Fluctuar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of fluctuar — "to fluctuate" in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for fluctuar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Fluctuar means to fluctuate: prices, temperatures and currencies fluctúan. It is a formal verb, used in economics and weather reports, and its subject is usually a price or a level. To see it in a real sentence: Los precios del petróleo fluctúan mucho en invierno — "Oil prices fluctuate a lot in winter".
Present tense conjugation table: fluctuar
Every person of fluctuar in the present tense. The gerund is fluctuando and the past participle is fluctuado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | fluctúo |
| tú | fluctúas |
| él/ella/Ud. | fluctúa |
| nosotros/as | fluctuamos |
| vosotros/as | fluctuáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fluctúan |
How the present of fluctuar is formed
The present of fluctuar is built from the stem fluctu- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | fluctúo |
| tú | -as | fluctúas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | fluctúa |
| nosotros/as | -amos | fluctuamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | fluctuáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | fluctúan |
The gerund of fluctuar is fluctuando and the past participle is fluctuado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of fluctuar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and fluctuar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Habits and routines
The present describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, los precios del petróleo fluctúan mucho en invierno" — "Every day, oil prices fluctuate a lot in winter"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"La temperatura durante el día fluctúa cada día" — "The temperature during the day fluctuates every day"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, el dólar en el mercado fluctúa con el mercado" — "Right now, the dollar on the market fluctuates with the market"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, las ventas en Navidad fluctúan según la estación" — "Tomorrow, sales at Christmas fluctuate with the season"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"El nivel del río fluctúa de un mes a otro" — "The river level fluctuates from one month to the next"
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}los precios del petróleo fluctúan mucho en invierno — "Oil prices fluctuate a lot in winter"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}los precios del petróleo fluctuaron mucho en invierno — "Oil prices fluctuated a lot in winter"
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: {}la temperatura durante el día fluctúa cada día — "The temperature during the day fluctuates every day"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}la temperatura durante el día fluctuaba cada día — "The temperature during the day used to fluctuate every day"
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}el dólar en el mercado fluctúa con el mercado — "The dollar on the market fluctuates with the market"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}el dólar en el mercado fluctuará con el mercado — "The dollar on the market will fluctuate with the market"
Examples: fluctuar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show fluctuar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Los precios del petróleo fluctúan mucho en invierno — "Oil prices fluctuate a lot in winter"
- La temperatura durante el día fluctúa cada día — "The temperature during the day fluctuates every day"
- El dólar en el mercado fluctúa con el mercado — "The dollar on the market fluctuates with the market"
- Las ventas en Navidad fluctúan según la estación — "Sales at Christmas fluctuate with the season"
- El nivel del río fluctúa de un mes a otro — "The river level fluctuates from one month to the next"
- Los precios del petróleo fluctúan mucho en invierno — "Oil prices fluctuate a lot in winter"
- La temperatura durante el día fluctúa cada día — "The temperature during the day fluctuates every day"
Common mistakes with fluctuar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with fluctuar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Los precios del petróleo fluctúa mucho en invierno.
✓ Correct: Los precios del petróleo fluctúan mucho en invierno.
The verb agrees with its subject: los precios del petróleo is plural, so it is fluctúan, not fluctúa.
✗ *Tú fluctúa la temperatura durante el día.
✓ Correct: Tú fluctúas la temperatura durante el día.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes fluctúas, él takes fluctúa.
✗ *Cada día, el dólar en el mercado fluctuó con el mercado
✓ Correct: Cada día, el dólar en el mercado fluctúa con el mercado
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Espero que las ventas en Navidad fluctúan según la estación
✓ Correct: Espero que las ventas en Navidad fluctúen según la estación
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que las ventas en Navidad fluctúen según la estación — not the indicative Espero que las ventas en Navidad fluctúan según la estación.
Quiz: fluctuar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of fluctuar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of fluctuar for tú? A. fluctúa B. fluctuamos C. fluctúas D. fluctúo
Complete the sentence: Los precios del petróleo ______ mucho en invierno — "Oil prices fluctuate a lot in winter" (present) A. fluctuó B. fluctúan C. fluctúa D. fluctuaron
Complete the sentence: La temperatura durante el día ______ cada día — "The temperature during the day fluctuates every day" (present) A. fluctúan B. fluctuó C. fluctuaron D. fluctúa
Which is the correct present form of fluctuar for nosotros? A. fluctúan B. fluctuamos C. fluctúas D. fluctúa
Which sentence uses fluctuar correctly in the present? A. Los precios del petróleo fluctúa mucho en invierno. B. El dólar en el mercado fluctuaba con el mercado C. El dólar en el mercado fluctuará con el mercado D. El dólar en el mercado fluctúa con el mercado
Complete the sentence: Las ventas en Navidad ______ según la estación — "Sales at Christmas fluctuate with the season" (present) A. fluctúan B. fluctúa C. fluctuaron D. fluctuó
Complete the sentence: El nivel del río ______ de un mes a otro — "The river level fluctuates from one month to the next" (present) A. fluctúan B. fluctuó C. fluctuaron D. fluctúa
What is the gerund of fluctuar? A. fluctuando B. fluctuado C. fluctúo D. fluctué
Answer key
- fluctúas — The tú form in the present is fluctúas.
- fluctúan — The present form is fluctúan.
- fluctúa — The present form is fluctúa.
- fluctuamos — The nosotros form in the present is fluctuamos.
- El dólar en el mercado fluctúa con el mercado — El dólar en el mercado fluctúa con el mercado is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- fluctúan — The present form is fluctúan.
- fluctúa — The present form is fluctúa.
- fluctuando — The gerund is fluctuando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle fluctuado.
Frequently asked questions
Is fluctuar regular in the present tense?
Yes — in the present tense fluctuar follows the regular endings for -ar verbs, as the table above shows.
What is the gerund and the past participle of fluctuar?
The gerund is fluctuando and the past participle is fluctuado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I fluctuate" in the present tense?
Say fluctúo. For example: Los precios del petróleo fluctúan mucho en invierno — "Oil prices fluctuate a lot in winter".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of fluctuar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Los precios del petróleo fluctúan mucho en invierno — "Oil prices fluctuate a lot in winter". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, los precios del petróleo fluctuaron mucho en invierno — "Yesterday, oil prices fluctuated a lot in winter". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of fluctuar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- fluctuar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.