Encender Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb encender means to turn on, to light, and this page covers it in the present tense — the tense for habits, facts and what is happening now. If you want the whole picture, start with the full encender conjugation, which has every tense on one page. Here we go deep on one tense only: the full table, how it is formed, when to use it, how it differs from the closest tense, examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the questions people ask most. One example to start: Yo enciendo la luz. — "I switch on the light."

No pronunciation is given on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for encender, so no pronunciation is shown rather than an invented one. All the forms below come from the verified conjugation tables, so you can trust every form you see here.

Watch out for one thing before you start: encender is a stem-changing verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in four of the six present forms, and the table below shows exactly which ones.

The encender present tense table

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for encender. The gerund is encendiendo and the past participle is encendido.

Person Form
yo enciendo
tú enciendes
él/ella/Ud. enciende
nosotros/as encendemos
vosotros/as encendéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. encienden

The gerund encendiendo is used with estar for the progressive (estoy encendiendo, I am switching on), and the past participle encendido is used with haber for the perfect tenses (he encendido, I have switched on).

How the present tense of encender is formed

Start with the infinitive encender. Take off the -er ending and you are left with the stem encend-. Then add the present endings for -er verbs: -o (yo), -es (tú), -e (él/ella/Ud.), -emos (nosotros/as), -éis (vosotros/as) and -en (ellos/ellas/Uds.). That gives you the six forms in the table above, and for most verbs in this group that is the whole story.

encender is a stem-changing verb: the stem vowel changes from e → ie in the four stressed forms of the present. You say enciendo (yo), enciendes (tú), enciende (él/ella) and encienden (ellos/ellas), but the nosotros and vosotros forms are unstressed, so they keep the plain stem: encendemos and encendéis. This is the single most important thing to learn about encender, because the change appears in the present, in the present subjunctive and in the imperative too. Learn the four changed forms as a set, and the two unchanged forms as a pair, and the pattern becomes automatic.

Two details are worth fixing early. First, the vosotros form carries a written accent on the ending: encendéis. Second, the present tense in Spanish has no auxiliary verb: enciendo on its own means both "I switch on" and "I am switching on" in English, so you do not need a separate word for the progressive unless you want to stress that something is happening right now.

When to use the present tense of encender

Habits and routines

The present is the tense of what you do regularly. Talking about switching on lights, the television or the computer when it gets dark.

  • Yo enciendo la luz. — "I switch on the light."
  • Tú enciendes la televisión. — "you switch on the television."

Facts and general truths

The present also states facts that are true in general, not just today. Talking about lighting a candle or a fire, the older meaning of encender.

  • Él enciende las luces del árbol. — "he/she switches on the lights on the tree."
  • Nosotros encendemos el ordenador. — "we switch on the computer."

What is happening now

The present describes what is happening at this moment. Talking about switching on the heating or the car engine.

  • Vosotros encendéis la chimenea. — "you (all) switch on the fireplace."
  • Ellos encienden por la noche. — "they switch on at night."

Plans in the near future

Spanish also uses the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with a time expression. A plan you have already decided on can be stated in the present, and it sounds more certain than the future tense.

  • Él enciende las luces del árbol. — "he/she switches on the lights on the tree."
  • Nosotros encendemos el ordenador. — "we switch on the computer."

Encender present vs present progressive

The present tense and the present progressive (estar + gerund) are close neighbours, and learners mix them up. The present describes a habit, a fact or a routine. The progressive describes something in progress right now, at this very moment. Compare the three pairs below: the first sentence in each pair is a habit, the second is happening now.

  • Present (habit): Yo enciendo la luz. — "I switch on the light."

  • Progressive (right now): Yo estoy encendiendo la luz. — "I am switching on the light."

  • Present (habit): Tú enciendes la televisión. — "you switch on the television."

  • Progressive (right now): Tú estás encendiendo la televisión. — "you are switching on the television."

  • Present (habit): Él enciende las luces del árbol. — "he/she switches on the lights on the tree."

  • Progressive (right now): Él está encendiendo las luces del árbol. — "he/she is switching on the lights on the tree."

Use the present when you talk about what you usually do, and the progressive when you want to stress that it is happening as you speak. If you say enciendo every day, that is a routine. If you say Estoy encendiendo, you are doing it at this moment.

Examples of encender in the present

Eight sentences in the present tense, so you can see the forms in real use. Read the Spanish first, guess the meaning, then check the translation.

