Elogiar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of elogiar — «to praise» — 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. elogiar 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 elogio todos los días» — I praise every day.

Elogiar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo elogio
tú elogias
él/ella/Ud. elogia
nosotros/as elogiamos
vosotros/as elogiáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. elogian

Gerund: elogiando · Past participle: elogiado

How the present tense of elogiar is formed

Take the stem elogi — the infinitive elogiar 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 elogi -o elogio
tú elogi -as elogias
él/ella/Ud. elogi -a elogia
nosotros/as elogi -amos elogiamos
vosotros/as elogi -áis elogiáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. elogi -an elogian

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

When to use the present tense of elogiar

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 elogio todos los días. — I praise 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 elogia con mi familia. — He praises 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 elogiando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros elogiamos por la mañana. — We praise 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 elogias en el trabajo. — You praise 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 elogian a veces. — They praise 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 elogio todos los días. — I praise every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo elogié por la tarde. — Yesterday I praised 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 elogia por la mañana. — He praises in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él elogió por la tarde. — Yesterday He praised in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros elogiamos con mi familia. — We praise with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros elogiamos dos veces. — Last week We praised 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: elogiar in the present

  1. Yo elogio todos los días. — I praise every day.
  2. Tú elogias en el trabajo. — You praise at work.
  3. Él elogia con mi familia. — He praises with my family.
  4. Nosotros elogiamos por la mañana. — We praise in the morning.
  5. Vosotros elogiáis cuando hay tiempo. — You praise when there is time.
  6. Ellos elogian a veces. — They praise sometimes.
  7. Yo elogio en el trabajo. — I praise at work.
  8. Él elogia todos los días. — He praises every day.

Common mistakes with elogiar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros elogiais.

Right: Vosotros elogiáis.

The vosotros form elogiáis 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 elogio.

Right: Ayer yo elogié.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos elogio.

Right: Ellos elogian.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy elogio.

Right: Estoy elogiando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy elogiando. The conjugated present elogio never follows estar.

Quiz: elogiar in the present

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

1. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of elogiar in the present indicative?

- (a) elogio
- (b) elogian
- (c) elogia
- (d) elogias

2. What is the yo form of elogiar in the present indicative?

- (a) elogia
- (b) elogiamos
- (c) elogio
- (d) elogias

3. What is the tú form of elogiar in the present indicative?

- (a) elogias
- (b) elogia
- (c) elogio
- (d) elogiamos

4. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of elogiar in the present indicative?

- (a) elogiamos
- (b) elogias
- (c) elogio
- (d) elogia

5. What is the nosotros/as form of elogiar in the present indicative?

- (a) elogia
- (b) elogiamos
- (c) elogio
- (d) elogias

6. What is the vosotros/as form of elogiar in the present indicative?

- (a) elogia
- (b) elogias
- (c) elogio
- (d) elogiáis

7. What is the gerund of elogiar?

- (a) elogiado
- (b) elogiar
- (c) elogio
- (d) elogiando

8. What is the past participle of elogiar?

- (a) elogié
- (b) elogiar
- (c) elogiado
- (d) elogiando

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of elogiar is elogian. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the present indicative, the yo form of elogiar is elogio. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the present indicative, the tú form of elogiar is elogias. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of elogiar is elogia. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of elogiar is elogiamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of elogiar is elogiáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (d) — The gerund of elogiar is elogiando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy elogiando». 8. (c) — The past participle of elogiar is elogiado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he elogiado».

Frequently asked questions

Is elogiar regular in the present?

Yes — elogiar is regular in the present. The stem elogi 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 elogiar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for elogiar?

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

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

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

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