Desistir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of desistir — “to give up, to desist” 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 desistir 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. Desistir means to give up or to desist, and it is the formal verb for abandoning a plan, a claim or an attempt: desistir del plan, desistir de la idea. It takes de. It is a regular -ir verb. To see it in a real sentence: Desisto del plan por falta de dinero. — “I give up from the plan for lack of money.”
Present tense conjugation table: desistir
Every person of desistir in the present tense. The gerund is desistiendo and the past participle is desistido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desisto |
| tú | desistes |
| él/ella/Ud. | desiste |
| nosotros/as | desistimos |
| vosotros/as | desistís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desisten |
The gerund is desistiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy desistiendo” means the action of desistir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is desistido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he desistido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how desistir is used.
How the present of desistir is formed
The present of desistir is built from the stem desist plus the present 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 | desisto |
| tú | -es | desistes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | desiste |
| nosotros/as | -imos | desistimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | desistís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | desisten |
desistir is a regular -ir verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is desist and the endings are the normal -ir endings, so there are no surprises to memorise in this tense — the challenge is only using the forms naturally.
The gerund of desistir is desistiendo and the past participle is desistido. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of desistir
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use desistir in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. A routine or habit
The present tense of desistir is the tense for what happens regularly. When something is part of your routine, your week or your normal life, the present is the right choice, and desistir is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Desisto del plan por falta de dinero.” — I give up from the plan for lack of money.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what desistir means in the world — what it does, who it affects, how it works — the present is the tense to use. There is no time limit on the statement, so no past or future form is needed.
Example: “Desiste de la idea de viajar.” — He/she gives up from the idea of travelling.
3. Something happening right now
The present tense describes what is happening at this very moment. You do not need the progressive (estar plus the gerund) to say what is going on now: the simple present does the job in Spanish, and it is the more common choice in everyday speech.
Example: “Desisto del intento a la mitad.” — I give up from the attempt halfway.
4. A plan or arrangement
Spanish uses the present tense for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression such as mañana or el lunes. When the arrangement is made, the present tense states it as a fact, and desistir follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros desistimos de reclamar el dinero.” — Tomorrow, we give up from claiming the money.
5. Asking and answering questions
Questions in the present tense ask about routines, facts and what is happening now. The answer uses the same tense, so a question and its answer stay in the present together. This is the pattern you will hear most often in conversation.
Example: “¿Desistes de la idea de viajar?” — Do you give up from the idea of travelling?
The present vs the preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present reports what happens now, what happens regularly, or what is generally true, while the preterite reports one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is happening now or is already finished. Time words help: ahora and todos los días point to the present, while ayer and anoche point to the preterite.
Present: “Desisto del plan por falta de dinero.” — I give up from the plan for lack of money.
Preterite: “Desistí del plan por falta de dinero.” — I gave up from the plan for lack of money.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Desiste de la idea de viajar.” — He/she gives up from the idea of travelling.
Preterite: “Desistió de la idea de viajar.” — He/she gave up from the idea of travelling.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Desistimos del intento a la mitad.” — We give up from the attempt halfway.
Preterite: “Desistimos del intento a la mitad.” — We gave up from the attempt halfway.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: desistir in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Desisto del plan por falta de dinero.” — I give up from the plan for lack of money.
“Desistes de la idea de viajar.” — You give up from the idea of travelling.
“Desiste del intento a la mitad.” — He/she gives up from the attempt halfway.
“Desistimos de reclamar el dinero.” — We give up from claiming the money.
“Desistís del plan por falta de dinero.” — You give up from the plan for lack of money.
“Desisten de la idea de viajar.” — They give up from the idea of travelling.
“Desisto del intento a la mitad.” — I give up from the attempt halfway.
“Desiste de reclamar el dinero.” — He/she gives up from claiming the money.
Common mistakes with desistir in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo desiste del plan por falta de dinero.” Right: “Yo desisto del plan por falta de dinero.” Why: Yo needs the yo form desisto. The form desiste belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo desistir de la idea de viajar.” Right: “Yo desisto de la idea de viajar.” Why: The infinitive desistir cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving desisto.
Wrong: “Ayer yo desisto de la idea de viajar.” Right: “Ayer yo desistí de la idea de viajar.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to desistí.
Wrong: “Ellos desiste de la idea de viajar.” Right: “Ellos desisten de la idea de viajar.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form desisten. The singular desiste belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: desistir in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ___ del plan por falta de dinero.”
- (a) desisto
- (b) desistes
- (c) desiste
Answer: desisto — The yo form of desistir in the present is desisto.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ de la idea de viajar.”
- (a) desisto
- (b) desiste
- (c) desistes
Answer: desistes — The tú form of desistir in the present is desistes.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ del intento a la mitad.”
- (a) desistes
- (b) desiste
- (c) desisto
Answer: desiste — The él/ella form of desistir in the present is desiste.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ de reclamar el dinero.”
- (a) desistimos
- (b) desisto
- (c) desistes
Answer: desistimos — The nosotros/as form of desistir in the present is desistimos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ del plan por falta de dinero.”
- (a) desisto
- (b) desistes
- (c) desistís
Answer: desistís — The vosotros/as form of desistir in the present is desistís.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ de la idea de viajar.”
- (a) desistes
- (b) desisten
- (c) desisto
Answer: desisten — The ellos/ellas form of desistir in the present is desisten.
7. What does desistir mean in English?
- (a) to give up, to desist
- (b) to give up, to surrender
- (c) to be about
Answer: to give up, to desist — Desistir means to give up, to desist.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Desistí del plan por falta de dinero.
- (b) Desistiré del plan por falta de dinero.
- (c) Desisto del plan por falta de dinero.
Answer: Desisto del plan por falta de dinero. — “Desisto del plan por falta de dinero.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is desistir regular in the present?
Yes. Desistir is regular in the present: desisto, desistes, desiste, desistimos, desistís and desisten. Watch the accents on the forms that carry them, and remember that the nosotros form is the one that keeps the stem unchanged.
What is the gerund and the past participle of desistir?
The gerund is desistiendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy desistiendo. The past participle is desistido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he desistido.
What should I watch out for with desistir?
Desistir takes de: desisto del plan. It is fully regular: desistí, desistía, desistiré. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is desisto, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise desistir in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the desistir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of desistir — every tense of desistir in one place.
- Desistir examples and quiz — more sentences with desistir and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on desistir and other verbs.