Envolver Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of envolver — "to wrap" 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 envolver 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. Envolver means to wrap something up: envolver el regalo, envolver el bocadillo. Its past participle is irregular — envuelto, not envolvido — and the perfect tenses use it: he envuelto el regalo. To see it in a real sentence: Yo envuelvo el regalo con papel de colores — "I wrap the present in coloured paper".
Present tense conjugation table: envolver
Every person of envolver in the present tense. The gerund is envolviendo and the past participle is envuelto.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | envuelvo |
| tú | envuelves |
| él/ella/Ud. | envuelve |
| nosotros/as | envolvemos |
| vosotros/as | envolvéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | envuelven |
How the present of envolver is formed
The present of envolver is built from the stem envolv- plus the present 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 | envuelvo |
| tú | -es | envuelves |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | envuelve |
| nosotros/as | -emos | envolvemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | envolvéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | envuelven |
The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: envuelvo, envuelves, envuelve and envuelven — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: envolvemos, envolvéis.
The gerund of envolver is envolviendo and the past participle is envuelto. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of envolver
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and envolver 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 envuelvo el regalo con papel de colores" — "Every day, I wrap the present in coloured paper"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo envuelve el bocadillo en papel de aluminio" — "My friend wraps the sandwich in foil"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo envuelvo el paquete con cuidado" — "Right now, I wrap the parcel carefully"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros envolvemos la tarta en plástico" — "Tomorrow, we wrap the cake in plastic"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos envuelven el libro para su amigo" — "They wrap the book for his friend"
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 envuelvo el regalo con papel de colores — "I wrap the present in coloured paper"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo envolví el regalo con papel de colores — "I wraped the present in coloured paper"
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 envuelves el bocadillo en papel de aluminio — "You wrap the sandwich in foil"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú envolvías el bocadillo en papel de aluminio — "You used to wrap the sandwich in foil"
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 envuelve el paquete con cuidado — "He wraps the parcel carefully"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él envolverá el paquete con cuidado — "He will wrap the parcel carefully"
Examples: envolver in the present tense
Seven sentences that show envolver in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo envuelvo el regalo con papel de colores — "I wrap the present in coloured paper"
- Tú envuelves el bocadillo en papel de aluminio — "You wrap the sandwich in foil"
- Él envuelve el paquete con cuidado — "He wraps the parcel carefully"
- Nosotros envolvemos la tarta en plástico — "We wrap the cake in plastic"
- Vosotros envolvéis el libro para su amigo — "You wrap the book for his friend"
- Ellos envuelven el regalo con papel de colores — "They wrap the present in coloured paper"
- Yo envuelvo el bocadillo en papel de aluminio — "I wrap the sandwich in foil"
Common mistakes with envolver in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with envolver in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo envolvo el regalo con papel de colores.
✓ Correct: Yo envuelvo el regalo con papel de colores.
envolver is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is envuelvo, not envolvo.
✗ *Tú envuelve el bocadillo en papel de aluminio.
✓ Correct: Tú envuelves el bocadillo en papel de aluminio.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes envuelves, él takes envuelve.
✗ *Cada día, yo envolví el paquete con cuidado
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo envuelvo el paquete con cuidado
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros envolveis la tarta en plástico.
✓ Correct: Vosotros envolvéis la tarta en plástico.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: envolvéis, not envolveis.
Quiz: envolver in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of envolver. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of envolver for tú? A. envuelvo B. envuelve C. envolvemos D. envuelves
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el regalo con papel de colores — "I wrap the present in coloured paper" (present) A. envolvemos B. envuelvo C. envuelves D. envuelve
Complete the sentence: Él ______ el bocadillo en papel de aluminio — "He wraps the sandwich in foil" (present) A. envuelvo B. envuelves C. envolvemos D. envuelve
Which is the correct present form of envolver for nosotros? A. envuelve B. envuelven C. envolvemos D. envuelves
Which sentence uses envolver correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo envuelve el paquete con cuidado B. Mi amigo envuelves el paquete con cuidado C. Mi amigo envolvía el paquete con cuidado D. Mi amigo envolvemos el paquete con cuidado
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ la tarta en plástico — "You wrap the cake in plastic" (present) A. envuelves B. envuelve C. envolvéis D. envuelvo
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el libro para su amigo — "They wrap the book for his friend" (present) A. envuelvo B. envuelves C. envuelve D. envuelven
What is the gerund of envolver? A. envolví B. envolviendo C. envuelto D. envuelvo
Answer key
- envuelves — The tú form in the present is envuelves.
- envuelvo — The present form for yo is envuelvo.
- envuelve — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is envuelve.
- envolvemos — The nosotros form in the present is envolvemos.
- Mi amigo envuelve el paquete con cuidado — Mi amigo envuelve el paquete con cuidado is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- envolvéis — The present form for vosotros/as is envolvéis.
- envuelven — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is envuelven.
- envolviendo — The gerund is envolviendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle envuelto.
Frequently asked questions
Is envolver regular in the present tense?
No — in the present the stem changes: The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: envuelvo, envuelves, envuelve and envuelven — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: envolvemos, envolvéis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem.
What is the gerund and the past participle of envolver?
The gerund is envolviendo and the past participle is envuelto. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I wrap" in the present tense?
Say envuelvo. For example: Yo envuelvo el regalo con papel de colores — "I wrap the present in coloured paper".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of envolver?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo envuelvo el regalo con papel de colores — "I wrap the present in coloured paper". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo envolví el regalo con papel de colores — "Yesterday, I wraped the present in coloured paper". 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 envolver — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- envolver 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.