Enfocar in the Present Tense
Introduction
The present tense of enfocar — «to focus» — 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. enfocar is a spelling-changing -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 enfoco todos los días» — I focus every day.
Enfocar in the Present Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enfoco |
| tú | enfocas |
| él/ella/Ud. | enfoca |
| nosotros/as | enfocamos |
| vosotros/as | enfocáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfocan |
Gerund: enfocando · Past participle: enfocado
How the present tense of enfocar is formed
Take the stem enfoc — the infinitive enfocar 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 | enfoc | -o | enfoco |
| tú | enfoc | -as | enfocas |
| él/ella/Ud. | enfoc | -a | enfoca |
| nosotros/as | enfoc | -amos | enfocamos |
| vosotros/as | enfoc | -áis | enfocáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfoc | -an | enfocan |
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 enfoco, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.
When to use the present tense of enfocar
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 enfoco todos los días. — I focus 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 enfoca con mi familia. — He focuses 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 enfocando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.
Nosotros enfocamos por la mañana. — We focus 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 enfocas en el trabajo. — You focus 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 enfocan a veces. — They focus 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 enfoco todos los días. — I focus every day.
Preterite: Ayer yo enfoqué por la tarde. — Yesterday I focussed 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 enfoca por la mañana. — He focuses in the morning.
Preterite: Ayer él enfocó por la tarde. — Yesterday He focussed in the afternoon.
What happens in the morning in general, against what happened yesterday afternoon. The time expression decides the tense.
Present: Nosotros enfocamos con mi familia. — We focus with my family.
Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros enfocamos dos veces. — Last week We focussed 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: enfocar in the present
- Yo enfoco todos los días. — I focus every day.
- Tú enfocas en el trabajo. — You focus at work.
- Él enfoca con mi familia. — He focuses with my family.
- Nosotros enfocamos por la mañana. — We focus in the morning.
- Vosotros enfocáis cuando hay tiempo. — You focus when there is time.
- Ellos enfocan a veces. — They focus sometimes.
- Yo enfoco en el trabajo. — I focus at work.
- Él enfoca todos los días. — He focuses every day.
Common mistakes with enfocar in the present
1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form
Wrong: Vosotros enfocais.
Right: Vosotros enfocáis.
The vosotros form enfocáis 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 enfoco.
Right: Ayer yo enfoqué.
Ayer belongs with the preterite. The present enfoco talks about now or about a habit; a finished yesterday needs enfoqué.
3. Using the yo form for every person
Wrong: Ellos enfoco.
Right: Ellos enfocan.
Each person has its own form: ellos take enfocan, not the yo form enfoco. The -n ending on enfocan is what marks the third-person plural.
4. Using the present instead of the progressive
Wrong: Estoy enfoco.
Right: Estoy enfocando.
After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy enfocando. The conjugated present enfoco never follows estar.
Quiz: enfocar in the present
Test yourself on the present tense of enfocar. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the nosotros/as form of enfocar in the present indicative?
- (a) enfoco
- (b) enfocas
- (c) enfocamos
- (d) enfoca
2. What is the vosotros/as form of enfocar in the present indicative?
- (a) enfoco
- (b) enfocas
- (c) enfoca
- (d) enfocáis
3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of enfocar in the present indicative?
- (a) enfoca
- (b) enfoco
- (c) enfocan
- (d) enfocas
4. What is the yo form of enfocar in the present indicative?
- (a) enfoca
- (b) enfocamos
- (c) enfoco
- (d) enfocas
5. What is the tú form of enfocar in the present indicative?
- (a) enfoca
- (b) enfocamos
- (c) enfoco
- (d) enfocas
6. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of enfocar in the present indicative?
- (a) enfocamos
- (b) enfoco
- (c) enfocas
- (d) enfoca
7. What is the gerund of enfocar?
- (a) enfoco
- (b) enfocado
- (c) enfocar
- (d) enfocando
8. What is the past participle of enfocar?
- (a) enfocar
- (b) enfocando
- (c) enfocado
- (d) enfoqué
Answer key
1. (c) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of enfocar is enfocamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of enfocar is enfocáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of enfocar is enfocan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the present indicative, the yo form of enfocar is enfoco. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the present indicative, the tú form of enfocar is enfocas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of enfocar is enfoca. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (d) — The gerund of enfocar is enfocando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy enfocando». 8. (c) — The past participle of enfocar is enfocado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he enfocado».
Frequently asked questions
Is enfocar regular in the present?
Almost — enfocar takes the regular -ar endings in the present, with a spelling change in the yo form (enfoco). Once you know that one form, the rest of the table is regular.
What is the yo form of enfocar in the present?
It is enfoco. Use it for talking about yourself right now.
How is the present different from the preterite for enfocar?
The present (enfoco) describes habits and what is happening now; the preterite (enfoqué) reports a single finished event. «Yo enfoco todos los días» is a habit, while «Ayer yo enfoqué» is one event that ended yesterday.
Can I use the present of enfocar with estar and the gerund?
Yes — «Estoy enfocando» means «I am focussing right now», with the emphasis on the action in progress. The plain present «Yo enfoco» is also correct for what is happening now; the gerund version simply stresses the moment.
Related pages
- Full conjugation: enfocar
- More examples and a quiz: enfocar-examples-and-quiz
- Present tense guide: spanish-present-tense-guide
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/