Existir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of existir — to exist — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. Existir means to exist: existe una solución, no existe el monstruo. It is regular and mostly appears in the third person, in formal and academic language. Learners meet it in phrases like no existe, existe la posibilidad de, and in questions about whether something is real. This page gives you the complete present tense table for existir, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Yo existo — no, yo no existo en su mundo.” — “I exist — no, I do not exist in their world”.

Present tense conjugation of existir

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for existir. Existir is a regular -ir verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.

Present tense indicative — existir

Person Form
yo existo
tú existes
él/ella/Ud. existe
nosotros/as existimos
vosotros/as existís
ellos/ellas/Uds. existen

The gerund of existir is existiendo and the past participle is existido. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for the progressive with estar.

How the present tense of existir is formed

For a regular -ir verb, the present tense is built on the stem exist- (the infinitive existir without its -ir ending) plus the present tense endings: yo → existo, tú → existes, él/ella/Ud. → existe, nosotros/as → existimos, vosotros/as → existís, ellos/ellas/Uds. → existen. So existir gives existo, existes, existe, existimos, existís and existen. There is nothing irregular to memorise for this verb in this tense — the endings do all the work, and the stress falls where the endings put it.

A note on spelling: the written accents in this tense are part of the form, not decoration. In the present tense, existís carries an accent, and leaving it out changes the pronunciation and, in writing, marks the form as wrong. Copy the forms from the table above exactly, accents included.

When to use the present tense of existir

1. Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly. For example, with existir: “Yo existo — no, yo no existo en su mundo.” — “I exist — no, I do not exist in their world”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are always true. For example, with existir: “Ella existe en nuestros recuerdos.” — “She exists in our memories”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. What is happening right now

Use the present for actions in progress at this moment. For example, with existir: “Nosotros existimos gracias a nuestros padres.” — “We exist thanks to our parents”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Scheduled plans and the near future

Use the present for fixed plans, especially with a time expression. For example, with existir: “Ellos existen desde hace siglos.” — “They have existed for centuries”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: existir now, existir later

The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.

  • Present tense tense: “Hoy existe en nuestros recuerdos.” — “Today it exists in our memories.”

  • Future: “Mañana existirá en nuestros recuerdos.” — “Tomorrow it will exist in our memories.”

  • Present tense tense: “Ahora existe en nuestros recuerdos.” — “Right now it exists in our memories.”

  • Future: “La semana que viene existirá en nuestros recuerdos.” — “Next week it will exist in our memories.”

  • Present tense tense: “Siempre existe en nuestros recuerdos.” — “It always exists in our memories.”

  • Future: “El año que viene existirá en nuestros recuerdos.” — “Next year it will exist in our memories.”

Example sentences: existir in the present tense

Six sentences using only the present tense of existir, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “Yo existo — no, yo no existo en su mundo.” — “I exist — no, I do not exist in their world.”
  • “Ella existe en nuestros recuerdos.” — “She exists in our memories.”
  • “Nosotros existimos gracias a nuestros padres.” — “We exist thanks to our parents.”
  • “Ellos existen desde hace siglos.” — “They have existed for centuries.”
  • “¿Tú existes de verdad?” — “Do you really exist?”
  • “Vosotros existís en la imaginación popular.” — “You exist in the popular imagination.”

Common mistakes with existir in the present tense

Mistake 1

Wrong: No existe soluciones — agreement error.

Right: No existen soluciones.

Existir agrees with its subject: existen soluciones, not existe soluciones.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Existe hay una solución — doubling the verb.

Right: Existe una solución.

Existir already means there is; never combine it with hay.

Quiz: existir in the present tense

Eight questions on the present tense of existir. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of existir in the present tense?

  • A) existo
  • B) existes
  • C) existe
  • D) existimos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is existo.

2. What is the tú form of existir in the present tense?

  • A) existo
  • B) existe
  • C) existimos
  • D) existes

Answer: D — The tú form in the present tense is existes.

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of existir in the present tense?

  • A) existes
  • B) existimos
  • C) existe
  • D) existo

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is existe.

4. What is the nosotros/as form of existir in the present tense?

  • A) existe
  • B) existimos
  • C) existo
  • D) existes

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present tense is existimos.

5. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ — no, yo no existo en su mundo.” (I exist — no, I do not exist in their world.)

  • A) existo
  • B) existes
  • C) existe
  • D) existimos

Answer: A — The sentence needs existo.

6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___ en nuestros recuerdos.” (She exists in our memories.)

  • A) existo
  • B) existes
  • C) existimos
  • D) existe

Answer: D — The sentence needs existe.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) No existe soluciones — agreement error.
  • B) No existen soluciones.

Answer: B — Existir agrees with its subject: existen soluciones, not existe soluciones.

8. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Existe una solución.
  • B) Existe hay una solución — doubling the verb.

Answer: A — Existir already means there is; never combine it with hay.

Frequently asked questions

Is existir regular in the present tense?

Yes. existir is a regular -ir verb and its present tense follows the standard endings, so once you know the stem exist- you can build all six forms. The only thing to watch is the spelling of the endings themselves, including the accents.

What is the yo form of existir in the present tense?

It is existo. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for existir it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.

When do I use the present tense of existir instead of the preterite?

Use the present when the action is a habit, a fact, or happening now, and the preterite when it is a finished action in the past. If you can add “yesterday” to the sentence and it still makes sense, you almost certainly need the preterite, not the present.

How can I remember the present tense forms of existir?

Say the six forms aloud in order — existo, existes, existe, existimos, existís, existen — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and the full conjugation page for existir to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say what exists in the world: “Existe…”. Second, say what existed long ago: “Existió…”. Third, say what will exist in the future: “Existirá…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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