Empatar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of empatar — “to draw, to tie (a match)” 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 empatar 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. Empatar means to draw or to tie a match, to finish a game with the same score on both sides. It is a sports verb used constantly in football and other games, and it is fully regular. To see it in a real sentence: Empato a dos goles con el equipo rival. — “I draw two-all against the rival team.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of empatar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: empatar
Every person of empatar in the present tense. The gerund is empatando and the past participle is empatado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | empato |
| tú | empatas |
| él/ella/Ud. | empata |
| nosotros/as | empatamos |
| vosotros/as | empatáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | empatan |
How the present indicative of empatar is formed
The present indicative of empatar is built from the stem plus the present indicative 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 | empato |
| tú | -as | empatas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | empata |
| nosotros/as | -amos | empatamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | empatáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | empatan |
Empatar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is empat- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of empatar is empatando and the past participle is empatado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of empatar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and empatar 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.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and empatar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo empato a dos goles con el equipo rival todos los días.” — “I draw two-all against the rival team every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él empata el partido en el último minuto.” — “He/she draws the match in the last minute.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so empato can mean both “I draw” and “I am drawing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo empato a cero en un partido aburrido.” — “Right now, I draw goalless in a boring match.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo empato con el campeón en su campo.” — “Tomorrow, I will draw with the champions at their ground.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú empatas a dos goles con el equipo rival?” — “Do you draw two-all against the rival team?”
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: Empata el partido en el último minuto. — “He/she draws the match in the last minute.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Empató el partido en el último minuto. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
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: Empatan a cero en un partido aburrido. — “They draw goalless in a boring match.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Empataban a cero en un partido aburrido. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
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: Empatas con el campeón en su campo. — “You draw with the champions at their ground.”
- Future — what will happen: Empatarás con el campeón en su campo. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: empatar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show empatar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo empato a dos goles con el equipo rival. — “I draw two-all against the rival team.”
- Tú empatas el partido en el último minuto. — “You draw the match in the last minute.”
- Él empata a cero en un partido aburrido. — “He draws goalless in a boring match.”
- Nosotros empatamos con el campeón en su campo. — “We draw with the champions at their ground.”
- Vosotros empatáis a dos goles con el equipo rival. — “You (plural) draw two-all against the rival team.”
- Ellos empatan el partido en el último minuto. — “They draw the match in the last minute.”
- ¿Tú empatas a cero en un partido aburrido? — “Do you draw goalless in a boring match?”
Common mistakes with empatar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with empatar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo empatar a dos goles con el equipo rival. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo empato a dos goles con el equipo rival.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of empatar is empato, not the infinitive empatar.
✗ Vosotros empatais a dos goles con el equipo rival. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros empatáis a dos goles con el equipo rival.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: empatáis, not empatais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo empato el partido en el último minuto. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo empaté el partido en el último minuto.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: empato is happening now, while empaté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating empatar and ganar as identical in every context. (confusing empatar with ganar).
✓ Correct: Empatar means to draw, to tie (a match), while ganar means to win.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: empatar fits sentences such as Empato a dos goles con el equipo rival, while ganar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: empatar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of empatar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of empatar for tú?
- a) empatas
- b) empato
- c) empata
- d) empatan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a dos goles con el equipo rival. — “I draw two-all against the rival team.”
- a) empata
- b) empatamos
- c) empatas
- d) empato
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el partido en el último minuto. — “He/she draws the match in the last minute.” (present tense)
- a) empataba
- b) empatará
- c) empata
- d) empató
4. Which is the correct present tense form of empatar for nosotros?
- a) empatan
- b) empatamos
- c) empato
- d) empata
5. Which sentence uses empatar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él empató el partido en el último minuto.
- b) Él empata el partido en el último minuto.
- c) Él empatará el partido en el último minuto.
- d) Ellos empata el partido en el último minuto.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ a cero en un partido aburrido. — “They draw goalless in a boring match.”
- a) empato
- b) empata
- c) empatamos
- d) empatan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ con el campeón en su campo? — “Do you draw with the champions at their ground?”
- a) empata
- b) empatarás
- c) empatas
- d) empato
8. What is the gerund of empatar?
- a) empaté
- b) empatando
- c) empatado
- d) empato
Answer key
a) empatas — The tú form is empatas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; empato is yo, empata is él/ella and empatan is ellos/ellas.
d) empato — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: empato. The other options are the wrong person.
c) empata — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: empata. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) empatamos — Nosotros takes empatamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él empata el partido en el último minuto. — Él empata el partido en el último minuto. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) empatan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is empatan.
c) empatas — The question needs the tú form in the present: empatas.
b) empatando — The gerund is empatando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle empatado.
Frequently asked questions
Is empatar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Empatar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: empato, empatas, empata, empatamos, empatáis and empatan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of empatar?
The gerund is empatando and the past participle is empatado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I draw” in Spanish?
Say empato. For example: Empato a dos goles con el equipo rival. — “I draw two-all against the rival team.”
What is the difference between empatar and ganar?
Empatar means “to draw, to tie (a match)”, while ganar means “to win”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use empatar when you mean “to draw, to tie (a match)” and ganar when you mean “to win”. The full conjugation of empatar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of empatar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- empatar 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.
- Arbitrar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with empatar.
- Declarar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with empatar.
- Indultar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with empatar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.