Congelar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of congelar — “to freeze” 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 congelar 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. Congelar means to freeze, and it is used for freezing food for the winter, freezing water in the freezer, freezing vegetables from the garden and freezing meat before a trip. It also means to freeze prices or salaries in economics, and to freeze with cold. Congelar 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: Congelo la comida para el invierno.
Present tense conjugation table: congelar
Every person of congelar in the present tense. The gerund is congelando and the past participle is congelado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | congelo |
| tú | congelas |
| él/ella/Ud. | congela |
| nosotros/as | congelamos |
| vosotros/as | congeláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | congelan |
How the present of congelar is formed
The present of congelar is built from the stem congel- 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 | congelo |
| tú | -as | congelas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | congela |
| nosotros/as | -amos | congelamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | congeláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | congelan |
For congelar there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem congel- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.
When to use the present tense with congelar
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo congelo la comida para el invierno. — I freeze the food for the winter.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella congela el agua en el congelador. — He freezes the water in the freezer.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as congelamos las verduras del huerto. — Right now, We freeze the vegetables from the garden.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú congelas la carne antes del viaje. — Tomorrow, You freeze the meat before the trip.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella congela la comida para el invierno. — He freezes the food for the winter.
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 congelar.
- Yo congelo la comida para el invierno. — I freeze the food for the winter. / Ayer, Yo congelé la comida para el invierno. — Yesterday, I froze the food for the winter.
- Yo congelo el agua en el congelador. — I freeze the water in the freezer. / Ayer, Yo congelé el agua en el congelador. — Yesterday, I froze the water in the freezer.
- Yo congelo las verduras del huerto. — I freeze the vegetables from the garden. / Ayer, Yo congelé las verduras del huerto. — Yesterday, I froze the vegetables from the garden.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with congelar in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo congelo la comida para el invierno. — I freeze the food for the winter.
- Tú congelas el agua en el congelador. — You freeze the water in the freezer.
- Él/Ella congela las verduras del huerto. — He freezes the vegetables from the garden.
- Nosotros/as congelamos la carne antes del viaje. — We freeze the meat before the trip.
- Vosotros/as congeláis la comida para el invierno. — You freeze the food for the winter.
- Ellos/as congelan el agua en el congelador. — They freeze the water in the freezer.
- Yo congelo las verduras del huerto. — I freeze the vegetables from the garden.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo congela la comida para el invierno. — Right: Yo congelo la comida para el invierno. — The person matters: congela is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is congelo.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo congelo el agua en el congelador. — Right: Ayer, yo congelé el agua en el congelador. — With ayer, use the preterite (congelé), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Using congelar where helar belongs. — Right: Congelar means to freeze, while helar means to freeze, of weather. — Check the meaning before you choose: congelar fits Congelo la comida para el invierno.
- Wrong: Espero que él congela el agua en el congelador. — Right: Espero que él congele el agua en el congelador. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: congele, not the present indicative congela.
Quiz: the present tense of congelar
Eight questions on the present tense of congelar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la comida para el invierno. (present tense, yo) A. congelo B. congelas C. congela D. congelamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el agua en el congelador. (present tense, tú) A. congelo B. congela C. congelamos D. congelas
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ las verduras del huerto. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. congelas B. congelamos C. congela D. congelo
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ la carne antes del viaje. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. congela B. congelamos C. congelo D. congelas
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ la comida para el invierno. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. congeláis B. congelo C. congelas D. congela
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el agua en el congelador. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. congelo B. congelas C. congela D. congelan
Which is the gerund of congelar? A. congelo B. congelé C. congelando D. congelado
Which is the past participle of congelar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. congelé B. congelado C. congelando D. congelo
Answer key
- congelo — The yo present form of congelar is congelo.
- congelas — The tú present form of congelar is congelas.
- congela — The él/ella/Ud. present form of congelar is congela.
- congelamos — The nosotros/as present form of congelar is congelamos.
- congeláis — The vosotros/as present form of congelar is congeláis.
- congelan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of congelar is congelan.
- congelando — The gerund of congelar is congelando: estoy congelando.
- congelado — The past participle of congelar is congelado: he congelado, has congelado, ha congelado.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of congelar formed?
Take the infinitive congelar, drop the -ar ending to get the stem congel-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of congelar is fully regular: the stem congel- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of congelar?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Congelo la comida para el invierno.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of congelar?
The present (congelo) and the preterite (congelé) 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 congelar?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of congelar to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the congelar examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Congelar conjugation — the full conjugation tables for congelar.
- Congelar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for congelar.
- 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.