Convertir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of convertir — "to convert" 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 convertir 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. Convertir takes en before the result: convertir el garaje en un estudio, convertir los euros en dólares. With se it means to become: convertirse en un negocio. To see it in a real sentence: Yo convierto el garaje en un estudio — "I convert the garage into a studio".
Present tense conjugation table: convertir
Every person of convertir in the present tense. The gerund is convirtiendo and the past participle is convertido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | convierto |
| tú | conviertes |
| él/ella/Ud. | convierte |
| nosotros/as | convertimos |
| vosotros/as | convertís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | convierten |
How the present of convertir is formed
The present of convertir is built from the stem convert- 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 | convierto |
| tú | -es | conviertes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | convierte |
| nosotros/as | -imos | convertimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | convertís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | convierten |
The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: convierto, conviertes, convierte and convierten — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: convertimos, convertís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: convirtió, convirtieron, and the gerund is convirtiendo.
The gerund of convertir is convirtiendo and the past participle is convertido. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of convertir
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and convertir 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.
Habits and routines
The present describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, yo convierto el garaje en un estudio" — "Every day, I convert the garage into a studio"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo convierte los euros en dólares" — "My friend converts euros into dollars"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo convierto el agua en vino" — "Right now, I convert water into wine"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros convertimos su afición en un negocio" — "Tomorrow, we convert his hobby into a business"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos convierten la casa en un hotel" — "They convert the house into a hotel"
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: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}yo convierto el garaje en un estudio — "I convert the garage into a studio"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo convertí el garaje en un estudio — "I converted the garage into a studio"
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: {}tú conviertes los euros en dólares — "You convert euros into dollars"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú convertías los euros en dólares — "You used to convert euros into dollars"
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: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él convierte el agua en vino — "He converts water into wine"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él convertirá el agua en vino — "He will convert water into wine"
Examples: convertir in the present tense
Seven sentences that show convertir in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo convierto el garaje en un estudio — "I convert the garage into a studio"
- Tú conviertes los euros en dólares — "You convert euros into dollars"
- Él convierte el agua en vino — "He converts water into wine"
- Nosotros convertimos su afición en un negocio — "We convert his hobby into a business"
- Vosotros convertís la casa en un hotel — "You convert the house into a hotel"
- Ellos convierten el garaje en un estudio — "They convert the garage into a studio"
- Yo convierto los euros en dólares — "I convert euros into dollars"
Common mistakes with convertir in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with convertir in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo converto el garaje en un estudio.
✓ Correct: Yo convierto el garaje en un estudio.
convertir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is convierto, not converto.
✗ *Tú convierte los euros en dólares.
✓ Correct: Tú conviertes los euros en dólares.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes conviertes, él takes convierte.
✗ *Cada día, yo convertí el agua en vino
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo convierto el agua en vino
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros convertis su afición en un negocio.
✓ Correct: Vosotros convertís su afición en un negocio.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: convertís, not convertis.
Quiz: convertir in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of convertir. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of convertir for tú? A. conviertes B. convierto C. convierte D. convertimos
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el garaje en un estudio — "I convert the garage into a studio" (present) A. convierto B. conviertes C. convierte D. convertimos
Complete the sentence: Él ______ los euros en dólares — "He converts euros into dollars" (present) A. convierto B. conviertes C. convertimos D. convierte
Which is the correct present form of convertir for nosotros? A. conviertes B. convierte C. convierten D. convertimos
Which sentence uses convertir correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo convertimos el agua en vino B. Mi amigo convierte el agua en vino C. Mi amigo conviertes el agua en vino D. Mi amigo convertía el agua en vino
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ su afición en un negocio — "You convert his hobby into a business" (present) A. convertís B. convierto C. conviertes D. convierte
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la casa en un hotel — "They convert the house into a hotel" (present) A. conviertes B. convierte C. convierten D. convierto
What is the gerund of convertir? A. convierto B. convertí C. convirtiendo D. convertido
Answer key
- conviertes — The tú form in the present is conviertes.
- convierto — The present form for yo is convierto.
- convierte — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is convierte.
- convertimos — The nosotros form in the present is convertimos.
- Mi amigo convierte el agua en vino — Mi amigo convierte el agua en vino is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- convertís — The present form for vosotros/as is convertís.
- convierten — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is convierten.
- convirtiendo — The gerund is convirtiendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle convertido.
Frequently asked questions
Is convertir regular in the present tense?
No — in the present the stem changes: The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: convierto, conviertes, convierte and convierten — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: convertimos, convertís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: convirtió, convirtieron, and the gerund is convirtiendo. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem.
What is the gerund and the past participle of convertir?
The gerund is convirtiendo and the past participle is convertido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I convert" in the present tense?
Say convierto. For example: Yo convierto el garaje en un estudio — "I convert the garage into a studio".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of convertir?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo convierto el garaje en un estudio — "I convert the garage into a studio". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo convertí el garaje en un estudio — "Yesterday, I converted the garage into a studio". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of convertir — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- convertir 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.