Economizar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of economizar — «to save, to economise» — 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. economizar is a spelling-changing -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 economizo todos los días» — I save every day.

Economizar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo economizo
tú economizas
él/ella/Ud. economiza
nosotros/as economizamos
vosotros/as economizáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. economizan

Gerund: economizando · Past participle: economizado

How the present tense of economizar is formed

Take the stem economiz — the infinitive economizar 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 economiz -o economizo
tú economiz -as economizas
él/ella/Ud. economiz -a economiza
nosotros/as economiz -amos economizamos
vosotros/as economiz -áis economizáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. economiz -an economizan

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

When to use the present tense of economizar

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 economizo todos los días. — I save 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 economiza con mi familia. — He saves 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 economizando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros economizamos por la mañana. — We save 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 economizas en el trabajo. — You save 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 economizan a veces. — They save 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 economizo todos los días. — I save every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo economicé por la tarde. — Yesterday I saved 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 economiza por la mañana. — He saves in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él economizó por la tarde. — Yesterday He saved in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros economizamos con mi familia. — We save with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros economizamos dos veces. — Last week We saved 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: economizar in the present

  1. Yo economizo todos los días. — I save every day.
  2. Tú economizas en el trabajo. — You save at work.
  3. Él economiza con mi familia. — He saves with my family.
  4. Nosotros economizamos por la mañana. — We save in the morning.
  5. Vosotros economizáis cuando hay tiempo. — You save when there is time.
  6. Ellos economizan a veces. — They save sometimes.
  7. Yo economizo en el trabajo. — I save at work.
  8. Él economiza todos los días. — He saves every day.

Common mistakes with economizar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros economizais.

Right: Vosotros economizáis.

The vosotros form economizáis 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 economizo.

Right: Ayer yo economicé.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos economizo.

Right: Ellos economizan.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy economizo.

Right: Estoy economizando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy economizando. The conjugated present economizo never follows estar.

Quiz: economizar in the present

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

1. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of economizar in the present indicative?

- (a) economizamos
- (b) economiza
- (c) economizas
- (d) economizo

2. What is the nosotros/as form of economizar in the present indicative?

- (a) economizo
- (b) economizamos
- (c) economiza
- (d) economizas

3. What is the vosotros/as form of economizar in the present indicative?

- (a) economizo
- (b) economizáis
- (c) economizas
- (d) economiza

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of economizar in the present indicative?

- (a) economizas
- (b) economizan
- (c) economiza
- (d) economizo

5. What is the yo form of economizar in the present indicative?

- (a) economiza
- (b) economizas
- (c) economizo
- (d) economizamos

6. What is the tú form of economizar in the present indicative?

- (a) economizas
- (b) economizo
- (c) economizamos
- (d) economiza

7. What is the gerund of economizar?

- (a) economizo
- (b) economizando
- (c) economizado
- (d) economizar

8. What is the past participle of economizar?

- (a) economicé
- (b) economizado
- (c) economizando
- (d) economizar

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of economizar is economiza. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of economizar is economizamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of economizar is economizáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of economizar is economizan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the present indicative, the yo form of economizar is economizo. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — In the present indicative, the tú form of economizar is economizas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — The gerund of economizar is economizando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy economizando». 8. (b) — The past participle of economizar is economizado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he economizado».

Frequently asked questions

Is economizar regular in the present?

Almost — economizar takes the regular -ar endings in the present, with a spelling change in the yo form (economizo). Once you know that one form, the rest of the table is regular.

What is the yo form of economizar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for economizar?

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

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

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

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