Estirar Present Tense in Spanish
estirar means "to stretch" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for estirar, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo estiro los brazos al despertar. — "Every day, I stretch his arms on waking." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of estirar: full table
Every person of estirar in the present tense. The gerund is estirando and the past participle is estirado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estiro |
| tú | estiras |
| él/ella/Ud. | estira |
| nosotros/as | estiramos |
| vosotros/as | estiráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estiran |
The gerund of estirar is estirando and the past participle is estirado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy estirando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he estirado).
How the present tense of estirar is formed
The present tense of estirar is built from the stem estir- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo estiro, tú estiras, él estira, nosotros estiramos, vosotros estiráis and ellos estiran. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | estiro |
| tú | -as | estiras |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | estira |
| nosotros/as | -amos | estiramos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | estiráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | estiran |
estirar is completely regular in the present tense: the stem never changes and every ending is the standard -ar ending. The only thing to watch is the accent on the vosotros form estiráis.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is estirando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy estirando. The past participle is estirado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he estirado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with estirar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo estiro los brazos al despertar. — "Every day, I stretch his arms on waking." The complement in this sentence is about his arms on waking, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear estirar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú estiras las piernas antes de correr. — "Now, you stretch his legs before running." The complement in this sentence is about his legs before running, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear estirar in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él estira la cuerda entre dos árboles. — "Normally, he/she stretches the rope between two trees." The complement in this sentence is about the rope between two trees, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear estirar in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros estiramos el chicle con las manos. — "Tomorrow, we stretch the chewing gum with his hands." The complement in this sentence is about the chewing gum with his hands, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear estirar in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos estiran los brazos al despertar. — "Always, they stretch his arms on waking." The complement in this sentence is about his arms on waking, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear estirar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: estirar
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with estirar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo estiro los brazos al despertar. — "Every day, I stretch his arms on waking."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo estiré los brazos al despertar. — "Yesterday, I stretched his arms on waking."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú estiras las piernas antes de correr. — "Every day, you stretch his legs before running."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú estiraste las piernas antes de correr. — "Yesterday, you stretched his legs before running."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él estira la cuerda entre dos árboles. — "Every day, he/she stretches the rope between two trees."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él estiró la cuerda entre dos árboles. — "Yesterday, he/she stretched the rope between two trees."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: estirar in the present tense
These eight sentences show estirar in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo estiro los brazos al despertar. — "I stretch his arms on waking."
- Tú estiras las piernas antes de correr. — "you stretch his legs before running."
- Él estira la cuerda entre dos árboles. — "he/she stretches the rope between two trees."
- Nosotros estiramos el chicle con las manos. — "we stretch the chewing gum with his hands."
- Vosotros estiráis los brazos al despertar. — "you (plural) stretch his arms on waking."
- Ellos estiran las piernas antes de correr. — "they stretch his legs before running."
- Yo estiro la cuerda entre dos árboles. — "I stretch the rope between two trees."
- Tú estiras el chicle con las manos. — "you stretch the chewing gum with his hands."
Common mistakes with estirar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros estirais los brazos al despertar.
- Right: Vosotros estiráis los brazos al despertar.
- Why: The vosotros form estiráis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me estiro los brazos al despertar.
- Right: Yo estiro los brazos al despertar.
- Why: estirar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add. The extra pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo estiro las piernas antes de correr.
- Right: Ayer, yo estiré las piernas antes de correr.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo estiré las piernas antes de correr. — "Yesterday, I stretched his legs before running." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo estiro la cuerda entre dos árboles.
- Right: Antes, yo estiraba la cuerda entre dos árboles.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo estiraba la cuerda entre dos árboles. — "In the past, I used to stretch the rope between two trees." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros estira los brazos al despertar.
- Right: Nosotros estiramos los brazos al despertar.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes estiramos, while estira belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of estirar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of estirar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of estirar in the present tense?
- (a) estira
- (b) estiramos
- (c) estiro
- (d) estiras
Answer: (c) estiro. The yo form is estiro. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of estirar in the present tense?
- (a) estiramos
- (b) estiras
- (c) estiro
- (d) estira
Answer: (b) estiras. The tú form is estiras. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of estirar in the present tense?
- (a) estira
- (b) estiro
- (c) estiras
- (d) estiramos
Answer: (a) estira. The él/ella form is estira. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of estirar in the present tense?
- (a) estiro
- (b) estiras
- (c) estira
- (d) estiramos
Answer: (d) estiramos. The nosotros form is estiramos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of estirar in the present tense?
- (a) estiras
- (b) estira
- (c) estiran
- (d) estiro
Answer: (c) estiran. The ellos/ellas form is estiran. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ los brazos al despertar.
- (a) estiramos
- (b) estiro
- (c) estiras
- (d) estira
Answer: (b) estiro. The sentence needs the yo form estiro (Every day, I stretch his arms on waking.)
7. What is the gerund of estirar?
- (a) estirar
- (b) estirando
- (c) estirado
- (d) estiro
Answer: (b) estirando. The gerund is estirando, used for the progressive: estoy estirando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, yo estiro las piernas antes de correr.
- (b) Antes, yo estiraba las piernas antes de correr.
- (c) Ayer, yo estiré las piernas antes de correr.
- (d) Mañana, yo estiraré las piernas antes de correr.
Answer: (a) Cada día, yo estiro las piernas antes de correr.. Cada día, yo estiro las piernas antes de correr. (Every day, I stretch his legs before running.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo estiré las piernas antes de correr. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo estiraré las piernas antes de correr. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of estirar
Is estirar regular in the present tense?
Yes. estirar is a regular -ar verb: estiro, estiras, estira, estiramos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
What is the difference between estirar and estirarse?
estirar means "to stretch", while estirarse means "to stretch (oneself)". The reflexive form is used when the action comes back to the subject, and the plain form is used when the action is done to someone or something else.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with estirar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo estiro las piernas antes de correr. — "Every day, I stretch his legs before running." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo estiré las piernas antes de correr. — "Yesterday, I stretched his legs before running." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with estirar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros estiramos el chicle con las manos. — "Tomorrow, we stretch the chewing gum with his hands." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.