Enfermar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of enfermar — «to fall ill» — 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. enfermar 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 enfermo todos los días» — I fall ill every day.

Enfermar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo enfermo
tú enfermas
él/ella/Ud. enferma
nosotros/as enfermamos
vosotros/as enfermáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. enferman

Gerund: enfermando · Past participle: enfermado

How the present tense of enfermar is formed

Take the stem enferm — the infinitive enfermar 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 enferm -o enfermo
tú enferm -as enfermas
él/ella/Ud. enferm -a enferma
nosotros/as enferm -amos enfermamos
vosotros/as enferm -áis enfermáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. enferm -an enferman

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

When to use the present tense of enfermar

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 enfermo todos los días. — I fall ill 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 enferma con mi familia. — He falls ill 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 enfermando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros enfermamos por la mañana. — We fall ill 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 enfermas en el trabajo. — You fall ill 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 enferman a veces. — They fall ill 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 enfermo todos los días. — I fall ill every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo enfermé por la tarde. — Yesterday I fell ill 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 enferma por la mañana. — He falls ill in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él enfermó por la tarde. — Yesterday He fell ill in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros enfermamos con mi familia. — We fall ill with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros enfermamos dos veces. — Last week We fell ill 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: enfermar in the present

  1. Yo enfermo todos los días. — I fall ill every day.
  2. Tú enfermas en el trabajo. — You fall ill at work.
  3. Él enferma con mi familia. — He falls ill with my family.
  4. Nosotros enfermamos por la mañana. — We fall ill in the morning.
  5. Vosotros enfermáis cuando hay tiempo. — You fall ill when there is time.
  6. Ellos enferman a veces. — They fall ill sometimes.
  7. Yo enfermo en el trabajo. — I fall ill at work.
  8. Él enferma todos los días. — He falls ill every day.

Common mistakes with enfermar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros enfermais.

Right: Vosotros enfermáis.

The vosotros form enfermáis 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 enfermo.

Right: Ayer yo enfermé.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos enfermo.

Right: Ellos enferman.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy enfermo.

Right: Estoy enfermando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy enfermando. The conjugated present enfermo never follows estar.

Quiz: enfermar in the present

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

1. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of enfermar in the present indicative?

- (a) enfermo
- (b) enfermamos
- (c) enfermas
- (d) enferma

2. What is the nosotros/as form of enfermar in the present indicative?

- (a) enfermamos
- (b) enferma
- (c) enfermo
- (d) enfermas

3. What is the vosotros/as form of enfermar in the present indicative?

- (a) enfermas
- (b) enfermo
- (c) enfermáis
- (d) enferma

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of enfermar in the present indicative?

- (a) enfermo
- (b) enferman
- (c) enfermas
- (d) enferma

5. What is the yo form of enfermar in the present indicative?

- (a) enfermo
- (b) enfermas
- (c) enfermamos
- (d) enferma

6. What is the tú form of enfermar in the present indicative?

- (a) enfermamos
- (b) enfermo
- (c) enferma
- (d) enfermas

7. What is the gerund of enfermar?

- (a) enfermar
- (b) enfermando
- (c) enfermado
- (d) enfermo

8. What is the past participle of enfermar?

- (a) enfermé
- (b) enfermar
- (c) enfermando
- (d) enfermado

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of enfermar is enferma. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of enfermar is enfermamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of enfermar is enfermáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of enfermar is enferman. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the present indicative, the yo form of enfermar is enfermo. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present indicative, the tú form of enfermar is enfermas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — The gerund of enfermar is enfermando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy enfermando». 8. (d) — The past participle of enfermar is enfermado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he enfermado».

Frequently asked questions

Is enfermar regular in the present?

Yes — enfermar is regular in the present. The stem enferm 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 enfermar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for enfermar?

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

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

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

Related pages