Felicitar Present Tense in Spanish
Introduction
felicitar means "to congratulate" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for felicitar, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo felicito a mi hermana por su boda. — "Every day, I congratulate my sister on her wedding." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of felicitar: full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| Yo | felicito |
| Tú | felicitas |
| Él / Ella | felicita |
| Nosotros | felicitamos |
| Vosotros | felicitáis |
| Ellos | felicitan |
The gerund of felicitar is felicitando and the past participle is felicitado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy felicitando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he felicitado).
How the present tense of felicitar is formed
The present tense of felicitar is built from the stem felicit- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo felicito, tú felicitas, él felicita, nosotros felicitamos, vosotros felicitáis and ellos felicitan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is felicitando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy felicitando. The past participle is felicitado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he felicitado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with felicitar
1. Weddings and celebrations
Felicito a mi hermana por su boda is the most joyful use of this verb. It shows the full structure: felicitar a alguien por algo, with the person congratulated and the reason. For example: Yo felicito a mi hermana por su boda. — "I congratulate my sister on her wedding."
2. Winners and graduates
Felicito al ganador del concurso shows the verb with a public achievement. It is the standard sentence for competitions, exams and graduations. For example: Tú felicitas al ganador del concurso. — "You congratulate the winner of the competition."
3. A new job
Felicito a mi amigo por su nuevo trabajo is the everyday professional use. It means you recognise someone's success, and it is the sentence Spanish speakers use when a friend gets good news. For example: Él / Ella felicita a los graduados. — "He / She congratulates the graduates."
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example, to talk about tomorrow's plan you can use the future — Mañana, yo felicitaré a mi amigo por su nuevo trabajo. — "Tomorrow, I will congratulate my friend on his new job." — but in conversation you will also hear the present used the same way.
5. General truths and routines
Finally, the present tense states general truths and routines: what usually happens, what is always true, what people normally do. It is the tense of habits and of facts that do not belong to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él / ella felicita a mi hermana por su boda. — "Normally, he / she congratulates my sister on her wedding."
Present vs preterite: felicitar
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with felicitar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo felicito a mi hermana por su boda. — "Every day, I congratulate my sister on her wedding."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo felicité a mi hermana por su boda. — "Yesterday, I congratulated my sister on her wedding."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo felicito al ganador del concurso. — "Every day, I congratulate the winner of the competition."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo felicité al ganador del concurso. — "Yesterday, I congratulated the winner of the competition."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo felicito a los graduados. — "Every day, I congratulate the graduates."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo felicité a los graduados. — "Yesterday, I congratulated the graduates."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: felicitar in the present tense
These six sentences show felicitar in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo felicito a mi hermana por su boda. — "I congratulate my sister on her wedding."
- Tú felicitas al ganador del concurso. — "You congratulate the winner of the competition."
- Él / Ella felicita a los graduados. — "He / She congratulates the graduates."
- Nosotros felicitamos a mi amigo por su nuevo trabajo. — "We congratulate my friend on his new job."
- Vosotros felicitáis a mi hermana por su boda. — "You congratulate my sister on her wedding."
- Ellos felicitan al ganador del concurso. — "They congratulate the winner of the competition."
Common mistakes with felicitar in the present tense
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo felicito mi hermana.
- Right: Yo felicito a mi hermana.
- Why: When the object is a person, felicitar needs the personal a: felicito a mi hermana, felicito a los graduados.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Te felicito de tu boda.
- Right: Te felicito por tu boda.
- Why: The reason after felicitar takes por, not de: te felicito por tu boda, te felicito por tu nuevo trabajo.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Felicitar es lo mismo que celebrar.
- Right: Felicitar means to congratulate; celebrar means to celebrate.
- Why: Felicitar is what you say to the person. Celebrar is what you do afterwards, usually with a party.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Ayer, yo felicito a mi hermana por su boda.
- Right: Ayer, yo felicité a mi hermana por su boda.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite. The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo felicitais a mi hermana por su boda.
- Right: Yo felicitáis a mi hermana por su boda.
- Why: The form is felicitáis, with a written accent. The accent is part of the spelling, and without it the word is misspelled.
Quiz: the present tense of felicitar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of felicitar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of felicitar in the present tense?
- (a) felicito
- (b) felicitas
- (c) felicita
- (d) felicitamos
Answer: (a) felicito. The i form is felicito. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the you form of felicitar in the present tense?
- (a) felicito
- (b) felicita
- (c) felicitamos
- (d) felicitas
Answer: (d) felicitas. The you form is felicitas. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the he / she form of felicitar in the present tense?
- (a) felicitas
- (b) felicitamos
- (c) felicita
- (d) felicito
Answer: (c) felicita. The he / she form is felicita. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the we form of felicitar in the present tense?
- (a) felicita
- (b) felicitamos
- (c) felicito
- (d) felicitas
Answer: (b) felicitamos. The we form is felicitamos. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the they form of felicitar in the present tense?
- (a) felicitan
- (b) felicito
- (c) felicitas
- (d) felicita
Answer: (a) felicitan. The they form is felicitan. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ a mi hermana por su boda.
- (a) felicita
- (b) felicitamos
- (c) felicito
- (d) felicitas
Answer: (c) felicito. The sentence needs the yo form felicito (Every day, I congratulate my sister on her wedding.)
7. What is the gerund of felicitar?
- (a) felicitado
- (b) felicitar
- (c) felicita
- (d) felicitando
Answer: (d) felicitando. The gerund is felicitando, used for the progressive: estoy felicitando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, yo felicito al ganador del concurso.
- (b) Antes, yo felicitaba al ganador del concurso.
- (c) Ayer, yo felicité al ganador del concurso.
- (d) Mañana, yo felicitaré al ganador del concurso.
Answer: (a) Cada día, yo felicito al ganador del concurso.. Cada día, yo felicito al ganador del concurso. (Every day, I congratulate the winner of the competition.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo felicité al ganador del concurso. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo felicitaré al ganador del concurso. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of felicitar
Does felicitar take a or por?
Both: felicito a mi hermana por su boda. The a goes before the person you congratulate, and por goes before the reason.
Is felicitar regular?
Yes. Felicitar is a regular -ar verb: felicito, felicitaste, felicitaba, felicitaré. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes.
How do you say 'congratulations' in Spanish?
Felicidades is the noun, and te felicito is the verb form. Both are correct, but te felicito is warmer and more personal.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with felicitar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo felicito a mi hermana por su boda. — "Every day, I congratulate my sister on her wedding." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo felicité a mi hermana por su boda. — "Yesterday, I congratulated my sister on her wedding." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.