Efectuar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of efectuar — "to carry out" in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for efectuar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Efectuar is a formal verb meaning to carry out: efectuar un pago, efectuar una llamada. It is the verb of official and business Spanish, where llevar a cabo is the plainer alternative. To see it in a real sentence: Yo efectúo un pago por internet — "I carry out a payment online".
Present tense conjugation table: efectuar
Every person of efectuar in the present tense. The gerund is efectuando and the past participle is efectuado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | efectúo |
| tú | efectúas |
| él/ella/Ud. | efectúa |
| nosotros/as | efectuamos |
| vosotros/as | efectuáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | efectúan |
How the present of efectuar is formed
The present of efectuar is built from the stem efectu- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | efectúo |
| tú | -as | efectúas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | efectúa |
| nosotros/as | -amos | efectuamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | efectuáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | efectúan |
The gerund of efectuar is efectuando and the past participle is efectuado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of efectuar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and efectuar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Habits and routines
The present describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, yo efectúo un pago por internet" — "Every day, I carry out a payment online"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo efectúa una llamada urgente" — "My friend carries out an urgent call"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo efectúo una compra en la tienda" — "Right now, I carry out a purchase in the shop"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros efectuamos un viaje de negocios" — "Tomorrow, we carry out a business trip"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos efectúan una revisión del coche" — "They carry out a check-up of the car"
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}yo efectúo un pago por internet — "I carry out a payment online"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo efectué un pago por internet — "I carried out a payment online"
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: {}tú efectúas una llamada urgente — "You carry out an urgent call"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú efectuabas una llamada urgente — "You used to carry out an urgent call"
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él efectúa una compra en la tienda — "He carries out a purchase in the shop"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él efectuará una compra en la tienda — "He will carry out a purchase in the shop"
Examples: efectuar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show efectuar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo efectúo un pago por internet — "I carry out a payment online"
- Tú efectúas una llamada urgente — "You carry out an urgent call"
- Él efectúa una compra en la tienda — "He carries out a purchase in the shop"
- Nosotros efectuamos un viaje de negocios — "We carry out a business trip"
- Vosotros efectuáis una revisión del coche — "You carry out a check-up of the car"
- Ellos efectúan un pago por internet — "They carry out a payment online"
- Yo efectúo una llamada urgente — "I carry out an urgent call"
Common mistakes with efectuar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with efectuar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo efectúo en un pago por internet.
✓ Correct: Yo efectúo un pago por internet.
efectuar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo efectúo un pago por internet.
✗ *Tú efectúa una llamada urgente.
✓ Correct: Tú efectúas una llamada urgente.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes efectúas, él takes efectúa.
✗ *Cada día, yo efectué una compra en la tienda
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo efectúo una compra en la tienda
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros efectuais un viaje de negocios.
✓ Correct: Vosotros efectuáis un viaje de negocios.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: efectuáis, not efectuais.
Quiz: efectuar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of efectuar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of efectuar for tú? A. efectuamos B. efectúas C. efectúo D. efectúa
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ un pago por internet — "I carry out a payment online" (present) A. efectuamos B. efectúo C. efectúas D. efectúa
Complete the sentence: Él ______ una llamada urgente — "He carries out an urgent call" (present) A. efectúas B. efectuamos C. efectúa D. efectúo
Which is the correct present form of efectuar for nosotros? A. efectuamos B. efectúas C. efectúa D. efectúan
Which sentence uses efectuar correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo efectuaba una compra en la tienda B. Mi amigo efectuamos una compra en la tienda C. Mi amigo efectúa una compra en la tienda D. Mi amigo efectúas una compra en la tienda
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ un viaje de negocios — "You carry out a business trip" (present) A. efectuáis B. efectúo C. efectúas D. efectúa
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ una revisión del coche — "They carry out a check-up of the car" (present) A. efectúas B. efectúa C. efectúan D. efectúo
What is the gerund of efectuar? A. efectuado B. efectúo C. efectué D. efectuando
Answer key
- efectúas — The tú form in the present is efectúas.
- efectúo — The present form for yo is efectúo.
- efectúa — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is efectúa.
- efectuamos — The nosotros form in the present is efectuamos.
- Mi amigo efectúa una compra en la tienda — Mi amigo efectúa una compra en la tienda is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- efectuáis — The present form for vosotros/as is efectuáis.
- efectúan — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is efectúan.
- efectuando — The gerund is efectuando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle efectuado.
Frequently asked questions
Is efectuar regular in the present tense?
Yes — in the present tense efectuar follows the regular endings for -ar verbs, as the table above shows.
What is the gerund and the past participle of efectuar?
The gerund is efectuando and the past participle is efectuado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I carry out" in the present tense?
Say efectúo. For example: Yo efectúo un pago por internet — "I carry out a payment online".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of efectuar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo efectúo un pago por internet — "I carry out a payment online". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo efectué un pago por internet — "Yesterday, I carried out a payment online". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of efectuar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- efectuar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.