Enterrar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of enterrar — "to bury" 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 enterrar 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. Enterrar means to bury: enterrar el tesoro, enterrar las semillas. It is used literally for people and objects, and figuratively for the past: enterrar el pasado. To see it in a real sentence: Yo entierro el tesoro en el jardín — "I bury the treasure in the garden".
Present tense conjugation table: enterrar
Every person of enterrar in the present tense. The gerund is enterrando and the past participle is enterrado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | entierro |
| tú | entierras |
| él/ella/Ud. | entierra |
| nosotros/as | enterramos |
| vosotros/as | enterráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | entierran |
How the present of enterrar is formed
The present of enterrar is built from the stem enterr- plus the present 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 | entierro |
| tú | -as | entierras |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | entierra |
| nosotros/as | -amos | enterramos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | enterráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | entierran |
The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: entierro, entierras, entierra and entierran — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: enterramos, enterráis.
The gerund of enterrar is enterrando and the past participle is enterrado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of enterrar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and enterrar 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.
Habits and routines
The present describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, yo entierro el tesoro en el jardín" — "Every day, I bury the treasure in the garden"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo entierra a su abuelo en el cementerio" — "My friend buries his grandfather in the cemetery"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo entierro las semillas en la tierra" — "Right now, I bury the seeds in the soil"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros enterramos el pasado para siempre" — "Tomorrow, we bury the past for ever"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos entierran una cápsula del tiempo" — "They bury a time capsule"
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: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}yo entierro el tesoro en el jardín — "I bury the treasure in the garden"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo enterré el tesoro en el jardín — "I buried the treasure in the garden"
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 entierras a su abuelo en el cementerio — "You bury his grandfather in the cemetery"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú enterrabas a su abuelo en el cementerio — "You used to bury his grandfather in the cemetery"
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: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él entierra las semillas en la tierra — "He buries the seeds in the soil"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él enterrará las semillas en la tierra — "He will bury the seeds in the soil"
Examples: enterrar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show enterrar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo entierro el tesoro en el jardín — "I bury the treasure in the garden"
- Tú entierras a su abuelo en el cementerio — "You bury his grandfather in the cemetery"
- Él entierra las semillas en la tierra — "He buries the seeds in the soil"
- Nosotros enterramos el pasado para siempre — "We bury the past for ever"
- Vosotros enterráis una cápsula del tiempo — "You bury a time capsule"
- Ellos entierran el tesoro en el jardín — "They bury the treasure in the garden"
- Yo entierro a su abuelo en el cementerio — "I bury his grandfather in the cemetery"
Common mistakes with enterrar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with enterrar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo enterro el tesoro en el jardín.
✓ Correct: Yo entierro el tesoro en el jardín.
enterrar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is entierro, not enterro.
✗ *Tú entierra a su abuelo en el cementerio.
✓ Correct: Tú entierras a su abuelo en el cementerio.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes entierras, él takes entierra.
✗ *Cada día, yo enterré las semillas en la tierra
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo entierro las semillas en la tierra
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros enterrais el pasado para siempre.
✓ Correct: Vosotros enterráis el pasado para siempre.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: enterráis, not enterrais.
Quiz: enterrar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of enterrar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of enterrar for tú? A. enterramos B. entierras C. entierro D. entierra
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el tesoro en el jardín — "I bury the treasure in the garden" (present) A. entierra B. enterramos C. entierro D. entierras
Complete the sentence: Él ______ a su abuelo en el cementerio — "He buries his grandfather in the cemetery" (present) A. entierro B. entierras C. enterramos D. entierra
Which is the correct present form of enterrar for nosotros? A. enterramos B. entierras C. entierra D. entierran
Which sentence uses enterrar correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo enterraba las semillas en la tierra B. Mi amigo enterramos las semillas en la tierra C. Mi amigo entierra las semillas en la tierra D. Mi amigo entierras las semillas en la tierra
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ el pasado para siempre — "You bury the past for ever" (present) A. entierra B. enterráis C. entierro D. entierras
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ una cápsula del tiempo — "They bury a time capsule" (present) A. entierro B. entierras C. entierra D. entierran
What is the gerund of enterrar? A. enterrado B. entierro C. enterré D. enterrando
Answer key
- entierras — The tú form in the present is entierras.
- entierro — The present form for yo is entierro.
- entierra — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is entierra.
- enterramos — The nosotros form in the present is enterramos.
- Mi amigo entierra las semillas en la tierra — Mi amigo entierra las semillas en la tierra is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- enterráis — The present form for vosotros/as is enterráis.
- entierran — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is entierran.
- enterrando — The gerund is enterrando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle enterrado.
Frequently asked questions
Is enterrar regular in the present tense?
No — in the present the stem changes: The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: entierro, entierras, entierra and entierran — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: enterramos, enterráis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem.
What is the gerund and the past participle of enterrar?
The gerund is enterrando and the past participle is enterrado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I bury" in the present tense?
Say entierro. For example: Yo entierro el tesoro en el jardín — "I bury the treasure in the garden".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of enterrar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo entierro el tesoro en el jardín — "I bury the treasure in the garden". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo enterré el tesoro en el jardín — "Yesterday, I buried the treasure in the garden". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of enterrar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- enterrar 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.