Faltar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of faltar — «to be missing, to lack» — 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. faltar 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 falto todos los días» — I be missing every day.

Faltar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo falto
tú faltas
él/ella/Ud. falta
nosotros/as faltamos
vosotros/as faltáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. faltan

Gerund: faltando · Past participle: faltado

How the present tense of faltar is formed

Take the stem falt — the infinitive faltar 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 falt -o falto
tú falt -as faltas
él/ella/Ud. falt -a falta
nosotros/as falt -amos faltamos
vosotros/as falt -áis faltáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. falt -an faltan

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

When to use the present tense of faltar

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 falto todos los días. — I be missing 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 falta con mi familia. — He bes missing 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 faltando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros faltamos por la mañana. — We be missing 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 faltas en el trabajo. — You be missing 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 faltan a veces. — They be missing 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 falto todos los días. — I be missing every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo falté por la tarde. — Yesterday I bed missing 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 falta por la mañana. — He bes missing in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él faltó por la tarde. — Yesterday He bed missing in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros faltamos con mi familia. — We be missing with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros faltamos dos veces. — Last week We bed missing 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: faltar in the present

  1. Yo falto todos los días. — I be missing every day.
  2. Tú faltas en el trabajo. — You be missing at work.
  3. Él falta con mi familia. — He bes missing with my family.
  4. Nosotros faltamos por la mañana. — We be missing in the morning.
  5. Vosotros faltáis cuando hay tiempo. — You be missing when there is time.
  6. Ellos faltan a veces. — They be missing sometimes.
  7. Yo falto en el trabajo. — I be missing at work.
  8. Él falta todos los días. — He bes missing every day.

Common mistakes with faltar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros faltais.

Right: Vosotros faltáis.

The vosotros form faltáis 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 falto.

Right: Ayer yo falté.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos falto.

Right: Ellos faltan.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy falto.

Right: Estoy faltando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy faltando. The conjugated present falto never follows estar.

Quiz: faltar in the present

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

1. What is the nosotros/as form of faltar in the present indicative?

- (a) falto
- (b) faltas
- (c) falta
- (d) faltamos

2. What is the vosotros/as form of faltar in the present indicative?

- (a) falta
- (b) falto
- (c) faltas
- (d) faltáis

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of faltar in the present indicative?

- (a) faltan
- (b) faltas
- (c) falto
- (d) falta

4. What is the yo form of faltar in the present indicative?

- (a) falta
- (b) falto
- (c) faltamos
- (d) faltas

5. What is the tú form of faltar in the present indicative?

- (a) falta
- (b) faltas
- (c) falto
- (d) faltamos

6. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of faltar in the present indicative?

- (a) faltas
- (b) falto
- (c) faltamos
- (d) falta

7. What is the gerund of faltar?

- (a) faltando
- (b) falto
- (c) faltar
- (d) faltado

8. What is the past participle of faltar?

- (a) falté
- (b) faltado
- (c) faltando
- (d) faltar

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of faltar is faltamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of faltar is faltáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of faltar is faltan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present indicative, the yo form of faltar is falto. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the present indicative, the tú form of faltar is faltas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of faltar is falta. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (a) — The gerund of faltar is faltando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy faltando». 8. (b) — The past participle of faltar is faltado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he faltado».

Frequently asked questions

Is faltar regular in the present?

Yes — faltar is regular in the present. The stem falt 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 faltar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for faltar?

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

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

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

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