Disparar in the Present Tense
Introduction
The present tense of disparar — «to shoot, to fire» — is the form you will reach for most often. It talks about habits, facts and what is happening right now, and it is the first tense to master for this verb. disparar is a regular -ar verb verb, so the present follows the -ar endings. On this page you will find the full present-tense table, how the forms are built, five usage rules with examples, a comparison with the preterite, more example sentences, the mistakes learners make in this tense, an eight-question quiz and answers to common questions. A good first sentence is «Yo disparo todos los días» — I shoot every day.
Disparar in the Present Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | disparo |
| tú | disparas |
| él/ella/Ud. | dispara |
| nosotros/as | disparamos |
| vosotros/as | disparáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | disparan |
Gerund: disparando · Past participle: disparado
How the present tense of disparar is formed
Take the stem dispar — the infinitive disparar without its -ar ending — and add the present endings. The table below shows the build for every person, using the actual stem of each form:
| Person | Stem | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | dispar | -o | disparo |
| tú | dispar | -as | disparas |
| él/ella/Ud. | dispar | -a | dispara |
| nosotros/as | dispar | -amos | disparamos |
| vosotros/as | dispar | -áis | disparáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | dispar | -an | disparan |
The present is the only tense where the yo form ends in -o for all three verb classes, which makes it a useful anchor: if you know disparo, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.
When to use the present tense of disparar
1. Daily routines and habits
The most common use: things you do regularly. Time words like todos los días, siempre and a veces are the giveaway.
Yo disparo todos los días. — I shoot every day.
2. General truths and facts
Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. No time expression is needed — the statement stands on its own.
Él dispara con mi familia. — He shoots with my family.
3. What is happening right now
For an action in progress, the present works on its own in Spanish, and you can also use estar + the gerund disparando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.
Nosotros disparamos por la mañana. — We shoot in the morning.
4. Scheduled near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a fixed plan in the near future, where English would say «going to». A time expression such as mañana or la semana que viene makes the future meaning clear.
Tú disparas en el trabajo. — You shoot at work.
5. Narrating and commenting
The present is the tense of live commentary and of stories told as if they were happening now. It keeps the listener in the moment, and it is the tense of instructions and explanations.
Ellos disparan a veces. — They shoot sometimes.
Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose
The present and the preterite answer different questions. The present says what happens in general or what is happening now; the preterite says what happened once and is over. Compare the pairs below — same verb, different time frame:
Present: Yo disparo todos los días. — I shoot every day.
Preterite: Ayer yo disparé por la tarde. — Yesterday I shot in the afternoon.
A routine against a single finished event. The present describes the habit; the preterite reports the one time it happened.
Present: Él dispara por la mañana. — He shoots in the morning.
Preterite: Ayer él disparó por la tarde. — Yesterday He shot in the afternoon.
What happens in the morning in general, against what happened yesterday afternoon. The time expression decides the tense.
Present: Nosotros disparamos con mi familia. — We shoot with my family.
Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros disparamos dos veces. — Last week We shot twice.
A shared habit against a shared finished event. If the action repeats, use the present; if it happened once and ended, use the preterite.
Example sentences: disparar in the present
- Yo disparo todos los días. — I shoot every day.
- Tú disparas en el trabajo. — You shoot at work.
- Él dispara con mi familia. — He shoots with my family.
- Nosotros disparamos por la mañana. — We shoot in the morning.
- Vosotros disparáis cuando hay tiempo. — You shoot when there is time.
- Ellos disparan a veces. — They shoot sometimes.
- Yo disparo en el trabajo. — I shoot at work.
- Él dispara todos los días. — He shoots every day.
Common mistakes with disparar in the present
1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form
Wrong: Vosotros disparais.
Right: Vosotros disparáis.
The vosotros form disparáis carries a written accent on the ending. Without it the word is misspelled, and in speech the stress falls in the wrong place.
2. Using the present for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo disparo.
Right: Ayer yo disparé.
Ayer belongs with the preterite. The present disparo talks about now or about a habit; a finished yesterday needs disparé.
3. Using the yo form for every person
Wrong: Ellos disparo.
Right: Ellos disparan.
Each person has its own form: ellos take disparan, not the yo form disparo. The -n ending on disparan is what marks the third-person plural.
4. Using the present instead of the progressive
Wrong: Estoy disparo.
Right: Estoy disparando.
After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy disparando. The conjugated present disparo never follows estar.
Quiz: disparar in the present
Test yourself on the present tense of disparar. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the tú form of disparar in the present indicative?
- (a) disparamos
- (b) disparo
- (c) disparas
- (d) dispara
2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of disparar in the present indicative?
- (a) dispara
- (b) disparamos
- (c) disparo
- (d) disparas
3. What is the nosotros/as form of disparar in the present indicative?
- (a) dispara
- (b) disparo
- (c) disparamos
- (d) disparas
4. What is the vosotros/as form of disparar in the present indicative?
- (a) dispara
- (b) disparáis
- (c) disparas
- (d) disparo
5. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of disparar in the present indicative?
- (a) disparo
- (b) disparan
- (c) dispara
- (d) disparas
6. What is the yo form of disparar in the present indicative?
- (a) disparo
- (b) disparamos
- (c) dispara
- (d) disparas
7. What is the gerund of disparar?
- (a) disparado
- (b) disparando
- (c) disparo
- (d) disparar
8. What is the past participle of disparar?
- (a) disparado
- (b) disparé
- (c) disparar
- (d) disparando
Answer key
1. (c) — In the present indicative, the tú form of disparar is disparas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of disparar is dispara. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of disparar is disparamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of disparar is disparáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of disparar is disparan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — In the present indicative, the yo form of disparar is disparo. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — The gerund of disparar is disparando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy disparando». 8. (a) — The past participle of disparar is disparado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he disparado».
Frequently asked questions
Is disparar regular in the present?
Yes — disparar is regular in the present. The stem dispar never changes and the endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an for -ar verbs (with the matching sets for -er and -ir verbs).
What is the yo form of disparar in the present?
It is disparo. Use it for talking about yourself right now.
How is the present different from the preterite for disparar?
The present (disparo) describes habits and what is happening now; the preterite (disparé) reports a single finished event. «Yo disparo todos los días» is a habit, while «Ayer yo disparé» is one event that ended yesterday.
Can I use the present of disparar with estar and the gerund?
Yes — «Estoy disparando» means «I am shooting right now», with the emphasis on the action in progress. The plain present «Yo disparo» is also correct for what is happening now; the gerund version simply stresses the moment.
Related pages
- Full conjugation: disparar
- More examples and a quiz: disparar-examples-and-quiz
- Present tense guide: spanish-present-tense-guide
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/