Especificar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of especificar — "to specify" 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 especificar 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. Especificar means to specify, and it covers specifying a date in a contract, the details of an order, a price on an invoice and the terms of an agreement. It is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e. To see it in a real sentence: Él especifica la fecha en el contrato. — "He/she specifies the date in the contract." Work through the table below, then the formation notes, the usage rules and the contrast with the preterite, and test yourself at the end.

Present tense conjugation table: especificar

Every person of especificar in the present tense. The gerund is especificando and the past participle is especificado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo especifico
tú especificas
él/ella/Ud. especifica
nosotros/as especificamos
vosotros/as especificáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. especifican

How the present indicative of especificar is formed

The present indicative of especificar is built from the stem especific- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar 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 especifico
tú -as especificas
él/ella/Ud. -a especifica
nosotros/as -amos especificamos
vosotros/as -áis especificáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an especifican

especificar is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e. That is why the written form changes in some persons — the sound stays the same, and only the spelling adapts. In this tense, watch the first-person form especifico in particular.

The gerund of especificar is especificando and the past participle is especificado. 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 especificar

The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and especificar 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 tense describes things you do regularly. If you do it every day, every week or every morning, the present is the tense to use. For especificar, this use looks like this: "Yo especifico la fecha en el contrato." — "I specify the date in the contract." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.

General facts

The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. It is the tense for definitions and permanent situations. For especificar, this use looks like this: "Él especifica los detalles del pedido." — "He/she specifies the details of the order." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.

What is happening now

The present tense also covers what is happening at this moment, especially with verbs that describe an action in progress. For especificar, this use looks like this: "Nosotros especificamos el precio en la factura." — "We specify the price on the invoice." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.

Timetables and schedules

The present tense is used for fixed plans and timetables, such as trains, classes and opening times, even when they refer to the future. For especificar, this use looks like this: "Ellos especifican las condiciones del acuerdo." — "They specify the terms of the agreement." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.

Instructions and requests

The present tense appears in instructions and polite requests, where it sounds softer than a direct command. For especificar, this use looks like this: "Tú especificas la fecha en el contrato." — "You specify the date in the contract." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.

The present tense vs the preterite

Learners often mix up the present and the preterite with especificar. The rule is simple: the present is for habits, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite is for one finished action in the past. The three pairs below show the same idea in both tenses, so you can feel the difference.

Pair 1: present vs preterite

  • Present: "Yo especifico la fecha en el contrato." — "I specify the date in the contract."
  • Preterite: "Yo especifiqué la fecha en el contrato." — "I specified the date in the contract." The first sentence uses the present because it describes a habit or a present fact; the second uses the preterite because it describes a finished action. The verb is the same — only the tense changes the meaning.

Pair 2: present vs preterite

  • Present: "Él especifica los detalles del pedido." — "He/she specifies the details of the order."
  • Preterite: "Él especificó los detalles del pedido." — "He/she specified the details of the order." The first sentence uses the present because it describes a habit or a present fact; the second uses the preterite because it describes a finished action. The verb is the same — only the tense changes the meaning.

Pair 3: present vs preterite

  • Present: "Nosotros especificamos el precio en la factura." — "We specify the price on the invoice."
  • Preterite: "Nosotros especificamos el precio en la factura." — "We specified the price on the invoice." The first sentence uses the present because it describes a habit or a present fact; the second uses the preterite because it describes a finished action. The verb is the same — only the tense changes the meaning.

Example sentences in the present tense

Eight natural sentences with especificar in the present tense only. Each one uses a form from the table above.

  1. Yo especifico la fecha en el contrato. — I specify the date in the contract.
  2. Tú especificas los detalles del pedido. — You specify the details of the order.
  3. Él especifica el precio en la factura. — He/she specifies the price on the invoice.
  4. Nosotros especificamos las condiciones del acuerdo. — We specify the terms of the agreement.
  5. Vosotros especificáis la fecha en el contrato. — You all specify the date in the contract.
  6. Ellos especifican los detalles del pedido. — They specify the details of the order.
  7. Yo especifico el precio en la factura. — I specify the price on the invoice.
  8. Él especifica las condiciones del acuerdo. — He/she specifies the terms of the agreement.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Vosotros especificais los detalles del pedido. — Right: Vosotros especificáis los detalles del pedido. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: especificáis, not especificais.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo especifico el precio en la factura. — Right: Ayer, yo especifiqué el precio en la factura. — Ayer means yesterday, so it needs the preterite (especifiqué), not the present (especifico). The present is for now, not for yesterday.
  3. Wrong: Yo especifica la fecha en el contrato. — Right: Yo especifico la fecha en el contrato. — The person matters: especifica is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is especifico.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy especificado los detalles del pedido. — Right: Yo he especificado los detalles del pedido. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he especificado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

Quiz: test yourself

Eight questions on the present tense of especificar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la fecha en el contrato. (present tense) A. especifico B. especificas C. especifica D. especificamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ los detalles del pedido. (present tense) A. especificas B. especifico C. especifica D. especificamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Él ___ el precio en la factura. (present tense) A. especifica B. especifico C. especificas D. especificamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ las condiciones del acuerdo. (present tense) A. especificamos B. especifico C. especificas D. especifica

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros ___ la fecha en el contrato. (present tense) A. especificáis B. especifico C. especificas D. especifica

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ___ los detalles del pedido. (present tense) A. especifican B. especifico C. especificas D. especifica

  7. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el precio en la factura. (present tense) A. especifico B. especificas C. especifica D. especificamos

  8. Complete the sentence: Él ___ las condiciones del acuerdo. (present tense) A. especifica B. especifico C. especificas D. especificamos

Answer key

  1. especifico — The yo present form of especificar is especifico. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  2. especificas — The tu present form of especificar is especificas. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  3. especifica — The el present form of especificar is especifica. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  4. especificamos — The nosotros present form of especificar is especificamos. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  5. especificáis — The vosotros present form of especificar is especificáis. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  6. especifican — The ellos present form of especificar is especifican. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  7. especifico — The yo present form of especificar is especifico. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  8. especifica — The el present form of especificar is especifica. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.

Frequently asked questions

When do I use the present tense of especificar?

Use the present tense of especificar for habits, facts and what is happening now. For example: Yo especifico la fecha en el contrato. — "I specify the date in the contract." The usage rules above give five situations with examples.

How is the present tense of especificar formed?

Take the stem especific- and add the present endings for -ar verbs. The full table is at the top of this page. Remember the spelling change: c becomes qu before e.

What is the difference between the present and the preterite of especificar?

The present describes a habit or a present fact, while the preterite describes a finished action. Compare Yo especifico los detalles del pedido. with Yo especifiqué los detalles del pedido. — the verb is the same, but the time meaning changes.

How do I practise the present tense of especificar?

Drill the six forms in the table above until you can say them without looking, then use the especificar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and test yourself with the Especificar conjugation page for the full picture across all tenses.

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