Consentir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of consentir — “to consent, to allow” 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 consentir 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. Consentir means to consent or to allow, and it is used for giving permission and for spoiling a child: consentir a los niños, consentir en la propuesta. It is a stem-changing -ir verb, e to ie in the present and e to i in the preterite third person and the gerund: consiento, consintió, consintiendo. To see it in a real sentence: Consiento a los niños con dulces. — “I consent the children with sweets.”
Present tense conjugation table: consentir
Every person of consentir in the present tense. The gerund is consintiendo and the past participle is consentido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | consiento |
| tú | consientes |
| él/ella/Ud. | consiente |
| nosotros/as | consentimos |
| vosotros/as | consentís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | consienten |
The gerund is consintiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy consintiendo” means the action of consentir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is consentido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he consentido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how consentir is used.
How the present of consentir is formed
The present of consentir is built from the stem consent plus the present endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir 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 | consiento |
| tú | -es | consientes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | consiente |
| nosotros/as | -imos | consentimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | consentís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | consienten |
consentir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the singular and third-person plural forms: consiento, consientes, consiente and consienten. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the original stem: consentimos and consentís. Learn the changed forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
The gerund of consentir is consintiendo and the past participle is consentido. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of consentir
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use consentir in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. A routine or habit
The present tense of consentir is the tense for what happens regularly. When something is part of your routine, your week or your normal life, the present is the right choice, and consentir is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Consiento a los niños con dulces.” — I consent the children with sweets.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what consentir means in the world — what it does, who it affects, how it works — the present is the tense to use. There is no time limit on the statement, so no past or future form is needed.
Example: “Consiente en la propuesta del jefe.” — He/she consents to the boss's proposal.
3. Something happening right now
The present tense describes what is happening at this very moment. You do not need the progressive (estar plus the gerund) to say what is going on now: the simple present does the job in Spanish, and it is the more common choice in everyday speech.
Example: “Consiento que salga por la noche.” — I consent that she go out at night.
4. A plan or arrangement
Spanish uses the present tense for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression such as mañana or el lunes. When the arrangement is made, the present tense states it as a fact, and consentir follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros consentimos demasiado a su hija.” — Tomorrow, we consent his daughter too much.
5. Asking and answering questions
Questions in the present tense ask about routines, facts and what is happening now. The answer uses the same tense, so a question and its answer stay in the present together. This is the pattern you will hear most often in conversation.
Example: “¿Consientes en la propuesta del jefe?” — Do you consent to the boss's proposal?
The present vs the preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present reports what happens now, what happens regularly, or what is generally true, while the preterite reports one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is happening now or is already finished. Time words help: ahora and todos los días point to the present, while ayer and anoche point to the preterite.
Present: “Consiento a los niños con dulces.” — I consent the children with sweets.
Preterite: “Consentí a los niños con dulces.” — I consented the children with sweets.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Consiente en la propuesta del jefe.” — He/she consents to the boss's proposal.
Preterite: “Consintió en la propuesta del jefe.” — He/she consented to the boss's proposal.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Consentimos que salga por la noche.” — We consent that she go out at night.
Preterite: “Consentimos que salga por la noche.” — We consented that she go out at night.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: consentir in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Consiento a los niños con dulces.” — I consent the children with sweets.
“Consientes en la propuesta del jefe.” — You consent to the boss's proposal.
“Consiente que salga por la noche.” — He/she consents that she go out at night.
“Consentimos demasiado a su hija.” — We consent his daughter too much.
“Consentís a los niños con dulces.” — You consent the children with sweets.
“Consienten en la propuesta del jefe.” — They consent to the boss's proposal.
“Consiento que salga por la noche.” — I consent that she go out at night.
“Consiente demasiado a su hija.” — He/she consents his daughter too much.
Common mistakes with consentir in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo consiente a los niños con dulces.” Right: “Yo consiento a los niños con dulces.” Why: Yo needs the yo form consiento. The form consiente belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo consento en la propuesta del jefe.” Right: “Yo consiento en la propuesta del jefe.” Why: Consentir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the first-person present is consiento, not consento.
Wrong: “Ayer yo consiento en la propuesta del jefe.” Right: “Ayer yo consentí en la propuesta del jefe.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to consentí.
Wrong: “Ellos consiente en la propuesta del jefe.” Right: “Ellos consienten en la propuesta del jefe.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form consienten. The singular consiente belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: consentir in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ___ a los niños con dulces.”
- (a) consiento
- (b) consientes
- (c) consiente
Answer: consiento — The yo form of consentir in the present is consiento.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ en la propuesta del jefe.”
- (a) consiento
- (b) consiente
- (c) consientes
Answer: consientes — The tú form of consentir in the present is consientes.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ que salga por la noche.”
- (a) consientes
- (b) consiente
- (c) consiento
Answer: consiente — The él/ella form of consentir in the present is consiente.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ demasiado a su hija.”
- (a) consentimos
- (b) consiento
- (c) consientes
Answer: consentimos — The nosotros/as form of consentir in the present is consentimos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ a los niños con dulces.”
- (a) consiento
- (b) consientes
- (c) consentís
Answer: consentís — The vosotros/as form of consentir in the present is consentís.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ en la propuesta del jefe.”
- (a) consientes
- (b) consienten
- (c) consiento
Answer: consienten — The ellos/ellas form of consentir in the present is consienten.
7. What does consentir mean in English?
- (a) to consent, to allow
- (b) to allow, to permit
- (c) to be about
Answer: to consent, to allow — Consentir means to consent, to allow.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Consentí a los niños con dulces.
- (b) Consentiré a los niños con dulces.
- (c) Consiento a los niños con dulces.
Answer: Consiento a los niños con dulces. — “Consiento a los niños con dulces.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is consentir regular in the present?
Consentir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie) in the present: the stem changes in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. The forms are consiento, consientes, consiente, consentimos, consentís and consienten.
What is the gerund and the past participle of consentir?
The gerund is consintiendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy consintiendo. The past participle is consentido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he consentido.
What should I watch out for with consentir?
Consentir changes e to ie in the present (consiento) and e to i in the preterite third person (consintió) and the gerund (consintiendo). In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is consiento, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise consentir in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the consentir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of consentir — every tense of consentir in one place.
- Consentir examples and quiz — more sentences with consentir and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on consentir and other verbs.