Exhibir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of exhibir — “to exhibit” 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 exhibir 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. Exhibir means to exhibit or to display, and it is used for museums showing art, shops displaying products and people showing off something. It is a fully regular -ir verb, slightly formal in tone. To see it in a real sentence: Exhibo la colección en el museo. — “I exhibit the collection in the museum.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of exhibir will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: exhibir
Every person of exhibir in the present tense. The gerund is exhibiendo and the past participle is exhibido.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | exhibo |
| tú | exhibes |
| él/ella/Ud. | exhibe |
| nosotros/as | exhibimos |
| vosotros/as | exhibís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | exhiben |
How the present indicative of exhibir is formed
The present indicative of exhibir is built from the stem plus the present indicative endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir 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 | exhibo |
| tú | -es | exhibes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | exhibe |
| nosotros/as | -imos | exhibimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | exhibís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | exhiben |
Exhibir is a regular -ir verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is exhib- and the endings are the normal -ir endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of exhibir is exhibiendo and the past participle is exhibido. 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 exhibir
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and exhibir 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 exhibir fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo exhibo la colección en el museo todos los días.” — “I exhibit the collection in the museum 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 exhibe sus obras en la galería.” — “He/she exhibits my works in the gallery.”
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 exhibo can mean both “I exhibit” and “I am exhibiting”.
“Ahora mismo, yo exhibo el producto nuevo en la feria.” — “Right now, I exhibit the new product at the fair.”
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 exhibo el trofeo en la vitrina.” — “Tomorrow, I will exhibit the trophy in the display case.”
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 exhibes la colección en el museo?” — “Do you exhibit the collection in the museum?”
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: Exhibe sus obras en la galería. — “He/she exhibits my works in the gallery.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Exhibió sus obras en la galería. — 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: Exhiben el producto nuevo en la feria. — “They exhibit the new product at the fair.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Exhibían el producto nuevo en la feria. — 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: Exhibes el trofeo en la vitrina. — “You exhibit the trophy in the display case.”
- Future — what will happen: Exhibirás el trofeo en la vitrina. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: exhibir in the present tense
Seven sentences that show exhibir in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo exhibo la colección en el museo. — “I exhibit the collection in the museum.”
- Tú exhibes sus obras en la galería. — “You exhibit my works in the gallery.”
- Él exhibe el producto nuevo en la feria. — “He exhibits the new product at the fair.”
- Nosotros exhibimos el trofeo en la vitrina. — “We exhibit the trophy in the display case.”
- Vosotros exhibís la colección en el museo. — “You (plural) exhibit the collection in the museum.”
- Ellos exhiben sus obras en la galería. — “They exhibit my works in the gallery.”
- ¿Tú exhibes el producto nuevo en la feria? — “Do you exhibit the new product at the fair?”
Common mistakes with exhibir in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with exhibir in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo exhibir la colección en el museo. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo exhibo la colección en el museo.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of exhibir is exhibo, not the infinitive exhibir.
✗ Vosotros exhibis la colección en el museo. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros exhibís la colección en el museo.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: exhibís, not exhibis. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo exhibo sus obras en la galería. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo exhibí sus obras en la galería.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: exhibo is happening now, while exhibí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating exhibir and mostrar as identical in every context. (confusing exhibir with mostrar).
✓ Correct: Exhibir means to exhibit, while mostrar means to show.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: exhibir fits sentences such as Exhibo la colección en el museo, while mostrar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: exhibir in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of exhibir. 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 exhibir for tú?
- a) exhibes
- b) exhibo
- c) exhibe
- d) exhiben
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la colección en el museo. — “I exhibit the collection in the museum.”
- a) exhibe
- b) exhibimos
- c) exhibes
- d) exhibo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ sus obras en la galería. — “He/she exhibits my works in the gallery.” (present tense)
- a) exhibía
- b) exhibirá
- c) exhibe
- d) exhibió
4. Which is the correct present tense form of exhibir for nosotros?
- a) exhiben
- b) exhibimos
- c) exhibo
- d) exhibe
5. Which sentence uses exhibir correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él exhibió sus obras en la galería.
- b) Él exhibe sus obras en la galería.
- c) Él exhibirá sus obras en la galería.
- d) Ellos exhibe sus obras en la galería.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el producto nuevo en la feria. — “They exhibit the new product at the fair.”
- a) exhibo
- b) exhibe
- c) exhibimos
- d) exhiben
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ el trofeo en la vitrina? — “Do you exhibit the trophy in the display case?”
- a) exhibe
- b) exhibirás
- c) exhibes
- d) exhibo
8. What is the gerund of exhibir?
- a) exhibí
- b) exhibiendo
- c) exhibido
- d) exhibo
Answer key
a) exhibes — The tú form is exhibes. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; exhibo is yo, exhibe is él/ella and exhiben is ellos/ellas.
d) exhibo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: exhibo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) exhibe — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: exhibe. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) exhibimos — Nosotros takes exhibimos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ir verbs is -imos, attached to the stem.
b) Él exhibe sus obras en la galería. — Él exhibe sus obras en la galería. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) exhiben — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is exhiben.
c) exhibes — The question needs the tú form in the present: exhibes.
b) exhibiendo — The gerund is exhibiendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle exhibido.
Frequently asked questions
Is exhibir regular in the present tense?
Yes. Exhibir is a regular -ir verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: exhibo, exhibes, exhibe, exhibimos, exhibís and exhiben.
What is the gerund and the past participle of exhibir?
The gerund is exhibiendo and the past participle is exhibido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I exhibit” in Spanish?
Say exhibo. For example: Exhibo la colección en el museo. — “I exhibit the collection in the museum.”
What is the difference between exhibir and mostrar?
Exhibir means “to exhibit”, while mostrar means “to show”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use exhibir when you mean “to exhibit” and mostrar when you mean “to show”. The full conjugation of exhibir is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of exhibir — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- exhibir 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.
- Pulir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with exhibir.
- Destituir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with exhibir.
- Mugir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with exhibir.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.