Desear Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb desear means to wish, to want, and this page covers it in the present tense — the tense for habits, facts and what is happening now. If you want the whole picture, start with the full desear conjugation, which has every tense on one page. Here we go deep on one tense only: the full table, how it is formed, when to use it, how it differs from the closest tense, examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the questions people ask most. One example to start: Yo deseo un café. — "I want a coffee."

No pronunciation is given on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for desear, so no pronunciation is shown rather than an invented one. All the forms below come from the verified conjugation tables, so you can trust every form you see here.

The desear present tense table

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for desear. The gerund is deseando and the past participle is deseado.

Person Form
yo deseo
tú deseas
él/ella/Ud. desea
nosotros/as deseamos
vosotros/as deseáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desean

The gerund deseando is used with estar for the progressive (estoy deseando, I am wanting), and the past participle deseado is used with haber for the perfect tenses (he deseado, I have wanted).

How the present tense of desear is formed

Start with the infinitive desear. Take off the -ar ending and you are left with the stem dese-. Then add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o (yo), -as (tú), -a (él/ella/Ud.), -amos (nosotros/as), -áis (vosotros/as) and -an (ellos/ellas/Uds.). That gives you the six forms in the table above, and for most verbs in this group that is the whole story.

desear is regular in the present: every form is exactly the stem plus the ending above, with no stem change and no spelling change. If you know the stem and the six endings, you can build the whole tense without memorising anything extra.

Two details are worth fixing early. First, the vosotros form carries a written accent on the ending: deseáis. Second, the present tense in Spanish has no auxiliary verb: deseo on its own means both "I want" and "I am wanting" in English, so you do not need a separate word for the progressive unless you want to stress that something is happening right now.

When to use the present tense of desear

Habits and routines

The present is the tense of what you do regularly. Talking about wanting something: a coffee, a new car, a bigger house.

  • Yo deseo un café. — "I want a coffee."
  • Tú deseas un buen resultado. — "you want a good result."

Facts and general truths

The present also states facts that are true in general, not just today. Talking about wishing someone well: desear mucha suerte, desear feliz cumpleaños.

  • Él desea un coche nuevo. — "he/she wants a new car."
  • Nosotros deseamos feliz cumpleaños. — "we want a happy birthday."

What is happening now

The present describes what is happening at this moment. Talking about wishes and hopes, where desear is more formal than querer.

  • Vosotros deseáis lo mejor para ti. — "you (all) want the best for you."
  • Ellos desean una casa más grande. — "they want a bigger house."

Plans in the near future

Spanish also uses the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with a time expression. A plan you have already decided on can be stated in the present, and it sounds more certain than the future tense.

  • Él desea un coche nuevo. — "he/she wants a new car."
  • Nosotros deseamos feliz cumpleaños. — "we want a happy birthday."

Desear present vs present progressive

The present tense and the present progressive (estar + gerund) are close neighbours, and learners mix them up. The present describes a habit, a fact or a routine. The progressive describes something in progress right now, at this very moment. Compare the three pairs below: the first sentence in each pair is a habit, the second is happening now.

  • Present (habit): Yo deseo un café. — "I want a coffee."

  • Progressive (right now): Yo estoy deseando un café. — "I am wanting a coffee."

  • Present (habit): Tú deseas un buen resultado. — "you want a good result."

  • Progressive (right now): Tú estás deseando un buen resultado. — "you are wanting a good result."

  • Present (habit): Él desea un coche nuevo. — "he/she wants a new car."

  • Progressive (right now): Él está deseando un coche nuevo. — "he/she is wanting a new car."

Use the present when you talk about what you usually do, and the progressive when you want to stress that it is happening as you speak. If you say deseo every day, that is a routine. If you say Estoy deseando, you are doing it at this moment.

Examples of desear in the present

Eight sentences in the present tense, so you can see the forms in real use. Read the Spanish first, guess the meaning, then check the translation.

