Descansar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of descansar — "to rest" 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 descansar 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. Descansar means "to rest", and it is the verb for everything from a five-minute break to a two-week holiday: descansas un rato, you rest a while; descansa en paz, rest in peace. It is used for sleep, for breaks at work, for holidays, and for letting your body or your mind recover. It is a fully regular -ar verb, and it is also the polite verb for telling someone to take it easy — descansa, que mañana es otro día. Because rest is a daily topic, the present tense of descansar is genuinely useful from the first week of learning Spanish. To see it in a real sentence: Yo descanso un rato después de comer. — "I rest a while after eating.".
Present tense conjugation table: descansar
Every person of descansar in the present tense. The gerund is descansando and the past participle is descansado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | descanso |
| tú | descansas |
| él/ella/Ud. | descansa |
| nosotros/as | descansamos |
| vosotros/as | descansáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | descansan |
How the present indicative of descansar is formed
The present indicative of descansar is built from the stem descans- 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 | descanso |
| tú | -as | descansas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | descansa |
| nosotros/as | -amos | descansamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | descansáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | descansan |
Because descansar is a regular -ar verb, there are no surprises in the present indicative: the stem descans- never changes, and every person takes its normal ending. The only spelling detail to watch is the written accent on the vosotros form, descansáis, which carries an accent on the vowel of the ending. Learn the six endings once and you can conjugate any regular -ar verb the same way.
The gerund of descansar is descansando and the past participle is descansado. 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 descansar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and descansar 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.
Taking a short break
The present describes a break happening now or as a habit — after lunch, after work, between classes.
"Yo descanso un rato después de comer." — "I rest a while after eating."
Resting at the weekend
The present states a regular weekend routine.
"Nosotros descansamos los fines de semana." — "We rest at the weekends."
Telling someone to rest
In advice and wishes, descansar in the present describes what someone should do regularly.
"Tú descansas poco, debes dormir más." — "You rest little, you should sleep more."
Holidays as rest
Descansar covers holidays: to rest is what a holiday is for.
"Mi padre descansa en la playa en agosto." — "My father rests on the beach in August."
Resting a part of the body
Descansar takes a body part as its object: to rest your legs, your eyes, your voice.
"Yo descanso las piernas después de correr." — "I rest my legs after running."
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 descanso diez minutos cada hora. — "I rest ten minutes every hour."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo descansé diez minutos cada hora. — 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 descansas en el sofá por la tarde. — "You rest on the sofa in the afternoon."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú descansabas en el sofá por la tarde. — 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: Ella descansa mucho los domingos. — "She rests a lot on Sundays."
- Future — what will happen: Ella descansará mucho los domingos. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: descansar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show descansar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo descanso diez minutos cada hora. — "I rest ten minutes every hour."
- Tú descansas en el sofá por la tarde. — "You rest on the sofa in the afternoon."
- Ella descansa mucho los domingos. — "She rests a lot on Sundays."
- Nosotros descansamos en el campo los fines de semana. — "We rest in the countryside at weekends."
- Vosotros descansáis poco entre semana. — "You rest little during the week."
- Los niños descansan después de comer. — "The children rest after eating."
- El abuelo descansa en su sillón favorito. — "Grandfather rests in his favourite armchair."
Common mistakes with descansar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with descansar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo descanso a las piernas después de correr (adding a before a body part).
✓ Correct: Yo descanso las piernas después de correr.
Body parts take no personal a: descansar las piernas, not descansar a las piernas.
✗ *Vosotros descansáis poco (written without the accent: descansais).
✓ Correct: Vosotros descansáis poco entre semana.
Descansáis needs the written accent on the á — it is part of the spelling.
✗ *Nosotros descansamos en la playa el año pasado.
✓ Correct: El año pasado nosotros descansamos en la playa.
Descansamos is both present and preterite for nosotros. With el año pasado, the preterite reading is meant — add the time expression to make it clear.
✗ *Tú descansa en el sofá (using the él form for tú).
✓ Correct: Tú descansas en el sofá por la tarde.
Tú takes descansas, with the -s ending. Descansa is the él/ella form.
Quiz: descansar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of descansar. 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 descansar for tú?
- a) descanso
- b) descansas
- c) descansa
- d) descansan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ diez minutos cada hora. — "I rest ten minutes every hour."
- a) descanso
- b) descansas
- c) descansé
- d) descansan
3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ los fines de semana. — "We rest at the weekends."
- a) descansáis
- b) descansa
- c) descansamos
- d) descansamos
4. Which is the correct present tense form of descansar for nosotros?
- a) descansas
- b) descansamos
- c) descanso
- d) descansan
5. Which sentence uses descansar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Ella descansas mucho los domingos.
- b) Ella descansa mucho los domingos.
- c) Ella descansó mucho los domingos.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of descansar for vosotros?
- a) descanso
- b) descansa
- c) descansáis
- d) descansas
7. Complete the sentence: Mi padre ______ en la playa en agosto. — "My father rests on the beach in August."
- a) descansan
- b) descanso
- c) descansó
- d) descansa
8. What is the gerund of descansar?
- a) descanso
- b) descansamos
- c) descansado
- d) descansando
Answer key
b) descansas — The tú form is descansas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; descanso is yo, descansa is él/ella and descansan is ellos/ellas.
a) descanso — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: descanso. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
c) descansamos — The subject is nosotros/as, so the present form is descansamos.
b) descansamos — Nosotros takes descansamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem descans-.
b) Ella descansa mucho los domingos. — Ella descansa mucho los domingos. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
c) descansáis — Vosotros takes descansáis. Remember the written accent on the ending — it is part of the correct spelling.
d) descansa — The subject is él/ella/Ud., so the present form is descansa.
d) descansando — The gerund is descansando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle descansado.
Frequently asked questions
Is descansar regular in the present tense?
Yes. descansar is a regular -ar verb, so its present tense follows the standard endings exactly: descanso, descansas, descansa, descansamos, descansáis and descansan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of descansar?
The gerund is descansando and the past participle is descansado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to rest" in Spanish?
Say descanso. For example: Yo descanso diez minutos cada hora. — "I rest ten minutes every hour.".
What is the difference between descansar and dormir?
descansar means "to rest", while dormir means "to sleep". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use descansar when you mean "to rest" and dormir when you mean "to sleep". The full conjugation of dormir is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of descansar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- descansar 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.