Condenar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of condenar — “to condemn” 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 condenar 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. Condenar means to condemn, and it is used for a court sentencing someone, for society condemning an act, and for condemning a building as unsafe. It is a formal, fully regular verb that belongs to law and the news. To see it in a real sentence: Condeno al acusado a diez años de prisión. — “I condemn the accused to ten years in prison.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of condenar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: condenar
Every person of condenar in the present tense. The gerund is condenando and the past participle is condenado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | condeno |
| tú | condenas |
| él/ella/Ud. | condena |
| nosotros/as | condenamos |
| vosotros/as | condenáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | condenan |
How the present indicative of condenar is formed
The present indicative of condenar 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 | condeno |
| tú | -as | condenas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | condena |
| nosotros/as | -amos | condenamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | condenáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | condenan |
Condenar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is conden- 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 condenar is condenando and the past participle is condenado. 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 condenar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and condenar 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 condenar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo condeno al acusado a diez años de prisión todos los días.” — “I condemn the accused to ten years in prison 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 condena el ataque en un comunicado.” — “He/she condemns the attack in a statement.”
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 condeno can mean both “I condemn” and “I am condemning”.
“Ahora mismo, yo condeno el edificio por peligro de derrumbe.” — “Right now, I condemn the building as a collapse risk.”
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 condeno la violencia con palabras muy duras.” — “Tomorrow, I will condemn violence in very strong words.”
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 condenas al acusado a diez años de prisión?” — “Do you condemn the accused to ten years in prison?”
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: Condena el ataque en un comunicado. — “He/she condemns the attack in a statement.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Condenó el ataque en un comunicado. — 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: Condenan el edificio por peligro de derrumbe. — “They condemn the building as a collapse risk.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Condenaban el edificio por peligro de derrumbe. — 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: Condenas la violencia con palabras muy duras. — “You condemn violence in very strong words.”
- Future — what will happen: Condenarás la violencia con palabras muy duras. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: condenar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show condenar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo condeno al acusado a diez años de prisión. — “I condemn the accused to ten years in prison.”
- Tú condenas el ataque en un comunicado. — “You condemn the attack in a statement.”
- Él condena el edificio por peligro de derrumbe. — “He condemns the building as a collapse risk.”
- Nosotros condenamos la violencia con palabras muy duras. — “We condemn violence in very strong words.”
- Vosotros condenáis al acusado a diez años de prisión. — “You (plural) condemn the accused to ten years in prison.”
- Ellos condenan el ataque en un comunicado. — “They condemn the attack in a statement.”
- ¿Tú condenas el edificio por peligro de derrumbe? — “Do you condemn the building as a collapse risk?”
Common mistakes with condenar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with condenar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo condenar al acusado a diez años de prisión. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo condeno al acusado a diez años de prisión.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of condenar is condeno, not the infinitive condenar.
✗ Vosotros condenais al acusado a diez años de prisión. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros condenáis al acusado a diez años de prisión.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: condenáis, not condenais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo condeno el ataque en un comunicado. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo condené el ataque en un comunicado.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: condeno is happening now, while condené is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating condenar and absolver as identical in every context. (confusing condenar with absolver).
✓ Correct: Condenar means to condemn, while absolver means to acquit someone.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: condenar fits sentences such as Condeno al acusado a diez años de prisión, while absolver belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: condenar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of condenar. 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 condenar for tú?
- a) condenas
- b) condeno
- c) condena
- d) condenan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ al acusado a diez años de prisión. — “I condemn the accused to ten years in prison.”
- a) condena
- b) condenamos
- c) condenas
- d) condeno
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el ataque en un comunicado. — “He/she condemns the attack in a statement.” (present tense)
- a) condenaba
- b) condenará
- c) condena
- d) condenó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of condenar for nosotros?
- a) condenan
- b) condenamos
- c) condeno
- d) condena
5. Which sentence uses condenar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él condenó el ataque en un comunicado.
- b) Él condena el ataque en un comunicado.
- c) Él condenará el ataque en un comunicado.
- d) Ellos condena el ataque en un comunicado.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el edificio por peligro de derrumbe. — “They condemn the building as a collapse risk.”
- a) condeno
- b) condena
- c) condenamos
- d) condenan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ la violencia con palabras muy duras? — “Do you condemn violence in very strong words?”
- a) condena
- b) condenarás
- c) condenas
- d) condeno
8. What is the gerund of condenar?
- a) condené
- b) condenando
- c) condenado
- d) condeno
Answer key
a) condenas — The tú form is condenas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; condeno is yo, condena is él/ella and condenan is ellos/ellas.
d) condeno — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: condeno. The other options are the wrong person.
c) condena — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: condena. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) condenamos — Nosotros takes condenamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él condena el ataque en un comunicado. — Él condena el ataque en un comunicado. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) condenan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is condenan.
c) condenas — The question needs the tú form in the present: condenas.
b) condenando — The gerund is condenando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle condenado.
Frequently asked questions
Is condenar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Condenar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: condeno, condenas, condena, condenamos, condenáis and condenan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of condenar?
The gerund is condenando and the past participle is condenado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I condemn” in Spanish?
Say condeno. For example: Condeno al acusado a diez años de prisión. — “I condemn the accused to ten years in prison.”
What is the difference between condenar and absolver?
Condenar means “to condemn”, while absolver means “to acquit someone”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use condenar when you mean “to condemn” and absolver when you mean “to acquit someone”. The full conjugation of condenar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of condenar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- condenar 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.
- Indultar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with condenar.
- Multar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with condenar.
- Declarar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with condenar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.