Fijar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of fijar — «to fix, to set» — 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. fijar 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 fijo todos los días» — I fix every day.

Fijar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo fijo
tú fijas
él/ella/Ud. fija
nosotros/as fijamos
vosotros/as fijáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. fijan

Gerund: fijando · Past participle: fijado

How the present tense of fijar is formed

Take the stem fij — the infinitive fijar 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 fij -o fijo
tú fij -as fijas
él/ella/Ud. fij -a fija
nosotros/as fij -amos fijamos
vosotros/as fij -áis fijáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. fij -an fijan

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

When to use the present tense of fijar

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 fijo todos los días. — I fix 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 fija con mi familia. — He fixes 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 fijando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros fijamos por la mañana. — We fix 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 fijas en el trabajo. — You fix 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 fijan a veces. — They fix 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 fijo todos los días. — I fix every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo fijé por la tarde. — Yesterday I fixed 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 fija por la mañana. — He fixes in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él fijó por la tarde. — Yesterday He fixed in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros fijamos con mi familia. — We fix with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros fijamos dos veces. — Last week We fixed 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: fijar in the present

  1. Yo fijo todos los días. — I fix every day.
  2. Tú fijas en el trabajo. — You fix at work.
  3. Él fija con mi familia. — He fixes with my family.
  4. Nosotros fijamos por la mañana. — We fix in the morning.
  5. Vosotros fijáis cuando hay tiempo. — You fix when there is time.
  6. Ellos fijan a veces. — They fix sometimes.
  7. Yo fijo en el trabajo. — I fix at work.
  8. Él fija todos los días. — He fixes every day.

Common mistakes with fijar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros fijais.

Right: Vosotros fijáis.

The vosotros form fijáis 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 fijo.

Right: Ayer yo fijé.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos fijo.

Right: Ellos fijan.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy fijo.

Right: Estoy fijando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy fijando. The conjugated present fijo never follows estar.

Quiz: fijar in the present

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

1. What is the yo form of fijar in the present indicative?

- (a) fijas
- (b) fijo
- (c) fija
- (d) fijamos

2. What is the tú form of fijar in the present indicative?

- (a) fijas
- (b) fija
- (c) fijamos
- (d) fijo

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of fijar in the present indicative?

- (a) fijo
- (b) fijas
- (c) fijamos
- (d) fija

4. What is the nosotros/as form of fijar in the present indicative?

- (a) fijamos
- (b) fijas
- (c) fija
- (d) fijo

5. What is the vosotros/as form of fijar in the present indicative?

- (a) fija
- (b) fijo
- (c) fijas
- (d) fijáis

6. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of fijar in the present indicative?

- (a) fijas
- (b) fijo
- (c) fijan
- (d) fija

7. What is the gerund of fijar?

- (a) fijado
- (b) fijar
- (c) fijando
- (d) fijo

8. What is the past participle of fijar?

- (a) fijando
- (b) fijé
- (c) fijado
- (d) fijar

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the yo form of fijar is fijo. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the present indicative, the tú form of fijar is fijas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of fijar is fija. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of fijar is fijamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of fijar is fijáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of fijar is fijan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (c) — The gerund of fijar is fijando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy fijando». 8. (c) — The past participle of fijar is fijado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he fijado».

Frequently asked questions

Is fijar regular in the present?

Yes — fijar is regular in the present. The stem fij 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 fijar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for fijar?

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

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

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

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