  1. Deseo un café, por favor. — "I want a coffee, please."
  2. Mi madre desea lo mejor para ti. — "My mother wishes the best for you."
  3. Ayer deseé mucha suerte a mi hermano. — "Yesterday I wished my brother good luck."
  4. De niña, deseaba un coche nuevo cada Navidad. — "As a girl, I used to want a new car every Christmas."
  5. Mañana desearé feliz cumpleaños a mi abuela. — "Tomorrow I will wish my grandmother a happy birthday."
  6. Si pudiera, desearía una casa más grande. — "If I could, I would want a bigger house."
  7. Él desea lo mejor para ti. — "he/she wants the best for you."
  8. Nosotros deseamos una casa más grande. — "we want a bigger house."

Common mistakes with desear in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why it is wrong.

1. Yo desea un café.

Wrong: Yo desea un café.

Right: Yo deseo un café.

The yo form ends in -o: deseo. Desea is the él/ella form.

2. Deseo a mi hermano mucha suerte.

Wrong: Deseo a mi hermano mucha suerte.

Right: Deseo mucha suerte a mi hermano.

The thing wished comes first and the person takes a: deseo mucha suerte a mi hermano. The other order is wrong.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

Wrong: Ayer yo deseo un café.

Right: Ayer yo deseé un café.

Ayer (yesterday) signals a finished action, so it needs the preterite: deseé. The present deseo describes what you do now or usually, not what you did yesterday.

4. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros deseais un café.

Right: Vosotros deseáis un café.

The vosotros ending carries a written accent: deseáis. Without it, the spelling is wrong, even though the pronunciation is close.

Quiz: test yourself on desear in the present

Choose the right form for each sentence. The answers are at the end of this section, with an explanation for every question.

  1. Yo ___ un café
    • a) deseo
    • b) deseas
    • c) desea
    • d) deseamos
  2. Tú ___ un buen resultado
    • a) deseo
    • b) desea
    • c) deseamos
    • d) deseas
  3. Él ___ un coche nuevo
    • a) deseas
    • b) deseamos
    • c) desea
    • d) deseo
  4. Nosotros ___ feliz cumpleaños
    • a) desea
    • b) deseamos
    • c) deseo
    • d) deseas
  5. Vosotros ___ lo mejor para ti
    • a) deseáis
    • b) deseo
    • c) deseas
    • d) desea
  6. Ellos ___ una casa más grande
    • a) deseo
    • b) deseas
    • c) desea
    • d) desean
  7. Yo ___ un café
    • a) desea
    • b) deseamos
    • c) deseo
    • d) deseas
  8. Tú ___ un buen resultado
    • a) deseamos
    • b) deseas
    • c) deseo
    • d) desea

Answers

  1. a) deseo — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
  2. d) deseas — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.
  3. c) desea — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form, because the subject is él/ella/Ud..
  4. b) deseamos — The sentence needs the nosotros/as form, because the subject is nosotros/as.
  5. a) deseáis — The sentence needs the vosotros/as form, because the subject is vosotros/as.
  6. d) desean — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, because the subject is ellos/ellas/Uds..
  7. c) deseo — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
  8. b) deseas — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.

Frequently asked questions about desear in the present

What is the difference between desear and querer?

Desear is more formal and is used for wishes: deseo mucha suerte. Querer is the everyday verb for wanting: quiero un café. Desear also works for wanting things, but it sounds more polite or more formal.

Is desear regular?

Yes, desear is a regular -ar verb: deseo, deseas, desea, deseamos, deseáis, desean.

Is desear regular in the present?

Yes. desear is regular in the present: the six forms are the stem dese- plus the regular endings, with no stem change. The only thing to watch is the written accent on the stressed endings, for example deseo.

What are the gerund and the past participle of desear?

The gerund is deseando, used with estar for the progressive (estoy deseando), and the past participle is deseado, used with haber for the perfect tenses (he deseado).

How to remember desear

Four small habits will fix desear in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: deseo, deseas, desea, deseamos, deseáis, desean. Saying the forms is far more effective than reading them silently, because you hear the endings and the stem at the same time. Second, write three sentences about your own life: one about today with the present (deseo), one about yesterday with the preterite (deseé), and one about tomorrow with the future (desearé). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from querer: Desear and querer both mean to want, but desear is more formal and is the verb for wishes: te deseo mucha suerte. Querer is the everyday choice: quiero un café. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund deseando and the past participle deseado. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy deseando) and the present perfect (he deseado), which covers most everyday conversation.

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