Estrenar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of estrenar — “to premiere, to wear for the first time” 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 estrenar 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. Estrenar means to premiere, to show a film or a play for the first time, and also to wear a piece of clothing for the first time. It is a fully regular verb, and the two meanings share the idea of a first time. To see it in a real sentence: Estreno la película en el festival de cine. — “I premiere the film at the film festival.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of estrenar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: estrenar
Every person of estrenar in the present tense. The gerund is estrenando and the past participle is estrenado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estreno |
| tú | estrenas |
| él/ella/Ud. | estrena |
| nosotros/as | estrenamos |
| vosotros/as | estrenáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estrenan |
How the present indicative of estrenar is formed
The present indicative of estrenar is built from the stem plus the present indicative 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 | estreno |
| tú | -as | estrenas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | estrena |
| nosotros/as | -amos | estrenamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | estrenáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | estrenan |
Estrenar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is estren- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of estrenar is estrenando and the past participle is estrenado. 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 estrenar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and estrenar 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.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and estrenar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo estreno la película en el festival de cine todos los días.” — “I premiere the film at the film festival every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él estrena la obra de teatro en Madrid.” — “He/she premieres the play in Madrid.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so estreno can mean both “I premiere” and “I am premiereing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo estreno el vestido nuevo en la boda.” — “Right now, I premiere the new dress at the wedding.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo estreno los zapatos en la fiesta.” — “Tomorrow, I will premiere the shoes at the party.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú estrenas la película en el festival de cine?” — “Do you premiere the film at the film festival?”
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: Estrena la obra de teatro en Madrid. — “He/she premieres the play in Madrid.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Estrenó la obra de teatro en Madrid. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
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: Estrenan el vestido nuevo en la boda. — “They premiere the new dress at the wedding.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Estrenaban el vestido nuevo en la boda. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
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: Estrenas los zapatos en la fiesta. — “You premiere the shoes at the party.”
- Future — what will happen: Estrenarás los zapatos en la fiesta. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: estrenar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show estrenar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo estreno la película en el festival de cine. — “I premiere the film at the film festival.”
- Tú estrenas la obra de teatro en Madrid. — “You premiere the play in Madrid.”
- Él estrena el vestido nuevo en la boda. — “He premieres the new dress at the wedding.”
- Nosotros estrenamos los zapatos en la fiesta. — “We premiere the shoes at the party.”
- Vosotros estrenáis la película en el festival de cine. — “You (plural) premiere the film at the film festival.”
- Ellos estrenan la obra de teatro en Madrid. — “They premiere the play in Madrid.”
- ¿Tú estrenas el vestido nuevo en la boda? — “Do you premiere the new dress at the wedding?”
Common mistakes with estrenar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with estrenar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo estrenar la película en el festival de cine. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo estreno la película en el festival de cine.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of estrenar is estreno, not the infinitive estrenar.
✗ Vosotros estrenais la película en el festival de cine. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros estrenáis la película en el festival de cine.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: estrenáis, not estrenais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo estreno la obra de teatro en Madrid. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo estrené la obra de teatro en Madrid.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: estreno is happening now, while estrené is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating estrenar and presentar as identical in every context. (confusing estrenar with presentar).
✓ Correct: Estrenar means to premiere, to wear for the first time, while presentar means to present or introduce.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: estrenar fits sentences such as Estreno la película en el festival de cine, while presentar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: estrenar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of estrenar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of estrenar for tú?
- a) estrenas
- b) estreno
- c) estrena
- d) estrenan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la película en el festival de cine. — “I premiere the film at the film festival.”
- a) estrena
- b) estrenamos
- c) estrenas
- d) estreno
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la obra de teatro en Madrid. — “He/she premieres the play in Madrid.” (present tense)
- a) estrenaba
- b) estrenará
- c) estrena
- d) estrenó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of estrenar for nosotros?
- a) estrenan
- b) estrenamos
- c) estreno
- d) estrena
5. Which sentence uses estrenar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él estrenó la obra de teatro en Madrid.
- b) Él estrena la obra de teatro en Madrid.
- c) Él estrenará la obra de teatro en Madrid.
- d) Ellos estrena la obra de teatro en Madrid.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el vestido nuevo en la boda. — “They premiere the new dress at the wedding.”
- a) estreno
- b) estrena
- c) estrenamos
- d) estrenan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ los zapatos en la fiesta? — “Do you premiere the shoes at the party?”
- a) estrena
- b) estrenarás
- c) estrenas
- d) estreno
8. What is the gerund of estrenar?
- a) estrené
- b) estrenando
- c) estrenado
- d) estreno
Answer key
a) estrenas — The tú form is estrenas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; estreno is yo, estrena is él/ella and estrenan is ellos/ellas.
d) estreno — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: estreno. The other options are the wrong person.
c) estrena — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: estrena. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) estrenamos — Nosotros takes estrenamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él estrena la obra de teatro en Madrid. — Él estrena la obra de teatro en Madrid. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) estrenan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is estrenan.
c) estrenas — The question needs the tú form in the present: estrenas.
b) estrenando — The gerund is estrenando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle estrenado.
Frequently asked questions
Is estrenar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Estrenar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: estreno, estrenas, estrena, estrenamos, estrenáis and estrenan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of estrenar?
The gerund is estrenando and the past participle is estrenado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I premiere” in Spanish?
Say estreno. For example: Estreno la película en el festival de cine. — “I premiere the film at the film festival.”
What is the difference between estrenar and presentar?
Estrenar means “to premiere, to wear for the first time”, while presentar means “to present or introduce”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use estrenar when you mean “to premiere, to wear for the first time” and presentar when you mean “to present or introduce”. The full conjugation of estrenar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of estrenar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- estrenar 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.
- Arbitrar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with estrenar.
- Filmar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with estrenar.
- Empatar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with estrenar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.