Espantar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of espantar — «to frighten» — 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. espantar 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 espanto todos los días» — I frighten every day.

Espantar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo espanto
tú espantas
él/ella/Ud. espanta
nosotros/as espantamos
vosotros/as espantáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. espantan

Gerund: espantando · Past participle: espantado

How the present tense of espantar is formed

Take the stem espant — the infinitive espantar 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 espant -o espanto
tú espant -as espantas
él/ella/Ud. espant -a espanta
nosotros/as espant -amos espantamos
vosotros/as espant -áis espantáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. espant -an espantan

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

When to use the present tense of espantar

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 espanto todos los días. — I frighten 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 espanta con mi familia. — He frightens 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 espantando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros espantamos por la mañana. — We frighten 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 espantas en el trabajo. — You frighten 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 espantan a veces. — They frighten 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 espanto todos los días. — I frighten every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo espanté por la tarde. — Yesterday I frightenned 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 espanta por la mañana. — He frightens in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él espantó por la tarde. — Yesterday He frightenned in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros espantamos con mi familia. — We frighten with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros espantamos dos veces. — Last week We frightenned 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: espantar in the present

  1. Yo espanto todos los días. — I frighten every day.
  2. Tú espantas en el trabajo. — You frighten at work.
  3. Él espanta con mi familia. — He frightens with my family.
  4. Nosotros espantamos por la mañana. — We frighten in the morning.
  5. Vosotros espantáis cuando hay tiempo. — You frighten when there is time.
  6. Ellos espantan a veces. — They frighten sometimes.
  7. Yo espanto en el trabajo. — I frighten at work.
  8. Él espanta todos los días. — He frightens every day.

Common mistakes with espantar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros espantais.

Right: Vosotros espantáis.

The vosotros form espantáis 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 espanto.

Right: Ayer yo espanté.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos espanto.

Right: Ellos espantan.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy espanto.

Right: Estoy espantando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy espantando. The conjugated present espanto never follows estar.

Quiz: espantar in the present

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

1. What is the nosotros/as form of espantar in the present indicative?

- (a) espantas
- (b) espanta
- (c) espantamos
- (d) espanto

2. What is the vosotros/as form of espantar in the present indicative?

- (a) espantáis
- (b) espantas
- (c) espanto
- (d) espanta

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of espantar in the present indicative?

- (a) espanta
- (b) espanto
- (c) espantan
- (d) espantas

4. What is the yo form of espantar in the present indicative?

- (a) espantas
- (b) espanta
- (c) espanto
- (d) espantamos

5. What is the tú form of espantar in the present indicative?

- (a) espanto
- (b) espanta
- (c) espantas
- (d) espantamos

6. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of espantar in the present indicative?

- (a) espanto
- (b) espanta
- (c) espantamos
- (d) espantas

7. What is the gerund of espantar?

- (a) espantar
- (b) espantando
- (c) espantado
- (d) espanto

8. What is the past participle of espantar?

- (a) espantando
- (b) espanté
- (c) espantado
- (d) espantar

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of espantar is espantamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of espantar is espantáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of espantar is espantan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the present indicative, the yo form of espantar is espanto. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the present indicative, the tú form of espantar is espantas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of espantar is espanta. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — The gerund of espantar is espantando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy espantando». 8. (c) — The past participle of espantar is espantado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he espantado».

Frequently asked questions

Is espantar regular in the present?

Yes — espantar is regular in the present. The stem espant 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 espantar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for espantar?

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

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

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

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