Durar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of durar — «to last» — 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. durar 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 duro todos los días» — I last every day.

Durar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo duro
tú duras
él/ella/Ud. dura
nosotros/as duramos
vosotros/as duráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. duran

Gerund: durando · Past participle: durado

How the present tense of durar is formed

Take the stem dur — the infinitive durar 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 dur -o duro
tú dur -as duras
él/ella/Ud. dur -a dura
nosotros/as dur -amos duramos
vosotros/as dur -áis duráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. dur -an duran

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

When to use the present tense of durar

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 duro todos los días. — I last 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 dura con mi familia. — He lasts 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 durando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros duramos por la mañana. — We last 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 duras en el trabajo. — You last 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 duran a veces. — They last 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 duro todos los días. — I last every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo duré por la tarde. — Yesterday I lasted 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 dura por la mañana. — He lasts in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él duró por la tarde. — Yesterday He lasted in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros duramos con mi familia. — We last with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros duramos dos veces. — Last week We lasted 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: durar in the present

  1. Yo duro todos los días. — I last every day.
  2. Tú duras en el trabajo. — You last at work.
  3. Él dura con mi familia. — He lasts with my family.
  4. Nosotros duramos por la mañana. — We last in the morning.
  5. Vosotros duráis cuando hay tiempo. — You last when there is time.
  6. Ellos duran a veces. — They last sometimes.
  7. Yo duro en el trabajo. — I last at work.
  8. Él dura todos los días. — He lasts every day.

Common mistakes with durar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros durais.

Right: Vosotros duráis.

The vosotros form duráis 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 duro.

Right: Ayer yo duré.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos duro.

Right: Ellos duran.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy duro.

Right: Estoy durando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy durando. The conjugated present duro never follows estar.

Quiz: durar in the present

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

1. What is the tú form of durar in the present indicative?

- (a) dura
- (b) duras
- (c) duramos
- (d) duro

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of durar in the present indicative?

- (a) duramos
- (b) duro
- (c) duras
- (d) dura

3. What is the nosotros/as form of durar in the present indicative?

- (a) dura
- (b) duramos
- (c) duro
- (d) duras

4. What is the vosotros/as form of durar in the present indicative?

- (a) duras
- (b) duro
- (c) dura
- (d) duráis

5. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of durar in the present indicative?

- (a) duran
- (b) duras
- (c) duro
- (d) dura

6. What is the yo form of durar in the present indicative?

- (a) duras
- (b) duramos
- (c) dura
- (d) duro

7. What is the gerund of durar?

- (a) durando
- (b) durar
- (c) durado
- (d) duro

8. What is the past participle of durar?

- (a) durando
- (b) durado
- (c) durar
- (d) duré

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the tú form of durar is duras. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of durar is dura. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of durar is duramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of durar is duráis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of durar is duran. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present indicative, the yo form of durar is duro. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (a) — The gerund of durar is durando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy durando». 8. (b) — The past participle of durar is durado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he durado».

Frequently asked questions

Is durar regular in the present?

Yes — durar is regular in the present. The stem dur 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 durar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for durar?

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

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

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

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