formed
The present indicative of cobijar 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 | cobijo |
| tú | -as | cobijas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | cobija |
| nosotros/as | -amos | cobijamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | cobijáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | cobijan |
Cobijar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is cobij- 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 cobijar is cobijando and the past participle is cobijado. 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 cobijar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and cobijar 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 cobijar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo cobijo al niño con una manta todos los días.” — “I shelter the child with a blanket 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 cobija a su familia bajo el techo.” — “He/she shelters his family under the roof.”
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 cobijo can mean both “I shelter” and “I am sheltering”.
“Ahora mismo, yo cobijo al perro de la lluvia.” — “Right now, I shelter the dog from the rain.”
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 cobijo al bebé en sus brazos.” — “Tomorrow, I will shelter the baby in my arms.”
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 cobijas al niño con una manta?” — “Do you shelter the child with a blanket?”
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: Cobija a su familia bajo el techo. — “He/she shelters his family under the roof.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Cobijó a su familia bajo el techo. — 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: Cobijan al perro de la lluvia. — “They shelter the dog from the rain.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Cobijaban al perro de la lluvia. — 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: Cobijas al bebé en sus brazos. — “You shelter the baby in my arms.”
- Future — what will happen: Cobijarás al bebé en sus brazos. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: cobijar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show cobijar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo cobijo al niño con una manta. — “I shelter the child with a blanket.”
- Tú cobijas a su familia bajo el techo. — “You shelter his family under the roof.”
- Él cobija al perro de la lluvia. — “He shelters the dog from the rain.”
- Nosotros cobijamos al bebé en sus brazos. — “We shelter the baby in my arms.”
- Vosotros cobijáis al niño con una manta. — “You (plural) shelter the child with a blanket.”
- Ellos cobijan a su familia bajo el techo. — “They shelter his family under the roof.”
- ¿Tú cobijas al perro de la lluvia? — “Do you shelter the dog from the rain?”
Common mistakes with cobijar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with cobijar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo cobijar al niño con una manta. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo cobijo al niño con una manta.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of cobijar is cobijo, not the infinitive cobijar.
✗ Vosotros cobijais al niño con una manta. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros cobijáis al niño con una manta.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: cobijáis, not cobijais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo cobijo a su familia bajo el techo. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo cobijé a su familia bajo el techo.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: cobijo is happening now, while cobijé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating cobijar and proteger as identical in every context. (confusing cobijar with proteger).
✓ Correct: Cobijar means to shelter, to cover, while proteger means to protect.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: cobijar fits sentences such as Cobijo al niño con una manta, while proteger belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: cobijar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of cobijar. 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 cobijar for tú?
- a) cobijas
- b) cobijo
- c) cobija
- d) cobijan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ al niño con una manta. — “I shelter the child with a blanket.”
- a) cobija
- b) cobijamos
- c) cobijas
- d) cobijo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a su familia bajo el techo. — “He/she shelters his family under the roof.” (present tense)
- a) cobijaba
- b) cobijará
- c) cobija
- d) cobijó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of cobijar for nosotros?
- a) cobijan
- b) cobijamos
- c) cobijo
- d) cobija
5. Which sentence uses cobijar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él cobijó a su familia bajo el techo.
- b) Él cobija a su familia bajo el techo.
- c) Él cobijará a su familia bajo el techo.
- d) Ellos cobija a su familia bajo el techo.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ al perro de la lluvia. — “They shelter the dog from the rain.”
- a) cobijo
- b) cobija
- c) cobijamos
- d) cobijan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ al bebé en sus brazos? — “Do you shelter the baby in my arms?”
- a) cobija
- b) cobijarás
- c) cobijas
- d) cobijo
8. What is the gerund of cobijar?
- a) cobijé
- b) cobijando
- c) cobijado
- d) cobijo
Answer key
a) cobijas — The tú form is cobijas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; cobijo is yo, cobija is él/ella and cobijan is ellos/ellas.
d) cobijo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: cobijo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) cobija — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: cobija. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) cobijamos — Nosotros takes cobijamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él cobija a su familia bajo el techo. — Él cobija a su familia bajo el techo. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) cobijan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is cobijan.
c) cobijas — The question needs the tú form in the present: cobijas.
b) cobijando — The gerund is cobijando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle cobijado.
Frequently asked questions
Is cobijar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Cobijar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: cobijo, cobijas, cobija, cobijamos, cobijáis and cobijan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of cobijar?
The gerund is cobijando and the past participle is cobijado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I shelter” in Spanish?
Say cobijo. For example: Cobijo al niño con una manta. — “I shelter the child with a blanket.”
What is the difference between cobijar and proteger?
Cobijar means “to shelter, to cover”, while proteger means “to protect”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use cobijar when you mean “to shelter, to cover” and proteger when you mean “to protect”. The full conjugation of cobijar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of cobijar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- cobijar 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.
- Clavar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with cobijar.
- Chequear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with cobijar.
- Chatear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with cobijar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.