Entrevistar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of entrevistar — «to interview» — 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. entrevistar is a regular -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 entrevisto todos los días» — I interview every day.

Entrevistar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo entrevisto
tú entrevistas
él/ella/Ud. entrevista
nosotros/as entrevistamos
vosotros/as entrevistáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. entrevistan

Gerund: entrevistando · Past participle: entrevistado

How the present tense of entrevistar is formed

Take the stem entrevist — the infinitive entrevistar 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 entrevist -o entrevisto
tú entrevist -as entrevistas
él/ella/Ud. entrevist -a entrevista
nosotros/as entrevist -amos entrevistamos
vosotros/as entrevist -áis entrevistáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. entrevist -an entrevistan

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 entrevisto, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of entrevistar

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 entrevisto todos los días. — I interview 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 entrevista con mi familia. — He interviews 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 entrevistando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros entrevistamos por la mañana. — We interview 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 entrevistas en el trabajo. — You interview 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 entrevistan a veces. — They interview 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 entrevisto todos los días. — I interview every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo entrevisté por la tarde. — Yesterday I interviewed 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 entrevista por la mañana. — He interviews in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él entrevistó por la tarde. — Yesterday He interviewed in the afternoon.

  • What happens in the morning in general, against what happened yesterday afternoon. The time expression decides the tense.

  • Present: Nosotros entrevistamos con mi familia. — We interview with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros entrevistamos dos veces. — Last week We interviewed 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: entrevistar in the present

  1. Yo entrevisto todos los días. — I interview every day.
  2. Tú entrevistas en el trabajo. — You interview at work.
  3. Él entrevista con mi familia. — He interviews with my family.
  4. Nosotros entrevistamos por la mañana. — We interview in the morning.
  5. Vosotros entrevistáis cuando hay tiempo. — You interview when there is time.
  6. Ellos entrevistan a veces. — They interview sometimes.
  7. Yo entrevisto en el trabajo. — I interview at work.
  8. Él entrevista todos los días. — He interviews every day.

Common mistakes with entrevistar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros entrevistais.

Right: Vosotros entrevistáis.

The vosotros form entrevistáis 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 entrevisto.

Right: Ayer yo entrevisté.

Ayer belongs with the preterite. The present entrevisto talks about now or about a habit; a finished yesterday needs entrevisté.

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos entrevisto.

Right: Ellos entrevistan.

Each person has its own form: ellos take entrevistan, not the yo form entrevisto. The -n ending on entrevistan is what marks the third-person plural.

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy entrevisto.

Right: Estoy entrevistando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy entrevistando. The conjugated present entrevisto never follows estar.

Quiz: entrevistar in the present

Test yourself on the present tense of entrevistar. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of entrevistar in the present indicative?

- (a) entrevistas
- (b) entrevistan
- (c) entrevista
- (d) entrevisto

2. What is the yo form of entrevistar in the present indicative?

- (a) entrevista
- (b) entrevistamos
- (c) entrevistas
- (d) entrevisto

3. What is the tú form of entrevistar in the present indicative?

- (a) entrevisto
- (b) entrevistamos
- (c) entrevista
- (d) entrevistas

4. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of entrevistar in the present indicative?

- (a) entrevisto
- (b) entrevista
- (c) entrevistamos
- (d) entrevistas

5. What is the nosotros/as form of entrevistar in the present indicative?

- (a) entrevista
- (b) entrevistamos
- (c) entrevisto
- (d) entrevistas

6. What is the vosotros/as form of entrevistar in the present indicative?

- (a) entrevista
- (b) entrevistas
- (c) entrevisto
- (d) entrevistáis

7. What is the gerund of entrevistar?

- (a) entrevistado
- (b) entrevistando
- (c) entrevisto
- (d) entrevistar

8. What is the past participle of entrevistar?

- (a) entrevistar
- (b) entrevistando
- (c) entrevistado
- (d) entrevisté

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of entrevistar is entrevistan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the present indicative, the yo form of entrevistar is entrevisto. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the present indicative, the tú form of entrevistar is entrevistas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of entrevistar is entrevista. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of entrevistar is entrevistamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of entrevistar is entrevistáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — The gerund of entrevistar is entrevistando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy entrevistando». 8. (c) — The past participle of entrevistar is entrevistado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he entrevistado».

Frequently asked questions

Is entrevistar regular in the present?

Yes — entrevistar is regular in the present. The stem entrevist never changes and the endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an for -ar verbs (with the matching sets for -er and -ir verbs).

What is the yo form of entrevistar in the present?

It is entrevisto. Use it for talking about yourself right now.

How is the present different from the preterite for entrevistar?

The present (entrevisto) describes habits and what is happening now; the preterite (entrevisté) reports a single finished event. «Yo entrevisto todos los días» is a habit, while «Ayer yo entrevisté» is one event that ended yesterday.

Can I use the present of entrevistar with estar and the gerund?

Yes — «Estoy entrevistando» means «I am interviewing right now», with the emphasis on the action in progress. The plain present «Yo entrevisto» is also correct for what is happening now; the gerund version simply stresses the moment.

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