Exceptuar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of exceptuar — "to except" 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 exceptuar 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. Exceptuar means to except or exempt someone from something: exceptuar a su hijo de la norma. It takes a person as its object and de for the rule or payment. To see it in a real sentence: Yo exceptúo a su hijo de la norma — "I except his son from the rule".
Present tense conjugation table: exceptuar
Every person of exceptuar in the present tense. The gerund is exceptuando and the past participle is exceptuado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | exceptúo |
| tú | exceptúas |
| él/ella/Ud. | exceptúa |
| nosotros/as | exceptuamos |
| vosotros/as | exceptuáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | exceptúan |
How the present of exceptuar is formed
The present of exceptuar is built from the stem exceptu- 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 | exceptúo |
| tú | -as | exceptúas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | exceptúa |
| nosotros/as | -amos | exceptuamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | exceptuáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | exceptúan |
The gerund of exceptuar is exceptuando and the past participle is exceptuado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of exceptuar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and exceptuar 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 describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, yo exceptúo a su hijo de la norma" — "Every day, I except his son from the rule"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo exceptúa a los niños del pago" — "My friend excepts the children from the payment"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo exceptúo a nadie de la obligación" — "Right now, I except nobody from the obligation"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros exceptuamos a su amigo de la lista" — "Tomorrow, we except his friend from the list"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos exceptúan a los ancianos del impuesto" — "They except elderly people from the tax"
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: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}yo exceptúo a su hijo de la norma — "I except his son from the rule"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo exceptué a su hijo de la norma — "I excepted his son from the rule"
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: {}tú exceptúas a los niños del pago — "You except the children from the payment"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú exceptuabas a los niños del pago — "You used to except the children from the payment"
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: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él exceptúa a nadie de la obligación — "He excepts nobody from the obligation"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él exceptuará a nadie de la obligación — "He will except nobody from the obligation"
Examples: exceptuar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show exceptuar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo exceptúo a su hijo de la norma — "I except his son from the rule"
- Tú exceptúas a los niños del pago — "You except the children from the payment"
- Él exceptúa a nadie de la obligación — "He excepts nobody from the obligation"
- Nosotros exceptuamos a su amigo de la lista — "We except his friend from the list"
- Vosotros exceptuáis a los ancianos del impuesto — "You except elderly people from the tax"
- Ellos exceptúan a su hijo de la norma — "They except his son from the rule"
- Yo exceptúo a los niños del pago — "I except the children from the payment"
Common mistakes with exceptuar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with exceptuar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo exceptúo su hijo de la norma.
✓ Correct: Yo exceptúo a su hijo de la norma.
exceptuar takes a before this complement: Yo exceptúo a su hijo de la norma. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.
✗ *Tú exceptúa a los niños del pago.
✓ Correct: Tú exceptúas a los niños del pago.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes exceptúas, él takes exceptúa.
✗ *Cada día, yo exceptué a nadie de la obligación
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo exceptúo a nadie de la obligación
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros exceptuais a su amigo de la lista.
✓ Correct: Vosotros exceptuáis a su amigo de la lista.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: exceptuáis, not exceptuais.
Quiz: exceptuar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of exceptuar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of exceptuar for tú? A. exceptúo B. exceptúa C. exceptuamos D. exceptúas
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a su hijo de la norma — "I except his son from the rule" (present) A. exceptúa B. exceptuamos C. exceptúo D. exceptúas
Complete the sentence: Él ______ a los niños del pago — "He excepts the children from the payment" (present) A. exceptúo B. exceptúas C. exceptuamos D. exceptúa
Which is the correct present form of exceptuar for nosotros? A. exceptúa B. exceptúan C. exceptuamos D. exceptúas
Which sentence uses exceptuar correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo exceptúa a nadie de la obligación B. Mi amigo exceptúas a nadie de la obligación C. Mi amigo exceptuaba a nadie de la obligación D. Mi amigo exceptuamos a nadie de la obligación
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ a su amigo de la lista — "You except his friend from the list" (present) A. exceptuáis B. exceptúo C. exceptúas D. exceptúa
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ a los ancianos del impuesto — "They except elderly people from the tax" (present) A. exceptúo B. exceptúas C. exceptúa D. exceptúan
What is the gerund of exceptuar? A. exceptué B. exceptuando C. exceptuado D. exceptúo
Answer key
- exceptúas — The tú form in the present is exceptúas.
- exceptúo — The present form for yo is exceptúo.
- exceptúa — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is exceptúa.
- exceptuamos — The nosotros form in the present is exceptuamos.
- Mi amigo exceptúa a nadie de la obligación — Mi amigo exceptúa a nadie de la obligación is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- exceptuáis — The present form for vosotros/as is exceptuáis.
- exceptúan — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is exceptúan.
- exceptuando — The gerund is exceptuando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle exceptuado.
Frequently asked questions
Is exceptuar regular in the present tense?
Yes — in the present tense exceptuar follows the regular endings for -ar verbs, as the table above shows.
What is the gerund and the past participle of exceptuar?
The gerund is exceptuando and the past participle is exceptuado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I except" in the present tense?
Say exceptúo. For example: Yo exceptúo a su hijo de la norma — "I except his son from the rule".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of exceptuar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo exceptúo a su hijo de la norma — "I except his son from the rule". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo exceptué a su hijo de la norma — "Yesterday, I excepted his son from the rule". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of exceptuar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- exceptuar 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.