Disminuir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of disminuir — “to decrease” 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 disminuir 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. Disminuir means to decrease or to reduce, and it is used for prices, speed, noise and numbers: disminuir el precio, disminuir la velocidad. It is a -uir verb: yo disminuyo, él disminuye, with y before the vowel endings. To see it in a real sentence: Disminuyo el precio de la casa. — “I decrease the price of the house.”
Present tense conjugation table: disminuir
Every person of disminuir in the present tense. The gerund is disminuyendo and the past participle is disminuido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | disminuyo |
| tú | disminuyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | disminuye |
| nosotros/as | disminuimos |
| vosotros/as | disminuís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | disminuyen |
The gerund is disminuyendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy disminuyendo” means the action of disminuir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is disminuido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he disminuido” 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 disminuir is used.
How the present of disminuir is formed
The present of disminuir is built from the stem disminu 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 | disminuyo |
| tú | -es | disminuyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | disminuye |
| nosotros/as | -imos | disminuimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | disminuís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | disminuyen |
disminuir is not fully regular in form: this verb is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is disminuyo and disminuye, and the gerund is disminuyendo. The endings in the table above are the regular -ir endings, so once you know the pattern, the whole tense follows. The forms that show the pattern most clearly are disminuyo and disminuye.
The gerund of disminuir is disminuyendo and the past participle is disminuido. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of disminuir
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use disminuir 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 disminuir 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 disminuir is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Disminuyo el precio de la casa.” — I decrease the price of the house.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what disminuir 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: “Disminuye la velocidad en la curva.” — He/she decreases speed on the bend.
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: “Disminuyo el ruido por la noche.” — I decrease noise at night.
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 disminuir follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros disminuimos los gastos del mes.” — Tomorrow, we decrease the month's expenses.
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: “¿Disminuyes la velocidad en la curva?” — Do you decrease speed on the bend?
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: “Disminuyo el precio de la casa.” — I decrease the price of the house.
Preterite: “Disminuí el precio de la casa.” — I decreased the price of the house.
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: “Disminuye la velocidad en la curva.” — He/she decreases speed on the bend.
Preterite: “Disminuyó la velocidad en la curva.” — He/she decreased speed on the bend.
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: “Disminuimos el ruido por la noche.” — We decrease noise at night.
Preterite: “Disminuimos el ruido por la noche.” — We decreased noise at night.
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: disminuir 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.
“Disminuyo el precio de la casa.” — I decrease the price of the house.
“Disminuyes la velocidad en la curva.” — You decrease speed on the bend.
“Disminuye el ruido por la noche.” — He/she decreases noise at night.
“Disminuimos los gastos del mes.” — We decrease the month's expenses.
“Disminuís el precio de la casa.” — You decrease the price of the house.
“Disminuyen la velocidad en la curva.” — They decrease speed on the bend.
“Disminuyo el ruido por la noche.” — I decrease noise at night.
“Disminuye los gastos del mes.” — He/she decreases the month's expenses.
Common mistakes with disminuir 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 disminuye el precio de la casa.” Right: “Yo disminuyo el precio de la casa.” Why: Yo needs the yo form disminuyo. The form disminuye belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo disminuo la velocidad en la curva.” Right: “Yo disminuyo la velocidad en la curva.” Why: Disminuir is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is disminuyo and disminuye, and the gerund is disminuyendo, so the first-person present is disminuyo, not disminuo.
Wrong: “Ayer yo disminuyo la velocidad en la curva.” Right: “Ayer yo disminuí la velocidad en la curva.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to disminuí.
Wrong: “Ellos disminuye la velocidad en la curva.” Right: “Ellos disminuyen la velocidad en la curva.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form disminuyen. The singular disminuye belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: disminuir 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 ___ el precio de la casa.”
- (a) disminuyo
- (b) disminuyes
- (c) disminuye
Answer: disminuyo — The yo form of disminuir in the present is disminuyo.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ la velocidad en la curva.”
- (a) disminuyo
- (b) disminuye
- (c) disminuyes
Answer: disminuyes — The tú form of disminuir in the present is disminuyes.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ el ruido por la noche.”
- (a) disminuyes
- (b) disminuye
- (c) disminuyo
Answer: disminuye — The él/ella form of disminuir in the present is disminuye.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ los gastos del mes.”
- (a) disminuimos
- (b) disminuyo
- (c) disminuyes
Answer: disminuimos — The nosotros/as form of disminuir in the present is disminuimos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ el precio de la casa.”
- (a) disminuyo
- (b) disminuyes
- (c) disminuís
Answer: disminuís — The vosotros/as form of disminuir in the present is disminuís.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ la velocidad en la curva.”
- (a) disminuyes
- (b) disminuyen
- (c) disminuyo
Answer: disminuyen — The ellos/ellas form of disminuir in the present is disminuyen.
7. What does disminuir mean in English?
- (a) to decrease
- (b) to reduce
- (c) to be about
Answer: to decrease — Disminuir means to decrease.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Disminuí el precio de la casa.
- (b) Disminuiré el precio de la casa.
- (c) Disminuyo el precio de la casa.
Answer: Disminuyo el precio de la casa. — “Disminuyo el precio de la casa.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is disminuir regular in the present?
Disminuir is a spelling-change verb in the present: it is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is disminuyo and disminuye, and the gerund is disminuyendo. The endings are the regular -ir endings, so the table above follows the pattern exactly.
What is the gerund and the past participle of disminuir?
The gerund is disminuyendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy disminuyendo. The past participle is disminuido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he disminuido.
What should I watch out for with disminuir?
Disminuir is a -uir verb: yo disminuyo, él disminuye, with y before the vowel endings. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is disminuyo, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise disminuir in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the disminuir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of disminuir — every tense of disminuir in one place.
- Disminuir examples and quiz — more sentences with disminuir 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 disminuir and other verbs.