Editar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of editar — «to edit, to publish» — 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. editar 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 edito todos los días» — I edit every day.

Editar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo edito
tú editas
él/ella/Ud. edita
nosotros/as editamos
vosotros/as editáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. editan

Gerund: editando · Past participle: editado

How the present tense of editar is formed

Take the stem edit — the infinitive editar 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 edit -o edito
tú edit -as editas
él/ella/Ud. edit -a edita
nosotros/as edit -amos editamos
vosotros/as edit -áis editáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. edit -an editan

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

When to use the present tense of editar

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 edito todos los días. — I edit 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 edita con mi familia. — He edits 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 editando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros editamos por la mañana. — We edit 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 editas en el trabajo. — You edit 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 editan a veces. — They edit 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 edito todos los días. — I edit every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo edité por la tarde. — Yesterday I editted 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 edita por la mañana. — He edits in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él editó por la tarde. — Yesterday He editted in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros editamos con mi familia. — We edit with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros editamos dos veces. — Last week We editted 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: editar in the present

  1. Yo edito todos los días. — I edit every day.
  2. Tú editas en el trabajo. — You edit at work.
  3. Él edita con mi familia. — He edits with my family.
  4. Nosotros editamos por la mañana. — We edit in the morning.
  5. Vosotros editáis cuando hay tiempo. — You edit when there is time.
  6. Ellos editan a veces. — They edit sometimes.
  7. Yo edito en el trabajo. — I edit at work.
  8. Él edita todos los días. — He edits every day.

Common mistakes with editar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros editais.

Right: Vosotros editáis.

The vosotros form editáis 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 edito.

Right: Ayer yo edité.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos edito.

Right: Ellos editan.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy edito.

Right: Estoy editando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy editando. The conjugated present edito never follows estar.

Quiz: editar in the present

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

1. What is the nosotros/as form of editar in the present indicative?

- (a) edita
- (b) edito
- (c) editamos
- (d) editas

2. What is the vosotros/as form of editar in the present indicative?

- (a) editas
- (b) edita
- (c) edito
- (d) editáis

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of editar in the present indicative?

- (a) editas
- (b) edito
- (c) edita
- (d) editan

4. What is the yo form of editar in the present indicative?

- (a) editas
- (b) editamos
- (c) edito
- (d) edita

5. What is the tú form of editar in the present indicative?

- (a) editamos
- (b) edita
- (c) edito
- (d) editas

6. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of editar in the present indicative?

- (a) edito
- (b) edita
- (c) editamos
- (d) editas

7. What is the gerund of editar?

- (a) editando
- (b) editar
- (c) editado
- (d) edito

8. What is the past participle of editar?

- (a) editado
- (b) editar
- (c) editando
- (d) edité

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of editar is editamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of editar is editáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of editar is editan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the present indicative, the yo form of editar is edito. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the present indicative, the tú form of editar is editas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of editar is edita. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (a) — The gerund of editar is editando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy editando». 8. (a) — The past participle of editar is editado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he editado».

Frequently asked questions

Is editar regular in the present?

Yes — editar is regular in the present. The stem edit 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 editar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for editar?

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

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

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

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