Donar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of donar — «to donate» — 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. donar 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 dono todos los días» — I donate every day.

Donar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo dono
tú donas
él/ella/Ud. dona
nosotros/as donamos
vosotros/as donáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. donan

Gerund: donando · Past participle: donado

How the present tense of donar is formed

Take the stem don — the infinitive donar 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 don -o dono
tú don -as donas
él/ella/Ud. don -a dona
nosotros/as don -amos donamos
vosotros/as don -áis donáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. don -an donan

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 dono, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of donar

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 dono todos los días. — I donate 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 dona con mi familia. — He donates 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 donando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros donamos por la mañana. — We donate 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 donas en el trabajo. — You donate 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 donan a veces. — They donate 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 dono todos los días. — I donate every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo doné por la tarde. — Yesterday I donated 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 dona por la mañana. — He donates in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él donó por la tarde. — Yesterday He donated in the afternoon.

  • What happens in the morning in general, against what happened yesterday afternoon. The time expression decides the tense.

  • Present: Nosotros donamos con mi familia. — We donate with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros donamos dos veces. — Last week We donated 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: donar in the present

  1. Yo dono todos los días. — I donate every day.
  2. Tú donas en el trabajo. — You donate at work.
  3. Él dona con mi familia. — He donates with my family.
  4. Nosotros donamos por la mañana. — We donate in the morning.
  5. Vosotros donáis cuando hay tiempo. — You donate when there is time.
  6. Ellos donan a veces. — They donate sometimes.
  7. Yo dono en el trabajo. — I donate at work.
  8. Él dona todos los días. — He donates every day.

Common mistakes with donar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros donais.

Right: Vosotros donáis.

The vosotros form donáis 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 dono.

Right: Ayer yo doné.

Ayer belongs with the preterite. The present dono talks about now or about a habit; a finished yesterday needs doné.

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos dono.

Right: Ellos donan.

Each person has its own form: ellos take donan, not the yo form dono. The -n ending on donan is what marks the third-person plural.

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy dono.

Right: Estoy donando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy donando. The conjugated present dono never follows estar.

Quiz: donar in the present

Test yourself on the present tense of donar. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of donar in the present indicative?

- (a) dono
- (b) donas
- (c) donamos
- (d) dona

2. What is the tú form of donar in the present indicative?

- (a) donamos
- (b) donas
- (c) dono
- (d) dona

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of donar in the present indicative?

- (a) dona
- (b) donas
- (c) dono
- (d) donamos

4. What is the nosotros/as form of donar in the present indicative?

- (a) donamos
- (b) dona
- (c) donas
- (d) dono

5. What is the vosotros/as form of donar in the present indicative?

- (a) dona
- (b) donas
- (c) dono
- (d) donáis

6. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of donar in the present indicative?

- (a) donan
- (b) dona
- (c) dono
- (d) donas

7. What is the gerund of donar?

- (a) donado
- (b) donar
- (c) donando
- (d) dono

8. What is the past participle of donar?

- (a) donando
- (b) doné
- (c) donar
- (d) donado

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the yo form of donar is dono. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the present indicative, the tú form of donar is donas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of donar is dona. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of donar is donamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of donar is donáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of donar is donan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (c) — The gerund of donar is donando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy donando». 8. (d) — The past participle of donar is donado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he donado».

Frequently asked questions

Is donar regular in the present?

Yes — donar is regular in the present. The stem don 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 donar in the present?

It is dono. Use it for talking about yourself right now.

How is the present different from the preterite for donar?

The present (dono) describes habits and what is happening now; the preterite (doné) reports a single finished event. «Yo dono todos los días» is a habit, while «Ayer yo doné» is one event that ended yesterday.

Can I use the present of donar with estar and the gerund?

Yes — «Estoy donando» means «I am donating right now», with the emphasis on the action in progress. The plain present «Yo dono» is also correct for what is happening now; the gerund version simply stresses the moment.

Related pages