Ejercitar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of ejercitar — «to exercise» — 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. ejercitar 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 ejercito todos los días» — I exercise every day.

Ejercitar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo ejercito
tú ejercitas
él/ella/Ud. ejercita
nosotros/as ejercitamos
vosotros/as ejercitáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ejercitan

Gerund: ejercitando · Past participle: ejercitado

How the present tense of ejercitar is formed

Take the stem ejercit — the infinitive ejercitar 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 ejercit -o ejercito
tú ejercit -as ejercitas
él/ella/Ud. ejercit -a ejercita
nosotros/as ejercit -amos ejercitamos
vosotros/as ejercit -áis ejercitáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ejercit -an ejercitan

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

When to use the present tense of ejercitar

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 ejercito todos los días. — I exercise 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 ejercita con mi familia. — He exercises 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 ejercitando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros ejercitamos por la mañana. — We exercise 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 ejercitas en el trabajo. — You exercise 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 ejercitan a veces. — They exercise 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 ejercito todos los días. — I exercise every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo ejercité por la tarde. — Yesterday I exercised 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 ejercita por la mañana. — He exercises in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él ejercitó por la tarde. — Yesterday He exercised in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros ejercitamos con mi familia. — We exercise with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros ejercitamos dos veces. — Last week We exercised 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: ejercitar in the present

  1. Yo ejercito todos los días. — I exercise every day.
  2. Tú ejercitas en el trabajo. — You exercise at work.
  3. Él ejercita con mi familia. — He exercises with my family.
  4. Nosotros ejercitamos por la mañana. — We exercise in the morning.
  5. Vosotros ejercitáis cuando hay tiempo. — You exercise when there is time.
  6. Ellos ejercitan a veces. — They exercise sometimes.
  7. Yo ejercito en el trabajo. — I exercise at work.
  8. Él ejercita todos los días. — He exercises every day.

Common mistakes with ejercitar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros ejercitais.

Right: Vosotros ejercitáis.

The vosotros form ejercitáis 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 ejercito.

Right: Ayer yo ejercité.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos ejercito.

Right: Ellos ejercitan.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy ejercito.

Right: Estoy ejercitando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy ejercitando. The conjugated present ejercito never follows estar.

Quiz: ejercitar in the present

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

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

- (a) ejercita
- (b) ejercitamos
- (c) ejercito
- (d) ejercitas

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

- (a) ejercito
- (b) ejercitas
- (c) ejercita
- (d) ejercitamos

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

- (a) ejercitamos
- (b) ejercita
- (c) ejercito
- (d) ejercitas

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

- (a) ejercita
- (b) ejercitamos
- (c) ejercito
- (d) ejercitas

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

- (a) ejercito
- (b) ejercita
- (c) ejercitáis
- (d) ejercitas

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

- (a) ejercito
- (b) ejercitas
- (c) ejercitan
- (d) ejercita

7. What is the gerund of ejercitar?

- (a) ejercito
- (b) ejercitar
- (c) ejercitando
- (d) ejercitado

8. What is the past participle of ejercitar?

- (a) ejercitar
- (b) ejercitando
- (c) ejercité
- (d) ejercitado

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the yo form of ejercitar is ejercito. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the present indicative, the tú form of ejercitar is ejercitas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of ejercitar is ejercita. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of ejercitar is ejercitamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of ejercitar is ejercitáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of ejercitar is ejercitan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (c) — The gerund of ejercitar is ejercitando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy ejercitando». 8. (d) — The past participle of ejercitar is ejercitado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he ejercitado».

Frequently asked questions

Is ejercitar regular in the present?

Yes — ejercitar is regular in the present. The stem ejercit 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 ejercitar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for ejercitar?

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

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

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

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