Esconder Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb esconder means to hide, and this page covers it in the present tense — the tense for habits, facts and what is happening now. If you want the whole picture, start with the full esconder conjugation, which has every tense on one page. Here we go deep on one tense only: the full table, how it is formed, when to use it, how it differs from the closest tense, examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the questions people ask most. One example to start: Yo escondo las llaves en el cajón. — "I hide the keys in the drawer."

No pronunciation is given on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for esconder, so no pronunciation is shown rather than an invented one. All the forms below come from the verified conjugation tables, so you can trust every form you see here.

The esconder present tense table

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for esconder. The gerund is escondiendo and the past participle is escondido.

Person Form
yo escondo
tú escondes
él/ella/Ud. esconde
nosotros/as escondemos
vosotros/as escondéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. esconden

The gerund escondiendo is used with estar for the progressive (estoy escondiendo, I am hiding), and the past participle escondido is used with haber for the perfect tenses (he escondido, I have hid).

How the present tense of esconder is formed

Start with the infinitive esconder. Take off the -er ending and you are left with the stem escond-. Then add the present endings for -er verbs: -o (yo), -es (tú), -e (él/ella/Ud.), -emos (nosotros/as), -éis (vosotros/as) and -en (ellos/ellas/Uds.). That gives you the six forms in the table above, and for most verbs in this group that is the whole story.

esconder is regular in the present: every form is exactly the stem plus the ending above, with no stem change and no spelling change. If you know the stem and the six endings, you can build the whole tense without memorising anything extra.

Two details are worth fixing early. First, the vosotros form carries a written accent on the ending: escondéis. Second, the present tense in Spanish has no auxiliary verb: escondo on its own means both "I hide" and "I am hiding" in English, so you do not need a separate word for the progressive unless you want to stress that something is happening right now.

When to use the present tense of esconder

Habits and routines

The present is the tense of what you do regularly. Talking about hiding things: keys in a drawer, a present in a wardrobe, money under a mattress.

  • Yo escondo las llaves en el cajón. — "I hide the keys in the drawer."
  • Tú escondes un regalo en el armario. — "you hide a present in the wardrobe."

Facts and general truths

The present also states facts that are true in general, not just today. Talking about hiding yourself or your face, in games or out of embarrassment.

  • Él esconde la cara con las manos. — "he/she hides my face with my hands."
  • Nosotros escondemos el dinero bajo el colchón. — "we hide the money under the mattress."

What is happening now

The present describes what is happening at this moment. Talking about treasure hunts and children's games, where esconder is the key verb.

  • Vosotros escondéis detrás de la puerta. — "you (all) hide behind the door."
  • Ellos esconden el tesoro en el jardín. — "they hide the treasure in the garden."

Plans in the near future

Spanish also uses the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with a time expression. A plan you have already decided on can be stated in the present, and it sounds more certain than the future tense.

  • Él esconde la cara con las manos. — "he/she hides my face with my hands."
  • Nosotros escondemos el dinero bajo el colchón. — "we hide the money under the mattress."

Esconder present vs present progressive

The present tense and the present progressive (estar + gerund) are close neighbours, and learners mix them up. The present describes a habit, a fact or a routine. The progressive describes something in progress right now, at this very moment. Compare the three pairs below: the first sentence in each pair is a habit, the second is happening now.

  • Present (habit): Yo escondo las llaves en el cajón. — "I hide the keys in the drawer."

  • Progressive (right now): Yo estoy escondiendo las llaves en el cajón. — "I am hiding the keys in the drawer."

  • Present (habit): Tú escondes un regalo en el armario. — "you hide a present in the wardrobe."

  • Progressive (right now): Tú estás escondiendo un regalo en el armario. — "you are hiding a present in the wardrobe."

  • Present (habit): Él esconde la cara con las manos. — "he/she hides my face with my hands."

  • Progressive (right now): Él está escondiendo la cara con las manos. — "he/she is hiding my face with my hands."

Use the present when you talk about what you usually do, and the progressive when you want to stress that it is happening as you speak. If you say escondo every day, that is a routine. If you say Estoy escondiendo, you are doing it at this moment.

Examples of esconder in the present

Eight sentences in the present tense, so you can see the forms in real use. Read the Spanish first, guess the meaning, then check the translation.