  1. Enciendo la luz por la noche. — "I switch on the light at night."
  2. Mi madre enciende la televisión después de cenar. — "My mother switches on the television after dinner."
  3. Ayer encendí una vela en el salón. — "Yesterday I lit a candle in the living room."
  4. De niño, encendía la chimenea con mi abuelo. — "As a child, I used to light the fireplace with my grandfather."
  5. Mañana encenderé el ordenador para trabajar. — "Tomorrow I will switch on the computer to work."
  6. Si tuviera cerillas, encendería una vela. — "If I had matches, I would light a candle."
  7. Él enciende la chimenea. — "he/she switches on the fireplace."
  8. Nosotros encendemos por la noche. — "we switch on at night."

Common mistakes with encender in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why it is wrong.

1. Yo encendo la luz.

Wrong: Yo encendo la luz.

Right: Yo enciendo la luz.

Encender is an e → ie stem-changing verb: yo enciendo, tú enciendes, él enciende, ellos encienden. Encendemos and encendéis keep the plain e.

2. Nosotros enciendemos la televisión.

Wrong: Nosotros enciendemos la televisión.

Right: Nosotros encendemos la televisión.

The stem change never applies to nosotros or vosotros: encendemos, not enciendemos.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

Wrong: Ayer yo enciendo la luz.

Right: Ayer yo encendí la luz.

Ayer (yesterday) signals a finished action, so it needs the preterite: encendí. The present enciendo describes what you do now or usually, not what you did yesterday.

4. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros encendeis la luz.

Right: Vosotros encendéis la luz.

The vosotros ending carries a written accent: encendéis. Without it, the spelling is wrong, even though the pronunciation is close.

Quiz: test yourself on encender in the present

Choose the right form for each sentence. The answers are at the end of this section, with an explanation for every question.

  1. Yo ___ la luz
    • a) enciendo
    • b) enciendes
    • c) enciende
    • d) encendemos
  2. Tú ___ la televisión
    • a) enciendo
    • b) enciende
    • c) encendemos
    • d) enciendes
  3. Él ___ las luces del árbol
    • a) enciendes
    • b) encendemos
    • c) enciende
    • d) enciendo
  4. Nosotros ___ el ordenador
    • a) enciende
    • b) encendemos
    • c) enciendo
    • d) enciendes
  5. Vosotros ___ la chimenea
    • a) encendéis
    • b) enciendo
    • c) enciendes
    • d) enciende
  6. Ellos ___ por la noche
    • a) enciendo
    • b) enciendes
    • c) enciende
    • d) encienden
  7. Yo ___ la luz
    • a) enciende
    • b) encendemos
    • c) enciendo
    • d) enciendes
  8. Tú ___ la televisión
    • a) encendemos
    • b) enciendes
    • c) enciendo
    • d) enciende

Answers

  1. a) enciendo — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
  2. d) enciendes — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.
  3. c) enciende — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form, because the subject is él/ella/Ud..
  4. b) encendemos — The sentence needs the nosotros/as form, because the subject is nosotros/as.
  5. a) encendéis — The sentence needs the vosotros/as form, because the subject is vosotros/as.
  6. d) encienden — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, because the subject is ellos/ellas/Uds..
  7. c) enciendo — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
  8. b) enciendes — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.

Frequently asked questions about encender in the present

Why is it enciendo and not encendo?

Encender changes e to ie in the stressed forms of the present: enciendo, enciendes, enciende, encienden. The nosotros and vosotros forms are unstressed and keep e.

Does encender mean to switch on or to light?

Both. Encender covers switching on a light or a machine and lighting a candle, a fire or a cigarette. The object tells you which: enciendo la luz, enciendo una vela.

Is encender a stem-changing verb in the present?

Yes. In the present the stem vowel changes e → ie in the yo, tú, él and ellos forms: enciendo, enciendes, enciende and encienden. The nosotros form (encendemos) and the vosotros form (encendéis) keep the plain stem.

What are the gerund and the past participle of encender?

The gerund is encendiendo, used with estar for the progressive (estoy encendiendo), and the past participle is encendido, used with haber for the perfect tenses (he encendido).

How to remember encender

Four small habits will fix encender in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: enciendo, enciendes, enciende, encendemos, encendéis, encienden. Saying the forms is far more effective than reading them silently, because you hear the endings and the stem at the same time. Second, write three sentences about your own life: one about today with the present (enciendo), one about yesterday with the preterite (encendí), and one about tomorrow with the future (encenderé). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from apagar: Encender is switching on or lighting; apagar is the opposite, switching off or putting out. Enciendes la luz al entrar y la apagas al salir. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund encendiendo and the past participle encendido. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy encendiendo) and the present perfect (he encendido), which covers most everyday conversation.

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