Cumplir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of cumplir — "to fulfil, to turn (an age)" 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 cumplir 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. Cumplir has two everyday meanings that learners must keep apart: cumplir años (to have a birthday, literally to turn years) and cumplir una promesa or cumplir un sueño (to fulfil a promise or a dream). The first is the one you will hear most — ¿cuántos años cumples?, how old are you turning? — and the second is the formal one, used for duties, rules and promises. It is a regular -ir verb, and its present tense follows the standard -ir endings exactly: cumplo, cumples, cumple, cumplimos, cumplís, cumplen. To see it in a real sentence: Yo cumplo veinte años en mayo. — "I turn twenty in May.".
Present tense conjugation table: cumplir
Every person of cumplir in the present tense. The gerund is cumpliendo and the past participle is cumplido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cumplo |
| tú | cumples |
| él/ella/Ud. | cumple |
| nosotros/as | cumplimos |
| vosotros/as | cumplís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cumplen |
How the present indicative of cumplir is formed
The present indicative of cumplir is built from the stem cumpl- plus the present indicative 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 | cumplo |
| tú | -es | cumples |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | cumple |
| nosotros/as | -imos | cumplimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | cumplís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | cumplen |
Because cumplir is a regular -ir verb, there are no surprises in the present indicative: the stem cumpl- never changes, and every person takes its normal ending. The only spelling detail to watch is the written accent on the vosotros form, cumplís, which carries an accent on the vowel of the ending. Learn the six endings once and you can conjugate any regular -ir verb the same way.
The gerund of cumplir is cumpliendo and the past participle is cumplido. 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 cumplir
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and cumplir 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.
Having a birthday
Cumplir años is the standard way to talk about birthdays in Spanish.
"Yo cumplo veinte años en mayo." — "I turn twenty in May."
Asking someone's age
¿Cuántos años cumples? is the natural birthday question.
"¿Cuántos años cumples tú?" — "How old are you turning?"
Fulfilling a promise
Cumplir una promesa means to keep a promise — to do what you said you would do.
"Mi hermano cumple su promesa." — "My brother keeps his promise."
Fulfilling a duty
Cumplir un deber or cumplir las normas means to carry out a duty or follow rules.
"Nosotros cumplimos las normas del colegio." — "We follow the school rules."
Fulfilling a dream
Cumplir un sueño is the standard phrase for making a dream come true.
"Ellos cumplen su sueño de viajar." — "They fulfil their dream of travelling."
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: Yo cumplo treinta años mañana. — "I turn thirty tomorrow."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo cumplí treinta años mañana. — 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: Tú cumples años el mismo día que yo. — "You have your birthday on the same day as me."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú cumplías años el mismo día que yo. — 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: Mi hija cumple cinco años hoy. — "My daughter turns five today."
- Future — what will happen: Mi hija cumplirá cinco años hoy. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: cumplir in the present tense
Seven sentences that show cumplir in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo cumplo treinta años mañana. — "I turn thirty tomorrow."
- Tú cumples años el mismo día que yo. — "You have your birthday on the same day as me."
- Mi hija cumple cinco años hoy. — "My daughter turns five today."
- Nosotros cumplimos con nuestro trabajo. — "We fulfil our work duties."
- Vosotros cumplís vuestra palabra. — "You keep your word."
- Ellos cumplen el horario de trabajo. — "They keep to the work schedule."
- Ella cumple su sueño de ser médica. — "She fulfils her dream of being a doctor."
Common mistakes with cumplir in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with cumplir in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo tengo veinte años en mayo (using tener for a birthday).
✓ Correct: Yo cumplo veinte años en mayo.
For a birthday you say cumplir años. Tener años states your age (tengo veinte años), cumplir años is the birthday event itself.
✗ *¿Cuántos años tienes tú en mayo?
✓ Correct: ¿Cuántos años cumples tú?
Cumples is the birthday question. Tienes asks your current age, not what you are turning.
✗ *Nosotros cumplimos con las normas (adding con where it is not needed).
✓ Correct: Nosotros cumplimos las normas del colegio.
Cumplir takes a direct object: cumplir las normas. Cumplir con is a different construction (cumplir con un deber is possible, but cumplir las normas takes no preposition).
✗ *Ellos cumplen a su sueño.
✓ Correct: Ellos cumplen su sueño de viajar.
A dream is a thing: cumplir su sueño, with no a before it.
Quiz: cumplir in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of cumplir. 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 cumplir for tú?
- a) cumplen
- b) cumple
- c) cumplo
- d) cumples
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ treinta años mañana. — "I turn thirty tomorrow."
- a) cumplen
- b) cumples
- c) cumplo
- d) cumplí
3. Complete the sentence: ¿Cuántos años ______ tú? — "How old are you turning?"
- a) cumples
- b) cumplimos
- c) cumple
- d) cumpliste
4. Which is the correct present tense form of cumplir for nosotros?
- a) cumplo
- b) cumplen
- c) cumples
- d) cumplimos
5. Which sentence uses cumplir correctly in the present tense?
- a) Mi hija cumplió cinco años hoy.
- b) Mi hija cumple cinco años hoy.
- c) Mi hija cumples cinco años hoy.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of cumplir for vosotros?
- a) cumples
- b) cumplo
- c) cumple
- d) cumplís
7. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ las normas del colegio. — "We follow the school rules."
- a) cumplimos
- b) cumplimos
- c) cumplen
- d) cumplo
8. What is the gerund of cumplir?
- a) cumplimos
- b) cumplido
- c) cumplo
- d) cumpliendo
Answer key
d) cumples — The tú form is cumples. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; cumplo is yo, cumple is él/ella and cumplen is ellos/ellas.
c) cumplo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: cumplo. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
a) cumples — The subject is tú, so the present form is cumples.
d) cumplimos — Nosotros takes cumplimos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ir verbs is -imos, attached to the stem cumpl-.
b) Mi hija cumple cinco años hoy. — Mi hija cumple cinco años hoy. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) cumplís — Vosotros takes cumplís. Remember the written accent on the ending — it is part of the correct spelling.
a) cumplimos — The subject is nosotros/as, so the present form is cumplimos.
d) cumpliendo — The gerund is cumpliendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle cumplido.
Frequently asked questions
Is cumplir regular in the present tense?
Yes. cumplir is a regular -ir verb, so its present tense follows the standard endings exactly: cumplo, cumples, cumple, cumplimos, cumplís and cumplen.
What is the gerund and the past participle of cumplir?
The gerund is cumpliendo and the past participle is cumplido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to fulfil, to turn (an age)" in Spanish?
Say cumplo. For example: Yo cumplo treinta años mañana. — "I turn thirty tomorrow.".
What is the difference between cumplir and prometer?
cumplir means "to fulfil, to turn (an age)", while prometer means "to promise". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use cumplir when you mean "to fulfil, to turn (an age)" and prometer when you mean "to promise". The full conjugation of prometer is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of cumplir — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- cumplir 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.