Fracasar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of fracasar — «to fail» — 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. fracasar 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 fracaso todos los días» — I fail every day.

Fracasar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo fracaso
tú fracasas
él/ella/Ud. fracasa
nosotros/as fracasamos
vosotros/as fracasáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. fracasan

Gerund: fracasando · Past participle: fracasado

How the present tense of fracasar is formed

Take the stem fracas — the infinitive fracasar 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 fracas -o fracaso
tú fracas -as fracasas
él/ella/Ud. fracas -a fracasa
nosotros/as fracas -amos fracasamos
vosotros/as fracas -áis fracasáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. fracas -an fracasan

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

When to use the present tense of fracasar

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 fracaso todos los días. — I fail 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 fracasa con mi familia. — He fails 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 fracasando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros fracasamos por la mañana. — We fail 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 fracasas en el trabajo. — You fail 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 fracasan a veces. — They fail 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 fracaso todos los días. — I fail every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo fracasé por la tarde. — Yesterday I failed 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 fracasa por la mañana. — He fails in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él fracasó por la tarde. — Yesterday He failed in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros fracasamos con mi familia. — We fail with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros fracasamos dos veces. — Last week We failed 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: fracasar in the present

  1. Yo fracaso todos los días. — I fail every day.
  2. Tú fracasas en el trabajo. — You fail at work.
  3. Él fracasa con mi familia. — He fails with my family.
  4. Nosotros fracasamos por la mañana. — We fail in the morning.
  5. Vosotros fracasáis cuando hay tiempo. — You fail when there is time.
  6. Ellos fracasan a veces. — They fail sometimes.
  7. Yo fracaso en el trabajo. — I fail at work.
  8. Él fracasa todos los días. — He fails every day.

Common mistakes with fracasar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros fracasais.

Right: Vosotros fracasáis.

The vosotros form fracasáis 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 fracaso.

Right: Ayer yo fracasé.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos fracaso.

Right: Ellos fracasan.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy fracaso.

Right: Estoy fracasando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy fracasando. The conjugated present fracaso never follows estar.

Quiz: fracasar in the present

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

1. What is the vosotros/as form of fracasar in the present indicative?

- (a) fracasáis
- (b) fracaso
- (c) fracasas
- (d) fracasa

2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of fracasar in the present indicative?

- (a) fracasas
- (b) fracasa
- (c) fracasan
- (d) fracaso

3. What is the yo form of fracasar in the present indicative?

- (a) fracasas
- (b) fracasa
- (c) fracasamos
- (d) fracaso

4. What is the tú form of fracasar in the present indicative?

- (a) fracasas
- (b) fracaso
- (c) fracasamos
- (d) fracasa

5. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of fracasar in the present indicative?

- (a) fracaso
- (b) fracasamos
- (c) fracasas
- (d) fracasa

6. What is the nosotros/as form of fracasar in the present indicative?

- (a) fracasamos
- (b) fracaso
- (c) fracasa
- (d) fracasas

7. What is the gerund of fracasar?

- (a) fracasado
- (b) fracasando
- (c) fracaso
- (d) fracasar

8. What is the past participle of fracasar?

- (a) fracasé
- (b) fracasado
- (c) fracasando
- (d) fracasar

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of fracasar is fracasáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of fracasar is fracasan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the present indicative, the yo form of fracasar is fracaso. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the present indicative, the tú form of fracasar is fracasas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of fracasar is fracasa. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of fracasar is fracasamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — The gerund of fracasar is fracasando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy fracasando». 8. (b) — The past participle of fracasar is fracasado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he fracasado».

Frequently asked questions

Is fracasar regular in the present?

Yes — fracasar is regular in the present. The stem fracas 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 fracasar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for fracasar?

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

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

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

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