Enseñar Present Tense in Spanish
Introduction
enseñar means "to teach" 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 enseñar, 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 enseño español a los niños. — "Every day, I teach Spanish to the children." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of enseñar: full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| Yo | enseño |
| Tú | enseñas |
| Él / Ella | enseña |
| Nosotros | enseñamos |
| Vosotros | enseñáis |
| Ellos | enseñan |
The gerund of enseñar is enseñando and the past participle is enseñado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy enseñando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he enseñado).
How the present tense of enseñar is formed
The present tense of enseñar is built from the stem enseñ- 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 enseño, tú enseñas, él enseña, nosotros enseñamos, vosotros enseñáis and ellos enseñan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is enseñando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy enseñando. The past participle is enseñado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he enseñado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with enseñar
1. Teaching Spanish
Enseño español a los niños is the most natural use of this verb. It means you teach the language to children, and it is the sentence teachers use about their own work. For example: Yo enseño español a los niños. — "I teach Spanish to the children."
2. Teaching someone to cook
Enseño a cocinar a mi hermano shows the enseñar a + infinitive structure. It means you teach your brother how to cook, and it is a sentence about family and skills. For example: Tú enseñas a cocinar a mi hermano. — "You teach my brother to cook."
3. Teaching maths at school
Enseño matemáticas en el colegio is the professional use: it means you work as a maths teacher. It is a sentence about jobs and subjects. For example: Él / Ella enseña matemáticas en el colegio. — "He / She teaches maths at school."
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, to talk about tomorrow's plan you can use the future — Mañana, yo enseñaré el camino a los turistas. — "Tomorrow, I will teach the tourists the way." — but in conversation you will also hear the present used the same way.
5. General truths and routines
Finally, the present tense states general truths and routines: what usually happens, what is always true, what people normally do. It is the tense of habits and of facts that do not belong to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él / ella enseña español a los niños. — "Normally, he / she teaches Spanish to the children."
Present vs preterite: enseñar
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 enseñar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo enseño español a los niños. — "Every day, I teach Spanish to the children."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo enseñé español a los niños. — "Yesterday, I taught Spanish to the children."
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, yo enseño a cocinar a mi hermano. — "Every day, I teach my brother to cook."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo enseñé a cocinar a mi hermano. — "Yesterday, I taught my brother to cook."
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, yo enseño matemáticas en el colegio. — "Every day, I teach maths at school."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo enseñé matemáticas en el colegio. — "Yesterday, I taught maths at school."
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: enseñar in the present tense
These six sentences show enseñar 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 enseño español a los niños. — "I teach Spanish to the children."
- Tú enseñas a cocinar a mi hermano. — "You teach my brother to cook."
- Él / Ella enseña matemáticas en el colegio. — "He / She teaches maths at school."
- Nosotros enseñamos el camino a los turistas. — "We teach the tourists the way."
- Vosotros enseñáis español a los niños. — "You teach Spanish to the children."
- Ellos enseñan a cocinar a mi hermano. — "They teach my brother to cook."
Common mistakes with enseñar in the present tense
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo enseño a los niños español.
- Right: Yo enseño español a los niños.
- Why: The usual order is the subject first, then the learners: enseño español a los niños. The other order is possible, but it is less natural.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Yo enseño cocinar a mi hermano.
- Right: Yo enseño a cocinar a mi hermano.
- Why: When enseñar means to teach someone to do something, it needs a before the infinitive: enseño a cocinar.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Enseñar es lo mismo que aprender.
- Right: Enseñar means to teach; aprender means to learn.
- Why: This is the classic confusion: the teacher enseña, the student aprende. They are opposite roles in the same activity.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Ayer, yo enseño español a los niños.
- Right: Ayer, yo enseñé español a los niños.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite. The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo enseñais español a los niños.
- Right: Yo enseñáis español a los niños.
- Why: The form is enseñáis, with a written accent. The accent is part of the spelling, and without it the word is misspelled.
Quiz: the present tense of enseñar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of enseñar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of enseñar in the present tense?
- (a) enseño
- (b) enseñas
- (c) enseña
- (d) enseñamos
Answer: (a) enseño. The i form is enseño. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the you form of enseñar in the present tense?
- (a) enseño
- (b) enseña
- (c) enseñamos
- (d) enseñas
Answer: (d) enseñas. The you form is enseñas. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the he / she form of enseñar in the present tense?
- (a) enseñas
- (b) enseñamos
- (c) enseña
- (d) enseño
Answer: (c) enseña. The he / she form is enseña. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the we form of enseñar in the present tense?
- (a) enseña
- (b) enseñamos
- (c) enseño
- (d) enseñas
Answer: (b) enseñamos. The we form is enseñamos. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the they form of enseñar in the present tense?
- (a) enseñan
- (b) enseño
- (c) enseñas
- (d) enseña
Answer: (a) enseñan. The they form is enseñan. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ español a los niños.
- (a) enseña
- (b) enseñamos
- (c) enseño
- (d) enseñas
Answer: (c) enseño. The sentence needs the yo form enseño (Every day, I teach Spanish to the children.)
7. What is the gerund of enseñar?
- (a) enseñado
- (b) enseñar
- (c) enseña
- (d) enseñando
Answer: (d) enseñando. The gerund is enseñando, used for the progressive: estoy enseñando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, yo enseño a cocinar a mi hermano.
- (b) Antes, yo enseñaba a cocinar a mi hermano.
- (c) Ayer, yo enseñé a cocinar a mi hermano.
- (d) Mañana, yo enseñaré a cocinar a mi hermano.
Answer: (a) Cada día, yo enseño a cocinar a mi hermano.. Cada día, yo enseño a cocinar a mi hermano. (Every day, I teach my brother to cook.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo enseñé a cocinar a mi hermano. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo enseñaré a cocinar a mi hermano. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of enseñar
Does enseñar take a?
Yes, in two places: enseño español a los niños (before the learners) and enseño a cocinar (before the infinitive). Both uses are standard.
What is the difference between enseñar and aprender?
Enseñar is what the teacher does. Aprender is what the student does. Mixing them up is the most common mistake with this verb.
Is enseñar regular?
Yes. Enseñar is a regular -ar verb: enseño, enseñaste, enseñaba, enseñaré. The ñ is part of the spelling, and it never changes.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with enseñar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo enseño español a los niños. — "Every day, I teach Spanish to the children." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo enseñé español a los niños. — "Yesterday, I taught Spanish to the children." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.