Declarar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of declarar — “to declare” 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 declarar 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. Declarar means to declare, and it covers declaring your income to the tax office, declaring love, declaring yourself innocent and declaring an emergency. It is a fully regular verb used in formal, legal and personal contexts alike. To see it in a real sentence: Declaro sus ingresos a Hacienda. — “I declare my income to the tax office.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of declarar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: declarar
Every person of declarar in the present tense. The gerund is declarando and the past participle is declarado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | declaro |
| tú | declaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | declara |
| nosotros/as | declaramos |
| vosotros/as | declaráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | declaran |
How the present indicative of declarar is formed
The present indicative of declarar 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 | declaro |
| tú | -as | declaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | declara |
| nosotros/as | -amos | declaramos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | declaráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | declaran |
Declarar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is declar- 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 declarar is declarando and the past participle is declarado. 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 declarar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and declarar 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 declarar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo declaro sus ingresos a Hacienda todos los días.” — “I declare my income to the tax office 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 declara su amor en público.” — “He/she declares my love in public.”
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 declaro can mean both “I declare” and “I am declareing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo declaro su inocencia ante el juez.” — “Right now, I declare my innocence before the judge.”
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 declaro el estado de emergencia.” — “Tomorrow, I will declare a state of emergency.”
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 declaras sus ingresos a Hacienda?” — “Do you declare my income to the tax office?”
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: Declara su amor en público. — “He/she declares my love in public.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Declaró su amor en público. — 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: Declaran su inocencia ante el juez. — “They declare my innocence before the judge.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Declaraban su inocencia ante el juez. — 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: Declaras el estado de emergencia. — “You declare a state of emergency.”
- Future — what will happen: Declararás el estado de emergencia. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: declarar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show declarar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo declaro sus ingresos a Hacienda. — “I declare my income to the tax office.”
- Tú declaras su amor en público. — “You declare my love in public.”
- Él declara su inocencia ante el juez. — “He declares my innocence before the judge.”
- Nosotros declaramos el estado de emergencia. — “We declare a state of emergency.”
- Vosotros declaráis sus ingresos a Hacienda. — “You (plural) declare my income to the tax office.”
- Ellos declaran su amor en público. — “They declare my love in public.”
- ¿Tú declaras su inocencia ante el juez? — “Do you declare my innocence before the judge?”
Common mistakes with declarar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with declarar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo declarar sus ingresos a Hacienda. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo declaro sus ingresos a Hacienda.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of declarar is declaro, not the infinitive declarar.
✗ Vosotros declarais sus ingresos a Hacienda. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros declaráis sus ingresos a Hacienda.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: declaráis, not declarais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo declaro su amor en público. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo declaré su amor en público.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: declaro is happening now, while declaré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating declarar and anunciar as identical in every context. (confusing declarar with anunciar).
✓ Correct: Declarar means to declare, while anunciar means to announce.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: declarar fits sentences such as Declaro sus ingresos a Hacienda, while anunciar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: declarar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of declarar. 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 declarar for tú?
- a) declaras
- b) declaro
- c) declara
- d) declaran
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ sus ingresos a Hacienda. — “I declare my income to the tax office.”
- a) declara
- b) declaramos
- c) declaras
- d) declaro
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ su amor en público. — “He/she declares my love in public.” (present tense)
- a) declaraba
- b) declarará
- c) declara
- d) declaró
4. Which is the correct present tense form of declarar for nosotros?
- a) declaran
- b) declaramos
- c) declaro
- d) declara
5. Which sentence uses declarar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él declaró su amor en público.
- b) Él declara su amor en público.
- c) Él declarará su amor en público.
- d) Ellos declara su amor en público.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ su inocencia ante el juez. — “They declare my innocence before the judge.”
- a) declaro
- b) declara
- c) declaramos
- d) declaran
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ el estado de emergencia? — “Do you declare a state of emergency?”
- a) declara
- b) declararás
- c) declaras
- d) declaro
8. What is the gerund of declarar?
- a) declaré
- b) declarando
- c) declarado
- d) declaro
Answer key
a) declaras — The tú form is declaras. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; declaro is yo, declara is él/ella and declaran is ellos/ellas.
d) declaro — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: declaro. The other options are the wrong person.
c) declara — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: declara. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) declaramos — Nosotros takes declaramos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él declara su amor en público. — Él declara su amor en público. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) declaran — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is declaran.
c) declaras — The question needs the tú form in the present: declaras.
b) declarando — The gerund is declarando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle declarado.
Frequently asked questions
Is declarar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Declarar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: declaro, declaras, declara, declaramos, declaráis and declaran.
What is the gerund and the past participle of declarar?
The gerund is declarando and the past participle is declarado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I declare” in Spanish?
Say declaro. For example: Declaro sus ingresos a Hacienda. — “I declare my income to the tax office.”
What is the difference between declarar and anunciar?
Declarar means “to declare”, while anunciar means “to announce”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use declarar when you mean “to declare” and anunciar when you mean “to announce”. The full conjugation of declarar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of declarar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- declarar 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.
- Empatar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with declarar.
- Indultar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with declarar.
- Arbitrar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with declarar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.