Delatar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of delatar — «to betray, to give away» — is the form you will reach for most often. It talks about habits, facts and what is happening right now, and it is the first tense to master for this verb. delatar is a regular -ar verb verb, so the present follows the -ar endings. On this page you will find the full present-tense table, how the forms are built, five usage rules with examples, a comparison with the preterite, more example sentences, the mistakes learners make in this tense, an eight-question quiz and answers to common questions. A good first sentence is «Yo delato todos los días» — I betray every day.

Delatar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo delato
tú delatas
él/ella/Ud. delata
nosotros/as delatamos
vosotros/as delatáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. delatan

Gerund: delatando · Past participle: delatado

How the present tense of delatar is formed

Take the stem delat — the infinitive delatar without its -ar ending — and add the present endings. The table below shows the build for every person, using the actual stem of each form:

Person Stem Ending Form
yo delat -o delato
tú delat -as delatas
él/ella/Ud. delat -a delata
nosotros/as delat -amos delatamos
vosotros/as delat -áis delatáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. delat -an delatan

The present is the only tense where the yo form ends in -o for all three verb classes, which makes it a useful anchor: if you know delato, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of delatar

1. Daily routines and habits

The most common use: things you do regularly. Time words like todos los días, siempre and a veces are the giveaway.

Yo delato todos los días. — I betray every day.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. No time expression is needed — the statement stands on its own.

Él delata con mi familia. — He betrays with my family.

3. What is happening right now

For an action in progress, the present works on its own in Spanish, and you can also use estar + the gerund delatando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros delatamos por la mañana. — We betray in the morning.

4. Scheduled near-future plans

Spanish often uses the present for a fixed plan in the near future, where English would say «going to». A time expression such as mañana or la semana que viene makes the future meaning clear.

Tú delatas en el trabajo. — You betray at work.

5. Narrating and commenting

The present is the tense of live commentary and of stories told as if they were happening now. It keeps the listener in the moment, and it is the tense of instructions and explanations.

Ellos delatan a veces. — They betray sometimes.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The present and the preterite answer different questions. The present says what happens in general or what is happening now; the preterite says what happened once and is over. Compare the pairs below — same verb, different time frame:

  • Present: Yo delato todos los días. — I betray every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo delaté por la tarde. — Yesterday I betrayed in the afternoon.

  • A routine against a single finished event. The present describes the habit; the preterite reports the one time it happened.

  • Present: Él delata por la mañana. — He betrays in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él delató por la tarde. — Yesterday He betrayed in the afternoon.

  • What happens in the morning in general, against what happened yesterday afternoon. The time expression decides the tense.

  • Present: Nosotros delatamos con mi familia. — We betray with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros delatamos dos veces. — Last week We betrayed twice.

  • A shared habit against a shared finished event. If the action repeats, use the present; if it happened once and ended, use the preterite.

Example sentences: delatar in the present

  1. Yo delato todos los días. — I betray every day.
  2. Tú delatas en el trabajo. — You betray at work.
  3. Él delata con mi familia. — He betrays with my family.
  4. Nosotros delatamos por la mañana. — We betray in the morning.
  5. Vosotros delatáis cuando hay tiempo. — You betray when there is time.
  6. Ellos delatan a veces. — They betray sometimes.
  7. Yo delato en el trabajo. — I betray at work.
  8. Él delata todos los días. — He betrays every day.

Common mistakes with delatar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros delatais.

Right: Vosotros delatáis.

The vosotros form delatáis carries a written accent on the ending. Without it the word is misspelled, and in speech the stress falls in the wrong place.

2. Using the present for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo delato.

Right: Ayer yo delaté.

Ayer belongs with the preterite. The present delato talks about now or about a habit; a finished yesterday needs delaté.

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos delato.

Right: Ellos delatan.

Each person has its own form: ellos take delatan, not the yo form delato. The -n ending on delatan is what marks the third-person plural.

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy delato.

Right: Estoy delatando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy delatando. The conjugated present delato never follows estar.

Quiz: delatar in the present

Test yourself on the present tense of delatar. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of delatar in the present indicative?

- (a) delato
- (b) delatamos
- (c) delata
- (d) delatas

2. What is the nosotros/as form of delatar in the present indicative?

- (a) delata
- (b) delatamos
- (c) delatas
- (d) delato

3. What is the vosotros/as form of delatar in the present indicative?

- (a) delata
- (b) delatáis
- (c) delato
- (d) delatas

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of delatar in the present indicative?

- (a) delato
- (b) delatan
- (c) delata
- (d) delatas

5. What is the yo form of delatar in the present indicative?

- (a) delato
- (b) delatamos
- (c) delatas
- (d) delata

6. What is the tú form of delatar in the present indicative?

- (a) delato
- (b) delata
- (c) delatas
- (d) delatamos

7. What is the gerund of delatar?

- (a) delato
- (b) delatado
- (c) delatando
- (d) delatar

8. What is the past participle of delatar?

- (a) delatando
- (b) delatar
- (c) delaté
- (d) delatado

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of delatar is delata. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of delatar is delatamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of delatar is delatáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of delatar is delatan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the present indicative, the yo form of delatar is delato. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — In the present indicative, the tú form of delatar is delatas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (c) — The gerund of delatar is delatando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy delatando». 8. (d) — The past participle of delatar is delatado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he delatado».

Frequently asked questions

Is delatar regular in the present?

Yes — delatar is regular in the present. The stem delat never changes and the endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an for -ar verbs (with the matching sets for -er and -ir verbs).

What is the yo form of delatar in the present?

It is delato. Use it for talking about yourself right now.

How is the present different from the preterite for delatar?

The present (delato) describes habits and what is happening now; the preterite (delaté) reports a single finished event. «Yo delato todos los días» is a habit, while «Ayer yo delaté» is one event that ended yesterday.

Can I use the present of delatar with estar and the gerund?

Yes — «Estoy delatando» means «I am betraying right now», with the emphasis on the action in progress. The plain present «Yo delato» is also correct for what is happening now; the gerund version simply stresses the moment.

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