Desplegar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of desplegar — "to unfold, to deploy" 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 desplegar 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. Desplegar means to unfold or spread out: desplegar el mapa, desplegar las velas. It is also the military verb for deploying troops: desplegar las tropas. To see it in a real sentence: Yo despliego el mapa sobre la mesa — "I unfold the map on the table".
Present tense conjugation table: desplegar
Every person of desplegar in the present tense. The gerund is desplegando and the past participle is desplegado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | despliego |
| tú | despliegas |
| él/ella/Ud. | despliega |
| nosotros/as | desplegamos |
| vosotros/as | desplegáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | despliegan |
How the present of desplegar is formed
The present of desplegar is built from the stem despleg- plus the present 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 | despliego |
| tú | -as | despliegas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | despliega |
| nosotros/as | -amos | desplegamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | desplegáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | despliegan |
The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: despliego, despliegas, despliega and despliegan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: desplegamos, desplegáis.
The gerund of desplegar is desplegando and the past participle is desplegado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of desplegar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and desplegar 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.
Habits and routines
The present describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, yo despliego el mapa sobre la mesa" — "Every day, I unfold the map on the table"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo despliega las velas del barco" — "My friend unfolds the ship's sails"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo despliego sus alas en el cielo" — "Right now, I unfold its wings in the sky"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros desplegamos una pancarta en la plaza" — "Tomorrow, we unfold a banner in the square"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos despliegan el abanico con un gesto" — "They unfold the fan with a gesture"
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: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}yo despliego el mapa sobre la mesa — "I unfold the map on the table"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo desplegué el mapa sobre la mesa — "I unfolded the map on the table"
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 despliegas las velas del barco — "You unfold the ship's sails"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú desplegabas las velas del barco — "You used to unfold the ship's sails"
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: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él despliega sus alas en el cielo — "He unfolds its wings in the sky"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él desplegará sus alas en el cielo — "He will unfold its wings in the sky"
Examples: desplegar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show desplegar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo despliego el mapa sobre la mesa — "I unfold the map on the table"
- Tú despliegas las velas del barco — "You unfold the ship's sails"
- Él despliega sus alas en el cielo — "He unfolds its wings in the sky"
- Nosotros desplegamos una pancarta en la plaza — "We unfold a banner in the square"
- Vosotros desplegáis el abanico con un gesto — "You unfold the fan with a gesture"
- Ellos despliegan el mapa sobre la mesa — "They unfold the map on the table"
- Yo despliego las velas del barco — "I unfold the ship's sails"
Common mistakes with desplegar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with desplegar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo desplego el mapa sobre la mesa.
✓ Correct: Yo despliego el mapa sobre la mesa.
desplegar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is despliego, not desplego.
✗ *Tú despliega las velas del barco.
✓ Correct: Tú despliegas las velas del barco.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes despliegas, él takes despliega.
✗ *Cada día, yo desplegué sus alas en el cielo
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo despliego sus alas en el cielo
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros desplegais una pancarta en la plaza.
✓ Correct: Vosotros desplegáis una pancarta en la plaza.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: desplegáis, not desplegais.
Quiz: desplegar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of desplegar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of desplegar for tú? A. desplegamos B. despliegas C. despliego D. despliega
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el mapa sobre la mesa — "I unfold the map on the table" (present) A. despliegas B. despliega C. desplegamos D. despliego
Complete the sentence: Él ______ las velas del barco — "He unfolds the ship's sails" (present) A. despliega B. despliego C. despliegas D. desplegamos
Which is the correct present form of desplegar for nosotros? A. desplegamos B. despliegas C. despliega D. despliegan
Which sentence uses desplegar correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo desplegaba sus alas en el cielo B. Mi amigo desplegamos sus alas en el cielo C. Mi amigo despliega sus alas en el cielo D. Mi amigo despliegas sus alas en el cielo
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ una pancarta en la plaza — "You unfold a banner in the square" (present) A. despliega B. desplegáis C. despliego D. despliegas
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el abanico con un gesto — "They unfold the fan with a gesture" (present) A. despliega B. despliegan C. despliego D. despliegas
What is the gerund of desplegar? A. desplegado B. despliego C. desplegué D. desplegando
Answer key
- despliegas — The tú form in the present is despliegas.
- despliego — The present form for yo is despliego.
- despliega — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is despliega.
- desplegamos — The nosotros form in the present is desplegamos.
- Mi amigo despliega sus alas en el cielo — Mi amigo despliega sus alas en el cielo is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- desplegáis — The present form for vosotros/as is desplegáis.
- despliegan — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is despliegan.
- desplegando — The gerund is desplegando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle desplegado.
Frequently asked questions
Is desplegar regular in the present tense?
No — in the present the stem changes: The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: despliego, despliegas, despliega and despliegan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: desplegamos, desplegáis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem.
What is the gerund and the past participle of desplegar?
The gerund is desplegando and the past participle is desplegado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I unfold" in the present tense?
Say despliego. For example: Yo despliego el mapa sobre la mesa — "I unfold the map on the table".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of desplegar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo despliego el mapa sobre la mesa — "I unfold the map on the table". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo desplegué el mapa sobre la mesa — "Yesterday, I unfolded the map on the table". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of desplegar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- desplegar 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.