Engordar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of engordar — "to gain weight" 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 engordar 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. Engordar means "to gain weight" — and, as a transitive verb, "to fatten (something or someone) up". The intransitive use is the everyday one: engordo en vacaciones, I gain weight on holiday. It is also used for food that fattens you up (el pan engorda, bread is fattening) and for animals being fattened. It is a fully regular -ar verb: engordo, engordas, engorda, engordamos, engordáis, engordan. Its opposite is adelgazar, to lose weight, and the two are usually learned as a pair. To see it in a real sentence: Yo engordo en vacaciones. — "I gain weight on holiday.".
Present tense conjugation table: engordar
Every person of engordar in the present tense. The gerund is engordando and the past participle is engordado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | engordo |
| tú | engordas |
| él/ella/Ud. | engorda |
| nosotros/as | engordamos |
| vosotros/as | engordáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | engordan |
How the present indicative of engordar is formed
The present indicative of engordar is built from the stem engord- 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 | engordo |
| tú | -as | engordas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | engorda |
| nosotros/as | -amos | engordamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | engordáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | engordan |
Because engordar is a regular -ar verb, there are no surprises in the present indicative: the stem engord- never changes, and every person takes its normal ending. The only spelling detail to watch is the written accent on the vosotros form, engordáis, which carries an accent on the vowel of the ending. Learn the six endings once and you can conjugate any regular -ar verb the same way.
The gerund of engordar is engordando and the past participle is engordado. 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 engordar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and engordar 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.
Gaining weight on holiday
The present describes weight gain happening now or as a pattern.
"Yo engordo en vacaciones." — "I gain weight on holiday."
Food being fattening
El pan engorda states a general fact about a food.
"El chocolate engorda mucho." — "Chocolate is very fattening."
Gaining a specific amount
Engordar + amount names how much weight is gained.
"Tú engordas dos kilos en Navidad." — "You gain two kilos at Christmas."
Animals gaining weight
The present describes animals being fattened or growing.
"Los cerdos engordan rápido." — "The pigs fatten up quickly."
Gaining weight with age
The present states a general fact about getting older.
"Nosotros engordamos con la edad." — "We gain weight with age."
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: Yo engordo si como dulces. — "I gain weight if I eat sweets."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo engordé si como dulces. — 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: Tú engordas en invierno. — "You gain weight in winter."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú engordabas en invierno. — 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: Mi hermano engorda cada año. — "My brother gains weight every year."
- Future — what will happen: Mi hermano engordará cada año. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: engordar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show engordar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo engordo si como dulces. — "I gain weight if I eat sweets."
- Tú engordas en invierno. — "You gain weight in winter."
- Mi hermano engorda cada año. — "My brother gains weight every year."
- Nosotros engordamos en las fiestas. — "We gain weight at parties."
- Vosotros engordáis con la comida rápida. — "You gain weight with fast food."
- Ellos engordan poco a poco. — "They gain weight little by little."
- El bebé engorda muy bien. — "The baby gains weight very well."
Common mistakes with engordar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with engordar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo engordo a dos kilos en Navidad (adding a before the amount).
✓ Correct: Tú engordas dos kilos en Navidad.
The amount is a direct object with no preposition: engordar dos kilos, not engordar a dos kilos.
✗ *El chocolate engordan mucho (plural ending for a singular subject).
✓ Correct: El chocolate engorda mucho.
El chocolate is singular: engorda. Engordan needs a plural subject.
✗ *Vosotros engordáis con la comida rápida (written without the accent: engordais).
✓ Correct: Vosotros engordáis con la comida rápida.
Engordáis needs the written accent on the á.
✗ *Nosotros engordamos de la edad.
✓ Correct: Nosotros engordamos con la edad.
The cause takes con here: engordar con la edad. Never use de for the cause.
Quiz: engordar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of engordar. 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 engordar for tú?
- a) engorda
- b) engordas
- c) engordan
- d) engordo
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ si como dulces. — "I gain weight if I eat sweets."
- a) engordé
- b) engordan
- c) engordo
- d) engordas
3. Complete the sentence: El chocolate ______ mucho. — "Chocolate is very fattening."
- a) engorda
- b) engordas
- c) engordó
- d) engordamos
4. Which is the correct present tense form of engordar for nosotros?
- a) engordamos
- b) engordas
- c) engordo
- d) engordan
5. Which sentence uses engordar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Mi hermano engorda cada año.
- b) Mi hermano engordó cada año.
- c) Mi hermano engordas cada año.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of engordar for vosotros?
- a) engordáis
- b) engordo
- c) engordas
- d) engorda
7. Complete the sentence: Los cerdos ______ rápido. — "The pigs fatten up quickly."
- a) engordo
- b) engordan
- c) engordaron
- d) engordas
8. What is the gerund of engordar?
- a) engordado
- b) engordo
- c) engordamos
- d) engordando
Answer key
b) engordas — The tú form is engordas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; engordo is yo, engorda is él/ella and engordan is ellos/ellas.
c) engordo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: engordo. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
a) engorda — The subject is él/ella/Ud., so the present form is engorda.
a) engordamos — Nosotros takes engordamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem engord-.
a) Mi hermano engorda cada año. — Mi hermano engorda cada año. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
a) engordáis — Vosotros takes engordáis. Remember the written accent on the ending — it is part of the correct spelling.
b) engordan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is engordan.
d) engordando — The gerund is engordando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle engordado.
Frequently asked questions
Is engordar regular in the present tense?
Yes. engordar is a regular -ar verb, so its present tense follows the standard endings exactly: engordo, engordas, engorda, engordamos, engordáis and engordan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of engordar?
The gerund is engordando and the past participle is engordado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to gain weight" in Spanish?
Say engordo. For example: Yo engordo si como dulces. — "I gain weight if I eat sweets.".
What is the difference between engordar and adelgazar?
engordar means "to gain weight", while adelgazar means "to lose weight". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use engordar when you mean "to gain weight" and adelgazar when you mean "to lose weight". The full conjugation of adelgazar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of engordar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- engordar 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.