Combinar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of combinar — “to combine” 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 combinar 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. Combinar means to combine, and it is used for combining colours, combining work with study, combining meat with vegetables and combining two ideas in a picture. It is a regular -ar verb, common in cooking, fashion and work. Combinar 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: Combino el rojo con el negro.

Present tense conjugation table: combinar

Every person of combinar in the present tense. The gerund is combinando and the past participle is combinado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo combino
tú combinas
él/ella/Ud. combina
nosotros/as combinamos
vosotros/as combináis
ellos/ellas/Uds. combinan

How the present of combinar is formed

The present of combinar is built from the stem combin- 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 combino
tú -as combinas
él/ella/Ud. -a combina
nosotros/as -amos combinamos
vosotros/as -áis combináis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an combinan

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

When to use the present tense with combinar

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo combino el rojo con el negro. — I combine red with black.

General facts

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

Él/Ella combina el trabajo con los estudios. — He combines work with study.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as combinamos la carne con verduras. — Right now, We combine meat with vegetables.

Near-future plans

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

Mañana, Tú combinas dos colores en el cuadro. — Tomorrow, You combine two colours in the picture.

Instructions and timeless statements

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

Él/Ella combina el rojo con el negro. — He combines red with black.

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 combinar.

  1. Yo combino el rojo con el negro. — I combine red with black. / Ayer, Yo combiné el rojo con el negro. — Yesterday, I combined red with black.
  2. Yo combino el trabajo con los estudios. — I combine work with study. / Ayer, Yo combiné el trabajo con los estudios. — Yesterday, I combined work with study.
  3. Yo combino la carne con verduras. — I combine meat with vegetables. / Ayer, Yo combiné la carne con verduras. — Yesterday, I combined meat with vegetables.

Example sentences in the present tense

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

  1. Yo combino el rojo con el negro. — I combine red with black.
  2. Tú combinas el trabajo con los estudios. — You combine work with study.
  3. Él/Ella combina la carne con verduras. — He combines meat with vegetables.
  4. Nosotros/as combinamos dos colores en el cuadro. — We combine two colours in the picture.
  5. Vosotros/as combináis el rojo con el negro. — You combine red with black.
  6. Ellos/as combinan el trabajo con los estudios. — They combine work with study.
  7. Yo combino la carne con verduras. — I combine meat with vegetables.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo combina el rojo con el negro. — Right: Yo combino el rojo con el negro. — The person matters: combina is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is combino.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo combino el trabajo con los estudios. — Right: Ayer, yo combiné el trabajo con los estudios. — With ayer, use the preterite (combiné), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using combinar where mezclar belongs. — Right: Combinar means to combine, while mezclar means to mix things together. — Check the meaning before you choose: combinar fits Combino el rojo con el negro.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él combina el trabajo con los estudios. — Right: Espero que él combine el trabajo con los estudios. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: combine, not the present indicative combina.

Quiz: the present tense of combinar

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el rojo con el negro. (present tense, yo) A. combino B. combinas C. combina D. combinamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el trabajo con los estudios. (present tense, tú) A. combino B. combina C. combinamos D. combinas

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ la carne con verduras. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. combinas B. combinamos C. combina D. combino

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ dos colores en el cuadro. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. combina B. combinamos C. combino D. combinas

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ el rojo con el negro. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. combináis B. combino C. combinas D. combina

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el trabajo con los estudios. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. combino B. combinas C. combina D. combinan

  7. Which is the gerund of combinar? A. combino B. combiné C. combinando D. combinado

  8. Which is the past participle of combinar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. combiné B. combinado C. combinando D. combino

Answer key

  1. combino — The yo present form of combinar is combino.
  2. combinas — The tú present form of combinar is combinas.
  3. combina — The él/ella/Ud. present form of combinar is combina.
  4. combinamos — The nosotros/as present form of combinar is combinamos.
  5. combináis — The vosotros/as present form of combinar is combináis.
  6. combinan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of combinar is combinan.
  7. combinando — The gerund of combinar is combinando: estoy combinando.
  8. combinado — The past participle of combinar is combinado: he combinado, has combinado, ha combinado.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of combinar formed?

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

When do I use the present tense of combinar?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Combino el rojo con el negro.

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

The present (combino) and the preterite (combiné) 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 combinar?

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

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