Ensanchar Present Tense in Spanish
ensanchar means "to widen" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for ensanchar, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo ensancho la carretera del pueblo. — "Every day, I widen the village road." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of ensanchar: full table
Every person of ensanchar in the present tense. The gerund is ensanchando and the past participle is ensanchado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ensancho |
| tú | ensanchas |
| él/ella/Ud. | ensancha |
| nosotros/as | ensanchamos |
| vosotros/as | ensancháis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ensanchan |
The gerund of ensanchar is ensanchando and the past participle is ensanchado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy ensanchando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he ensanchado).
How the present tense of ensanchar is formed
The present tense of ensanchar is built from the stem ensanch- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo ensancho, tú ensanchas, él ensancha, nosotros ensanchamos, vosotros ensancháis and ellos ensanchan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | ensancho |
| tú | -as | ensanchas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | ensancha |
| nosotros/as | -amos | ensanchamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | ensancháis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | ensanchan |
ensanchar is completely regular in the present tense: the stem never changes and every ending is the standard -ar ending. The only thing to watch is the accent on the vosotros form ensancháis.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is ensanchando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy ensanchando. The past participle is ensanchado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he ensanchado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with ensanchar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo ensancho la carretera del pueblo. — "Every day, I widen the village road." The complement in this sentence is about the village road, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear ensanchar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú ensanchas el pasillo de la escuela. — "Now, you widen the school corridor." The complement in this sentence is about the school corridor, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear ensanchar in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él ensancha la camisa de su hijo. — "Normally, he/she widens his son's shirt." The complement in this sentence is about his son's shirt, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear ensanchar in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros ensanchamos el agujero en la pared. — "Tomorrow, we widen the hole in the wall." The complement in this sentence is about the hole in the wall, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear ensanchar in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos ensanchan la carretera del pueblo. — "Always, they widen the village road." The complement in this sentence is about the village road, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear ensanchar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: ensanchar
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with ensanchar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo ensancho la carretera del pueblo. — "Every day, I widen the village road."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo ensanché la carretera del pueblo. — "Yesterday, I widened the village road."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú ensanchas el pasillo de la escuela. — "Every day, you widen the school corridor."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú ensanchaste el pasillo de la escuela. — "Yesterday, you widened the school corridor."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él ensancha la camisa de su hijo. — "Every day, he/she widens his son's shirt."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él ensanchó la camisa de su hijo. — "Yesterday, he/she widened his son's shirt."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: ensanchar in the present tense
These eight sentences show ensanchar in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo ensancho la carretera del pueblo. — "I widen the village road."
- Tú ensanchas el pasillo de la escuela. — "you widen the school corridor."
- Él ensancha la camisa de su hijo. — "he/she widens his son's shirt."
- Nosotros ensanchamos el agujero en la pared. — "we widen the hole in the wall."
- Vosotros ensancháis la carretera del pueblo. — "you (plural) widen the village road."
- Ellos ensanchan el pasillo de la escuela. — "they widen the school corridor."
- Yo ensancho la camisa de su hijo. — "I widen his son's shirt."
- Tú ensanchas el agujero en la pared. — "you widen the hole in the wall."
Common mistakes with ensanchar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros ensanchais la carretera del pueblo.
- Right: Vosotros ensancháis la carretera del pueblo.
- Why: The vosotros form ensancháis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me ensancho la carretera del pueblo.
- Right: Yo ensancho la carretera del pueblo.
- Why: ensanchar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add. The extra pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo ensancho el pasillo de la escuela.
- Right: Ayer, yo ensanché el pasillo de la escuela.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo ensanché el pasillo de la escuela. — "Yesterday, I widened the school corridor." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo ensancho la camisa de su hijo.
- Right: Antes, yo ensanchaba la camisa de su hijo.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo ensanchaba la camisa de su hijo. — "In the past, I used to widen his son's shirt." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros ensancha la carretera del pueblo.
- Right: Nosotros ensanchamos la carretera del pueblo.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes ensanchamos, while ensancha belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of ensanchar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of ensanchar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of ensanchar in the present tense?
- (a) ensancho
- (b) ensanchas
- (c) ensancha
- (d) ensanchamos
Answer: (a) ensancho. The yo form is ensancho. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of ensanchar in the present tense?
- (a) ensancho
- (b) ensancha
- (c) ensanchamos
- (d) ensanchas
Answer: (d) ensanchas. The tú form is ensanchas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of ensanchar in the present tense?
- (a) ensanchas
- (b) ensanchamos
- (c) ensancha
- (d) ensancho
Answer: (c) ensancha. The él/ella form is ensancha. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of ensanchar in the present tense?
- (a) ensancha
- (b) ensanchamos
- (c) ensancho
- (d) ensanchas
Answer: (b) ensanchamos. The nosotros form is ensanchamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of ensanchar in the present tense?
- (a) ensanchan
- (b) ensancho
- (c) ensanchas
- (d) ensancha
Answer: (a) ensanchan. The ellos/ellas form is ensanchan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ la carretera del pueblo.
- (a) ensanchas
- (b) ensancha
- (c) ensanchamos
- (d) ensancho
Answer: (d) ensancho. The sentence needs the yo form ensancho (Every day, I widen the village road.)
7. What is the gerund of ensanchar?
- (a) ensanchado
- (b) ensancho
- (c) ensanchar
- (d) ensanchando
Answer: (d) ensanchando. The gerund is ensanchando, used for the progressive: estoy ensanchando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Ayer, yo ensanché el pasillo de la escuela.
- (b) Mañana, yo ensancharé el pasillo de la escuela.
- (c) Cada día, yo ensancho el pasillo de la escuela.
- (d) Antes, yo ensanchaba el pasillo de la escuela.
Answer: (c) Cada día, yo ensancho el pasillo de la escuela.. Cada día, yo ensancho el pasillo de la escuela. (Every day, I widen the school corridor.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo ensanché el pasillo de la escuela. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo ensancharé el pasillo de la escuela. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of ensanchar
Is ensanchar regular in the present tense?
Yes. ensanchar is a regular -ar verb: ensancho, ensanchas, ensancha, ensanchamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'widen' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo ensancho la carretera del pueblo. — "Every day, I widen the village road." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with ensanchar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo ensancho el pasillo de la escuela. — "Every day, I widen the school corridor." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo ensanché el pasillo de la escuela. — "Yesterday, I widened the school corridor." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with ensanchar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros ensanchamos el agujero en la pared. — "Tomorrow, we widen the hole in the wall." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.