Evitar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of evitar — «to avoid» — 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. evitar 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 evito todos los días» — I avoid every day.

Evitar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo evito
tú evitas
él/ella/Ud. evita
nosotros/as evitamos
vosotros/as evitáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. evitan

Gerund: evitando · Past participle: evitado

How the present tense of evitar is formed

Take the stem evit — the infinitive evitar 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 evit -o evito
tú evit -as evitas
él/ella/Ud. evit -a evita
nosotros/as evit -amos evitamos
vosotros/as evit -áis evitáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. evit -an evitan

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

When to use the present tense of evitar

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 evito todos los días. — I avoid 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 evita con mi familia. — He avoids 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 evitando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros evitamos por la mañana. — We avoid 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 evitas en el trabajo. — You avoid 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 evitan a veces. — They avoid 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 evito todos los días. — I avoid every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo evité por la tarde. — Yesterday I avoided 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 evita por la mañana. — He avoids in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él evitó por la tarde. — Yesterday He avoided in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros evitamos con mi familia. — We avoid with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros evitamos dos veces. — Last week We avoided 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: evitar in the present

  1. Yo evito todos los días. — I avoid every day.
  2. Tú evitas en el trabajo. — You avoid at work.
  3. Él evita con mi familia. — He avoids with my family.
  4. Nosotros evitamos por la mañana. — We avoid in the morning.
  5. Vosotros evitáis cuando hay tiempo. — You avoid when there is time.
  6. Ellos evitan a veces. — They avoid sometimes.
  7. Yo evito en el trabajo. — I avoid at work.
  8. Él evita todos los días. — He avoids every day.

Common mistakes with evitar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros evitais.

Right: Vosotros evitáis.

The vosotros form evitáis 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 evito.

Right: Ayer yo evité.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos evito.

Right: Ellos evitan.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy evito.

Right: Estoy evitando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy evitando. The conjugated present evito never follows estar.

Quiz: evitar in the present

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

1. What is the tú form of evitar in the present indicative?

- (a) evitas
- (b) evitamos
- (c) evito
- (d) evita

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of evitar in the present indicative?

- (a) evito
- (b) evitamos
- (c) evita
- (d) evitas

3. What is the nosotros/as form of evitar in the present indicative?

- (a) evito
- (b) evitas
- (c) evita
- (d) evitamos

4. What is the vosotros/as form of evitar in the present indicative?

- (a) evitáis
- (b) evito
- (c) evita
- (d) evitas

5. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of evitar in the present indicative?

- (a) evitas
- (b) evita
- (c) evitan
- (d) evito

6. What is the yo form of evitar in the present indicative?

- (a) evito
- (b) evitas
- (c) evitamos
- (d) evita

7. What is the gerund of evitar?

- (a) evitar
- (b) evitando
- (c) evitado
- (d) evito

8. What is the past participle of evitar?

- (a) evité
- (b) evitar
- (c) evitando
- (d) evitado

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the tú form of evitar is evitas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of evitar is evita. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of evitar is evitamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of evitar is evitáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of evitar is evitan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — In the present indicative, the yo form of evitar is evito. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — The gerund of evitar is evitando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy evitando». 8. (d) — The past participle of evitar is evitado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he evitado».

Frequently asked questions

Is evitar regular in the present?

Yes — evitar is regular in the present. The stem evit 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 evitar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for evitar?

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

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

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

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