Examinar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of examinar — «to examine» — 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. examinar 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 examino todos los días» — I examine every day.

Examinar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo examino
tú examinas
él/ella/Ud. examina
nosotros/as examinamos
vosotros/as examináis
ellos/ellas/Uds. examinan

Gerund: examinando · Past participle: examinado

How the present tense of examinar is formed

Take the stem examin — the infinitive examinar 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 examin -o examino
tú examin -as examinas
él/ella/Ud. examin -a examina
nosotros/as examin -amos examinamos
vosotros/as examin -áis examináis
ellos/ellas/Uds. examin -an examinan

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

When to use the present tense of examinar

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 examino todos los días. — I examine 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 examina con mi familia. — He examines 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 examinando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros examinamos por la mañana. — We examine 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 examinas en el trabajo. — You examine 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 examinan a veces. — They examine 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 examino todos los días. — I examine every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo examiné por la tarde. — Yesterday I examined 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 examina por la mañana. — He examines in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él examinó por la tarde. — Yesterday He examined in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros examinamos con mi familia. — We examine with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros examinamos dos veces. — Last week We examined 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: examinar in the present

  1. Yo examino todos los días. — I examine every day.
  2. Tú examinas en el trabajo. — You examine at work.
  3. Él examina con mi familia. — He examines with my family.
  4. Nosotros examinamos por la mañana. — We examine in the morning.
  5. Vosotros examináis cuando hay tiempo. — You examine when there is time.
  6. Ellos examinan a veces. — They examine sometimes.
  7. Yo examino en el trabajo. — I examine at work.
  8. Él examina todos los días. — He examines every day.

Common mistakes with examinar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros examinais.

Right: Vosotros examináis.

The vosotros form examináis 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 examino.

Right: Ayer yo examiné.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos examino.

Right: Ellos examinan.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy examino.

Right: Estoy examinando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy examinando. The conjugated present examino never follows estar.

Quiz: examinar in the present

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

1. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of examinar in the present indicative?

- (a) examina
- (b) examino
- (c) examinas
- (d) examinamos

2. What is the nosotros/as form of examinar in the present indicative?

- (a) examino
- (b) examinamos
- (c) examina
- (d) examinas

3. What is the vosotros/as form of examinar in the present indicative?

- (a) examino
- (b) examináis
- (c) examina
- (d) examinas

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of examinar in the present indicative?

- (a) examina
- (b) examinas
- (c) examinan
- (d) examino

5. What is the yo form of examinar in the present indicative?

- (a) examinamos
- (b) examina
- (c) examinas
- (d) examino

6. What is the tú form of examinar in the present indicative?

- (a) examino
- (b) examinamos
- (c) examinas
- (d) examina

7. What is the gerund of examinar?

- (a) examinar
- (b) examinando
- (c) examino
- (d) examinado

8. What is the past participle of examinar?

- (a) examiné
- (b) examinado
- (c) examinar
- (d) examinando

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of examinar is examina. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of examinar is examinamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of examinar is examináis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of examinar is examinan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the present indicative, the yo form of examinar is examino. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — In the present indicative, the tú form of examinar is examinas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — The gerund of examinar is examinando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy examinando». 8. (b) — The past participle of examinar is examinado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he examinado».

Frequently asked questions

Is examinar regular in the present?

Yes — examinar is regular in the present. The stem examin 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 examinar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for examinar?

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

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

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

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