Disimular Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of disimular — “to hide, to conceal” 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 disimular 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. Disimular means to hide or to conceal, to hide a feeling, a mistake or a fact so others do not notice it. It is used for emotions, errors and secrets, and it is fully regular. To see it in a real sentence: Disimulo su nerviosismo en la entrevista. — “I hide his nervousness in the interview.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of disimular will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: disimular
Every person of disimular in the present tense. The gerund is disimulando and the past participle is disimulado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | disimulo |
| tú | disimulas |
| él/ella/Ud. | disimula |
| nosotros/as | disimulamos |
| vosotros/as | disimuláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | disimulan |
How the present indicative of disimular is formed
The present indicative of disimular is built from the stem 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 | disimulo |
| tú | -as | disimulas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | disimula |
| nosotros/as | -amos | disimulamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | disimuláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | disimulan |
Disimular is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is disimul- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of disimular is disimulando and the past participle is disimulado. 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 disimular
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and disimular 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.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and disimular fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo disimulo su nerviosismo en la entrevista todos los días.” — “I hide his nervousness in the interview every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él disimula la risa durante la clase.” — “He/she hides laughter during the lesson.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so disimulo can mean both “I hide” and “I am hideing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo disimulo el error ante el jefe.” — “Right now, I hide the mistake before the boss.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo disimulo su sorpresa al ver el regalo.” — “Tomorrow, I will hide his surprise on seeing the present.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú disimulas su nerviosismo en la entrevista?” — “Do you hide his nervousness in the interview?”
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: Disimula la risa durante la clase. — “He/she hides laughter during the lesson.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Disimuló la risa durante la clase. — 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: Disimulan el error ante el jefe. — “They hide the mistake before the boss.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Disimulaban el error ante el jefe. — 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: Disimulas su sorpresa al ver el regalo. — “You hide his surprise on seeing the present.”
- Future — what will happen: Disimularás su sorpresa al ver el regalo. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: disimular in the present tense
Seven sentences that show disimular in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo disimulo su nerviosismo en la entrevista. — “I hide his nervousness in the interview.”
- Tú disimulas la risa durante la clase. — “You hide laughter during the lesson.”
- Él disimula el error ante el jefe. — “He hides the mistake before the boss.”
- Nosotros disimulamos su sorpresa al ver el regalo. — “We hide his surprise on seeing the present.”
- Vosotros disimuláis su nerviosismo en la entrevista. — “You (plural) hide his nervousness in the interview.”
- Ellos disimulan la risa durante la clase. — “They hide laughter during the lesson.”
- ¿Tú disimulas el error ante el jefe? — “Do you hide the mistake before the boss?”
Common mistakes with disimular in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with disimular in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo disimular su nerviosismo en la entrevista. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo disimulo su nerviosismo en la entrevista.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of disimular is disimulo, not the infinitive disimular.
✗ Vosotros disimulais su nerviosismo en la entrevista. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros disimuláis su nerviosismo en la entrevista.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: disimuláis, not disimulais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo disimulo la risa durante la clase. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo disimulé la risa durante la clase.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: disimulo is happening now, while disimulé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating disimular and ocultar as identical in every context. (confusing disimular with ocultar).
✓ Correct: Disimular means to hide, to conceal, while ocultar means to hide something.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: disimular fits sentences such as Disimulo su nerviosismo en la entrevista, while ocultar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: disimular in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of disimular. 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 disimular for tú?
- a) disimulas
- b) disimulo
- c) disimula
- d) disimulan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ su nerviosismo en la entrevista. — “I hide his nervousness in the interview.”
- a) disimula
- b) disimulamos
- c) disimulas
- d) disimulo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la risa durante la clase. — “He/she hides laughter during the lesson.” (present tense)
- a) disimulaba
- b) disimulará
- c) disimula
- d) disimuló
4. Which is the correct present tense form of disimular for nosotros?
- a) disimulan
- b) disimulamos
- c) disimulo
- d) disimula
5. Which sentence uses disimular correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él disimuló la risa durante la clase.
- b) Él disimula la risa durante la clase.
- c) Él disimulará la risa durante la clase.
- d) Ellos disimula la risa durante la clase.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el error ante el jefe. — “They hide the mistake before the boss.”
- a) disimulo
- b) disimula
- c) disimulamos
- d) disimulan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ su sorpresa al ver el regalo? — “Do you hide his surprise on seeing the present?”
- a) disimula
- b) disimularás
- c) disimulas
- d) disimulo
8. What is the gerund of disimular?
- a) disimulé
- b) disimulando
- c) disimulado
- d) disimulo
Answer key
a) disimulas — The tú form is disimulas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; disimulo is yo, disimula is él/ella and disimulan is ellos/ellas.
d) disimulo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: disimulo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) disimula — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: disimula. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) disimulamos — Nosotros takes disimulamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él disimula la risa durante la clase. — Él disimula la risa durante la clase. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) disimulan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is disimulan.
c) disimulas — The question needs the tú form in the present: disimulas.
b) disimulando — The gerund is disimulando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle disimulado.
Frequently asked questions
Is disimular regular in the present tense?
Yes. Disimular is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: disimulo, disimulas, disimula, disimulamos, disimuláis and disimulan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of disimular?
The gerund is disimulando and the past participle is disimulado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I hide” in Spanish?
Say disimulo. For example: Disimulo su nerviosismo en la entrevista. — “I hide his nervousness in the interview.”
What is the difference between disimular and ocultar?
Disimular means “to hide, to conceal”, while ocultar means “to hide something”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use disimular when you mean “to hide, to conceal” and ocultar when you mean “to hide something”. The full conjugation of disimular is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of disimular — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- disimular 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.
- Dialogar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with disimular.
- Descifrar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with disimular.
- Derivar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with disimular.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.