Fomentar Present Tense in Spanish
fomentar means "to promote, to foster" 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 fomentar, 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 fomento la lectura en los niños. — "Every day, I promote reading among children." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of fomentar: full table
Every person of fomentar in the present tense. The gerund is fomentando and the past participle is fomentado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | fomento |
| tú | fomentas |
| él/ella/Ud. | fomenta |
| nosotros/as | fomentamos |
| vosotros/as | fomentáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | fomentan |
The gerund of fomentar is fomentando and the past participle is fomentado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy fomentando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he fomentado).
How the present tense of fomentar is formed
The present tense of fomentar is built from the stem foment- 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 fomento, tú fomentas, él fomenta, nosotros fomentamos, vosotros fomentáis and ellos fomentan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | fomento |
| tú | -as | fomentas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | fomenta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | fomentamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | fomentáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | fomentan |
fomentar is completely regular in the present tense: the stem never changes and every ending is the standard -ar ending. The only thing to watch is the accent on the vosotros form fomentáis.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is fomentando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy fomentando. The past participle is fomentado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he fomentado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with fomentar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo fomento la lectura en los niños. — "Every day, I promote reading among children." The complement in this sentence is about reading among children, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear fomentar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú fomentas el deporte en la escuela. — "Now, you promote sport at school." The complement in this sentence is about sport at school, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear fomentar in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él fomenta el turismo en la región. — "Normally, he/she promotes tourism in the region." The complement in this sentence is about tourism in the region, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear fomentar in the present tense.
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: Mañana, nosotros fomentamos la creatividad en el trabajo. — "Tomorrow, we promote creativity at work." The complement in this sentence is about creativity at work, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear fomentar in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos fomentan la lectura en los niños. — "Always, they promote reading among children." The complement in this sentence is about reading among children, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear fomentar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: fomentar
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 fomentar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo fomento la lectura en los niños. — "Every day, I promote reading among children."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo fomenté la lectura en los niños. — "Yesterday, I promoted reading among children."
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, tú fomentas el deporte en la escuela. — "Every day, you promote sport at school."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú fomentaste el deporte en la escuela. — "Yesterday, you promoted sport at school."
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, él fomenta el turismo en la región. — "Every day, he/she promotes tourism in the region."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él fomentó el turismo en la región. — "Yesterday, he/she promoted tourism in the region."
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: fomentar in the present tense
These eight sentences show fomentar 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 fomento la lectura en los niños. — "I promote reading among children."
- Tú fomentas el deporte en la escuela. — "you promote sport at school."
- Él fomenta el turismo en la región. — "he/she promotes tourism in the region."
- Nosotros fomentamos la creatividad en el trabajo. — "we promote creativity at work."
- Vosotros fomentáis la lectura en los niños. — "you (plural) promote reading among children."
- Ellos fomentan el deporte en la escuela. — "they promote sport at school."
- Yo fomento el turismo en la región. — "I promote tourism in the region."
- Tú fomentas la creatividad en el trabajo. — "you promote creativity at work."
Common mistakes with fomentar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros fomentais la lectura en los niños.
- Right: Vosotros fomentáis la lectura en los niños.
- Why: The vosotros form fomentáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me fomento la lectura en los niños.
- Right: Yo fomento la lectura en los niños.
- Why: fomentar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add. The extra pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo fomento el deporte en la escuela.
- Right: Ayer, yo fomenté el deporte en la escuela.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo fomenté el deporte en la escuela. — "Yesterday, I promoted sport at school." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo fomento el turismo en la región.
- Right: Antes, yo fomentaba el turismo en la región.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo fomentaba el turismo en la región. — "In the past, I used to promote tourism in the region." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros fomenta la lectura en los niños.
- Right: Nosotros fomentamos la lectura en los niños.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes fomentamos, while fomenta belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of fomentar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of fomentar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of fomentar in the present tense?
- (a) fomento
- (b) fomentas
- (c) fomenta
- (d) fomentamos
Answer: (a) fomento. The yo form is fomento. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of fomentar in the present tense?
- (a) fomento
- (b) fomenta
- (c) fomentamos
- (d) fomentas
Answer: (d) fomentas. The tú form is fomentas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of fomentar in the present tense?
- (a) fomentas
- (b) fomentamos
- (c) fomenta
- (d) fomento
Answer: (c) fomenta. The él/ella form is fomenta. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of fomentar in the present tense?
- (a) fomenta
- (b) fomentamos
- (c) fomento
- (d) fomentas
Answer: (b) fomentamos. The nosotros form is fomentamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of fomentar in the present tense?
- (a) fomentan
- (b) fomento
- (c) fomentas
- (d) fomenta
Answer: (a) fomentan. The ellos/ellas form is fomentan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ la lectura en los niños.
- (a) fomentas
- (b) fomenta
- (c) fomentamos
- (d) fomento
Answer: (d) fomento. The sentence needs the yo form fomento (Every day, I promote reading among children.)
7. What is the gerund of fomentar?
- (a) fomentado
- (b) fomento
- (c) fomentar
- (d) fomentando
Answer: (d) fomentando. The gerund is fomentando, used for the progressive: estoy fomentando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Ayer, yo fomenté el deporte en la escuela.
- (b) Mañana, yo fomentaré el deporte en la escuela.
- (c) Cada día, yo fomento el deporte en la escuela.
- (d) Antes, yo fomentaba el deporte en la escuela.
Answer: (c) Cada día, yo fomento el deporte en la escuela.. Cada día, yo fomento el deporte en la escuela. (Every day, I promote sport at school.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo fomenté el deporte en la escuela. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo fomentaré el deporte en la escuela. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of fomentar
Is fomentar regular in the present tense?
Yes. fomentar is a regular -ar verb: fomento, fomentas, fomenta, fomentamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'promote' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo fomento la lectura en los niños. — "Every day, I promote reading among children." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with fomentar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo fomento el deporte en la escuela. — "Every day, I promote sport at school." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo fomenté el deporte en la escuela. — "Yesterday, I promoted sport at school." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with fomentar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros fomentamos la creatividad en el trabajo. — "Tomorrow, we promote creativity at work." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.