Emprender in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of emprender — «to undertake» — 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. emprender is a regular -er verb verb, so the present follows the -er 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 emprendo todos los días» — I undertake every day.

Emprender in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo emprendo
tú emprendes
él/ella/Ud. emprende
nosotros/as emprendemos
vosotros/as emprendéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. emprenden

Gerund: emprendiendo · Past participle: emprendido

How the present tense of emprender is formed

Take the stem emprend — the infinitive emprender without its -er 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 emprend -o emprendo
tú emprend -es emprendes
él/ella/Ud. emprend -e emprende
nosotros/as emprend -emos emprendemos
vosotros/as emprend -éis emprendéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. emprend -en emprenden

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

When to use the present tense of emprender

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 emprendo todos los días. — I undertake 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 emprende con mi familia. — He undertakes 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 emprendiendo for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros emprendemos por la mañana. — We undertake 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 emprendes en el trabajo. — You undertake 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 emprenden a veces. — They undertake 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 emprendo todos los días. — I undertake every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo emprendí por la tarde. — Yesterday I undertook 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 emprende por la mañana. — He undertakes in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él emprendió por la tarde. — Yesterday He undertook in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros emprendemos con mi familia. — We undertake with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros emprendimos dos veces. — Last week We undertook 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: emprender in the present

  1. Yo emprendo todos los días. — I undertake every day.
  2. Tú emprendes en el trabajo. — You undertake at work.
  3. Él emprende con mi familia. — He undertakes with my family.
  4. Nosotros emprendemos por la mañana. — We undertake in the morning.
  5. Vosotros emprendéis cuando hay tiempo. — You undertake when there is time.
  6. Ellos emprenden a veces. — They undertake sometimes.
  7. Yo emprendo en el trabajo. — I undertake at work.
  8. Él emprende todos los días. — He undertakes every day.

Common mistakes with emprender in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros emprendeis.

Right: Vosotros emprendéis.

The vosotros form emprendéis 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 emprendo.

Right: Ayer yo emprendí.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos emprendo.

Right: Ellos emprenden.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy emprendo.

Right: Estoy emprendiendo.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy emprendiendo. The conjugated present emprendo never follows estar.

Quiz: emprender in the present

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

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

- (a) emprendo
- (b) emprenden
- (c) emprende
- (d) emprendes

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

- (a) emprendo
- (b) emprendes
- (c) emprendemos
- (d) emprende

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

- (a) emprendes
- (b) emprendemos
- (c) emprendo
- (d) emprende

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

- (a) emprendo
- (b) emprende
- (c) emprendemos
- (d) emprendes

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

- (a) emprendo
- (b) emprende
- (c) emprendes
- (d) emprendemos

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

- (a) emprende
- (b) emprendes
- (c) emprendo
- (d) emprendéis

7. What is the gerund of emprender?

- (a) emprender
- (b) emprendo
- (c) emprendiendo
- (d) emprendido

8. What is the past participle of emprender?

- (a) emprender
- (b) emprendí
- (c) emprendiendo
- (d) emprendido

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of emprender is emprenden. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the present indicative, the yo form of emprender is emprendo. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the present indicative, the tú form of emprender is emprendes. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of emprender is emprende. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of emprender is emprendemos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of emprender is emprendéis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (c) — The gerund of emprender is emprendiendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy emprendiendo». 8. (d) — The past participle of emprender is emprendido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he emprendido».

Frequently asked questions

Is emprender regular in the present?

Yes — emprender is regular in the present. The stem emprend 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 emprender in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for emprender?

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

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

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

Related pages