Extrañar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of extrañar — «to miss, to find strange» — 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. extrañar 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 extraño todos los días» — I miss every day.

Extrañar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo extraño
tú extrañas
él/ella/Ud. extraña
nosotros/as extrañamos
vosotros/as extrañáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. extrañan

Gerund: extrañando · Past participle: extrañado

How the present tense of extrañar is formed

Take the stem extrañ — the infinitive extrañar 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 extrañ -o extraño
tú extrañ -as extrañas
él/ella/Ud. extrañ -a extraña
nosotros/as extrañ -amos extrañamos
vosotros/as extrañ -áis extrañáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. extrañ -an extrañan

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

When to use the present tense of extrañar

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 extraño todos los días. — I miss 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 extraña con mi familia. — He misses 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 extrañando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros extrañamos por la mañana. — We miss 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 extrañas en el trabajo. — You miss 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 extrañan a veces. — They miss 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 extraño todos los días. — I miss every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo extrañé por la tarde. — Yesterday I missed 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 extraña por la mañana. — He misses in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él extrañó por la tarde. — Yesterday He missed in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros extrañamos con mi familia. — We miss with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros extrañamos dos veces. — Last week We missed 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: extrañar in the present

  1. Yo extraño todos los días. — I miss every day.
  2. Tú extrañas en el trabajo. — You miss at work.
  3. Él extraña con mi familia. — He misses with my family.
  4. Nosotros extrañamos por la mañana. — We miss in the morning.
  5. Vosotros extrañáis cuando hay tiempo. — You miss when there is time.
  6. Ellos extrañan a veces. — They miss sometimes.
  7. Yo extraño en el trabajo. — I miss at work.
  8. Él extraña todos los días. — He misses every day.

Common mistakes with extrañar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros extrañais.

Right: Vosotros extrañáis.

The vosotros form extrañáis 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 extraño.

Right: Ayer yo extrañé.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos extraño.

Right: Ellos extrañan.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy extraño.

Right: Estoy extrañando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy extrañando. The conjugated present extraño never follows estar.

Quiz: extrañar in the present

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

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

- (a) extrañamos
- (b) extrañas
- (c) extraña
- (d) extraño

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

- (a) extrañamos
- (b) extraño
- (c) extraña
- (d) extrañas

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

- (a) extraño
- (b) extrañas
- (c) extraña
- (d) extrañamos

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

- (a) extrañas
- (b) extraño
- (c) extrañáis
- (d) extraña

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

- (a) extrañan
- (b) extrañas
- (c) extraño
- (d) extraña

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

- (a) extraño
- (b) extraña
- (c) extrañamos
- (d) extrañas

7. What is the gerund of extrañar?

- (a) extrañado
- (b) extrañando
- (c) extrañar
- (d) extraño

8. What is the past participle of extrañar?

- (a) extrañé
- (b) extrañado
- (c) extrañando
- (d) extrañar

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the tú form of extrañar is extrañas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of extrañar is extraña. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of extrañar is extrañamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of extrañar is extrañáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of extrañar is extrañan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — In the present indicative, the yo form of extrañar is extraño. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — The gerund of extrañar is extrañando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy extrañando». 8. (b) — The past participle of extrañar is extrañado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he extrañado».

Frequently asked questions

Is extrañar regular in the present?

Yes — extrañar is regular in the present. The stem extrañ 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 extrañar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for extrañar?

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

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

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

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