Envejecer Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of envejecer — "to grow old" 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 envejecer 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. Envejecer means "to grow old" or "to age" — people age, wine ages, a building ages. It is used for growing old gracefully (envejecer bien) and for things ageing badly (el vino envejece mal). Like crecer and nacer, it is a -zc- verb: the yo form is envejezco, while all the other persons keep the plain stem envejec- (envejeces, envejece, envejecemos, envejecéis, envejecen). That single irregular form is the whole difficulty of envejecer in the present tense. Its opposite is rejuvenecer, to rejuvenate, and its noun is la vejez, old age. To see it in a real sentence: Nosotros envejecemos cada día. — "We grow older every day.".
Present tense conjugation table: envejecer
Every person of envejecer in the present tense. The gerund is envejeciendo and the past participle is envejecido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | envejezco |
| tú | envejeces |
| él/ella/Ud. | envejece |
| nosotros/as | envejecemos |
| vosotros/as | envejecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | envejecen |
How the present indicative of envejecer is formed
The present indicative of envejecer is built from the stem envejec- plus the present indicative endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er 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 | envejezco |
| tú | -es | envejeces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | envejece |
| nosotros/as | -emos | envejecemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | envejecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | envejecen |
envejecer is a -zc- verb. Only the yo form changes: the stem gains a zc, giving envejezco. Every other person keeps the plain stem envejec-: envejeces, envejece, envejecemos, envejecéis and envejecen. The rule is simple to remember — the zc belongs to yo and to the subjunctive forms built on it, and nowhere else in the present tense. If you catch yourself writing the zc in any other person, drop it.
The gerund of envejecer is envejeciendo and the past participle is envejecido. 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 envejecer
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and envejecer 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.
People growing old
The present describes ageing as a gradual, ongoing process.
"Nosotros envejecemos cada día." — "We grow older every day."
Ageing well
Envejecer bien is the fixed expression for ageing gracefully.
"Mi abuelo envejece muy bien." — "My grandfather ages very well."
Wine ageing
Envejecer describes wine maturing in the barrel.
"El vino envejece en barrica." — "The wine ages in the barrel."
Things ageing badly
The present states a general fact about something deteriorating.
"El edificio envejece mal sin mantenimiento." — "The building ages badly without maintenance."
Ageing with dignity
The present states a general attitude to growing old.
"Yo envejezco con dignidad." — "I grow old with dignity."
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 envejezco sin miedo. — "I grow old without fear."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo envejecí sin miedo. — 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 envejeces muy bien. — "You age very well."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú envejecías muy bien. — 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 madre envejece con gracia. — "My mother ages gracefully."
- Future — what will happen: Mi madre envejecerá con gracia. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: envejecer in the present tense
Seven sentences that show envejecer in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo envejezco sin miedo. — "I grow old without fear."
- Tú envejeces muy bien. — "You age very well."
- Mi madre envejece con gracia. — "My mother ages gracefully."
- Nosotros envejecemos juntos. — "We grow old together."
- Vosotros envejecéis en el pueblo. — "You grow old in the village."
- Ellos envejecen en paz. — "They grow old in peace."
- El queso envejece en la cueva. — "The cheese ages in the cave."
Common mistakes with envejecer in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with envejecer in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo envejezo sin miedo (using -zo instead of -zco).
✓ Correct: Yo envejezco sin miedo.
Envejecer is a -zc- verb: the yo form is envejezco, not envejezo. The zc appears only in yo.
✗ *Tú envejezces muy bien (spreading the zc to tú).
✓ Correct: Tú envejeces muy bien.
Only yo takes the zc. Tú is envejeces, él is envejece, ellos are envejecen.
✗ *Nosotros envejezcemos juntos.
✓ Correct: Nosotros envejecemos juntos.
Nosotros is envejecemos, with no z. The zc never appears in nosotros or vosotros.
✗ *Ellos envejezcen en paz.
✓ Correct: Ellos envejecen en paz.
Ellos is envejecen. Keep the zc strictly for yo.
Quiz: envejecer in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of envejecer. 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 envejecer for tú?
- a) envejece
- b) envejecen
- c) envejeces
- d) envejezco
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ sin miedo. — "I grow old without fear."
- a) envejezco
- b) envejecí
- c) envejeces
- d) envejecen
3. Complete the sentence: Mi abuelo ______ muy bien. — "My grandfather ages very well."
- a) envejeces
- b) envejecemos
- c) envejeció
- d) envejece
4. Which is the correct present tense form of envejecer for nosotros?
- a) envejecen
- b) envejeces
- c) envejecemos
- d) envejezco
5. Which sentence uses envejecer correctly in the present tense?
- a) Mi madre envejeció con gracia.
- b) Mi madre envejece con gracia.
- c) Mi madre envejeces con gracia.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of envejecer for yo?
- a) envejezco
- b) envejeco
- c) envejeces
- d) envejece
7. Complete the sentence: El edificio ______ mal sin mantenimiento. — "The building ages badly without maintenance."
- a) envejezco
- b) envejece
- c) envejeció
- d) envejecen
8. What is the gerund of envejecer?
- a) envejezco
- b) envejecemos
- c) envejecido
- d) envejeciendo
Answer key
c) envejeces — The tú form is envejeces. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; envejezco is yo, envejece is él/ella and envejecen is ellos/ellas.
a) envejezco — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: envejezco. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) envejece — The subject is él/ella/Ud., so the present form is envejece.
c) envejecemos — Nosotros takes envejecemos. In the present the nosotros ending for -er verbs is -emos, attached to the stem envejec-.
b) Mi madre envejece con gracia. — Mi madre envejece con gracia. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
a) envejezco — envejecer is a -zc- verb: the yo form is envejezco, with the zc. The form without the z is a spelling error, and the other options belong to different persons.
b) envejece — The subject is él/ella/Ud., so the present form is envejece.
d) envejeciendo — The gerund is envejeciendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle envejecido.
Frequently asked questions
Is envejecer regular in the present tense?
Almost. envejecer is a -zc- verb: only the yo form changes, giving envejezco. Every other person is regular: envejeces, envejece, envejecemos, envejecéis and envejecen.
What is the gerund and the past participle of envejecer?
The gerund is envejeciendo and the past participle is envejecido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to grow old" in Spanish?
Say envejezco. For example: Yo envejezco sin miedo. — "I grow old without fear.".
What is the difference between envejecer and crecer?
envejecer means "to grow old", while crecer means "to grow". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use envejecer when you mean "to grow old" and crecer when you mean "to grow". The full conjugation of crecer is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of envejecer — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- envejecer 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.