  1. Escondo las llaves en el cajón. — "I hide the keys in the drawer."
  2. Mi hijo esconde un regalo en el armario. — "My son hides a present in the wardrobe."
  3. Ayer escondí el dinero bajo el colchón. — "Yesterday I hid the money under the mattress."
  4. De niño, escondía el tesoro en el jardín. — "As a child, I used to hide the treasure in the garden."
  5. Mañana esconderé el regalo detrás de la puerta. — "Tomorrow I will hide the present behind the door."
  6. Si pudiera, escondería el tesoro en el jardín. — "If I could, I would hide the treasure in the garden."
  7. Él esconde detrás de la puerta. — "he/she hides behind the door."
  8. Nosotros escondemos el tesoro en el jardín. — "we hide the treasure in the garden."

Common mistakes with esconder in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why it is wrong.

1. Yo esconde las llaves.

Wrong: Yo esconde las llaves.

Right: Yo escondo las llaves.

Esconder is an -er verb, so the yo present ends in -o: escondo. Esconde is the él/ella form.

2. Ayer yo escondo el dinero.

Wrong: Ayer yo escondo el dinero.

Right: Ayer yo escondí el dinero.

A finished action yesterday needs the preterite: escondí. Escondo is the present tense.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

Wrong: Ayer yo escondo las llaves en el cajón.

Right: Ayer yo escondí las llaves en el cajón.

Ayer (yesterday) signals a finished action, so it needs the preterite: escondí. The present escondo describes what you do now or usually, not what you did yesterday.

4. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros escondeis las llaves en el cajón.

Right: Vosotros escondéis las llaves en el cajón.

The vosotros ending carries a written accent: escondéis. Without it, the spelling is wrong, even though the pronunciation is close.

Quiz: test yourself on esconder in the present

Choose the right form for each sentence. The answers are at the end of this section, with an explanation for every question.

  1. Yo ___ las llaves en el cajón
    • a) escondo
    • b) escondes
    • c) esconde
    • d) escondemos
  2. Tú ___ un regalo en el armario
    • a) escondo
    • b) esconde
    • c) escondemos
    • d) escondes
  3. Él ___ la cara con las manos
    • a) escondes
    • b) escondemos
    • c) esconde
    • d) escondo
  4. Nosotros ___ el dinero bajo el colchón
    • a) esconde
    • b) escondemos
    • c) escondo
    • d) escondes
  5. Vosotros ___ detrás de la puerta
    • a) escondéis
    • b) escondo
    • c) escondes
    • d) esconde
  6. Ellos ___ el tesoro en el jardín
    • a) escondo
    • b) escondes
    • c) esconde
    • d) esconden
  7. Yo ___ las llaves en el cajón
    • a) esconde
    • b) escondemos
    • c) escondo
    • d) escondes
  8. Tú ___ un regalo en el armario
    • a) escondemos
    • b) escondes
    • c) escondo
    • d) esconde

Answers

  1. a) escondo — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
  2. d) escondes — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.
  3. c) esconde — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form, because the subject is él/ella/Ud..
  4. b) escondemos — The sentence needs the nosotros/as form, because the subject is nosotros/as.
  5. a) escondéis — The sentence needs the vosotros/as form, because the subject is vosotros/as.
  6. d) esconden — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, because the subject is ellos/ellas/Uds..
  7. c) escondo — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
  8. b) escondes — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.

Frequently asked questions about esconder in the present

Is esconder regular?

Yes, esconder is a regular -er verb: escondo, escondes, esconde, escondemos, escondéis, esconden.

What is the difference between esconder and guardar?

Esconder is hiding something so nobody finds it; guardar is putting something away in its proper place. Escondes las llaves en el cajón, pero guardas los libros en la estantería.

Is esconder regular in the present?

Yes. esconder is regular in the present: the six forms are the stem escond- plus the regular endings, with no stem change. The only thing to watch is the written accent on the stressed endings, for example escondo.

What are the gerund and the past participle of esconder?

The gerund is escondiendo, used with estar for the progressive (estoy escondiendo), and the past participle is escondido, used with haber for the perfect tenses (he escondido).

How to remember esconder

Four small habits will fix esconder in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: escondo, escondes, esconde, escondemos, escondéis, esconden. Saying the forms is far more effective than reading them silently, because you hear the endings and the stem at the same time. Second, write three sentences about your own life: one about today with the present (escondo), one about yesterday with the preterite (escondí), and one about tomorrow with the future (esconderé). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from guardar: Esconder is hiding; guardar is putting away. You escondes un regalo so nobody sees it, and guardas los libros so they are tidy. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund escondiendo and the past participle escondido. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy escondiendo) and the present perfect (he escondido), which covers most everyday conversation.

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