Frecuentar Present Tense in Spanish
frecuentar means "to frequent" 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 frecuentar, 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 frecuento el mercado los sábados. — "Every day, I frequent the market on Saturdays." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of frecuentar: full table
Every person of frecuentar in the present tense. The gerund is frecuentando and the past participle is frecuentado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | frecuento |
| tú | frecuentas |
| él/ella/Ud. | frecuenta |
| nosotros/as | frecuentamos |
| vosotros/as | frecuentáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | frecuentan |
The gerund of frecuentar is frecuentando and the past participle is frecuentado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy frecuentando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he frecuentado).
How the present tense of frecuentar is formed
The present tense of frecuentar is built from the stem frecuent- 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 frecuento, tú frecuentas, él frecuenta, nosotros frecuentamos, vosotros frecuentáis and ellos frecuentan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | frecuento |
| tú | -as | frecuentas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | frecuenta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | frecuentamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | frecuentáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | frecuentan |
frecuentar 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 frecuentáis.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is frecuentando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy frecuentando. The past participle is frecuentado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he frecuentado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with frecuentar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo frecuento el mercado los sábados. — "Every day, I frequent the market on Saturdays." The complement in this sentence is about the market on Saturdays, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear frecuentar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú frecuentas la biblioteca por las tardes. — "Now, you frequent the library in the afternoons." The complement in this sentence is about the library in the afternoons, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear frecuentar 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 frecuenta ese café con sus amigos. — "Normally, he/she frequents that café with his friends." The complement in this sentence is about that café with his friends, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear frecuentar 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 frecuentamos el parque por la mañana. — "Tomorrow, we frequent the park in the morning." The complement in this sentence is about the park in the morning, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear frecuentar 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 frecuentan el mercado los sábados. — "Always, they frequent the market on Saturdays." The complement in this sentence is about the market on Saturdays, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear frecuentar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: frecuentar
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 frecuentar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo frecuento el mercado los sábados. — "Every day, I frequent the market on Saturdays."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo frecuenté el mercado los sábados. — "Yesterday, I frequented the market on Saturdays."
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 frecuentas la biblioteca por las tardes. — "Every day, you frequent the library in the afternoons."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú frecuentaste la biblioteca por las tardes. — "Yesterday, you frequented the library in the afternoons."
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 frecuenta ese café con sus amigos. — "Every day, he/she frequents that café with his friends."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él frecuentó ese café con sus amigos. — "Yesterday, he/she frequented that café with his friends."
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: frecuentar in the present tense
These eight sentences show frecuentar 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 frecuento el mercado los sábados. — "I frequent the market on Saturdays."
- Tú frecuentas la biblioteca por las tardes. — "you frequent the library in the afternoons."
- Él frecuenta ese café con sus amigos. — "he/she frequents that café with his friends."
- Nosotros frecuentamos el parque por la mañana. — "we frequent the park in the morning."
- Vosotros frecuentáis el mercado los sábados. — "you (plural) frequent the market on Saturdays."
- Ellos frecuentan la biblioteca por las tardes. — "they frequent the library in the afternoons."
- Yo frecuento ese café con sus amigos. — "I frequent that café with his friends."
- Tú frecuentas el parque por la mañana. — "you frequent the park in the morning."
Common mistakes with frecuentar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros frecuentais el mercado los sábados.
- Right: Vosotros frecuentáis el mercado los sábados.
- Why: The vosotros form frecuentáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me frecuento el mercado los sábados.
- Right: Yo frecuento el mercado los sábados.
- Why: frecuentar 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 frecuento la biblioteca por las tardes.
- Right: Ayer, yo frecuenté la biblioteca por las tardes.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo frecuenté la biblioteca por las tardes. — "Yesterday, I frequented the library in the afternoons." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo frecuento ese café con sus amigos.
- Right: Antes, yo frecuentaba ese café con sus amigos.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo frecuentaba ese café con sus amigos. — "In the past, I used to frequent that café with his friends." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros frecuenta el mercado los sábados.
- Right: Nosotros frecuentamos el mercado los sábados.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes frecuentamos, while frecuenta belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of frecuentar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of frecuentar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of frecuentar in the present tense?
- (a) frecuenta
- (b) frecuentamos
- (c) frecuento
- (d) frecuentas
Answer: (c) frecuento. The yo form is frecuento. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of frecuentar in the present tense?
- (a) frecuentamos
- (b) frecuentas
- (c) frecuento
- (d) frecuenta
Answer: (b) frecuentas. The tú form is frecuentas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of frecuentar in the present tense?
- (a) frecuenta
- (b) frecuento
- (c) frecuentas
- (d) frecuentamos
Answer: (a) frecuenta. The él/ella form is frecuenta. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of frecuentar in the present tense?
- (a) frecuento
- (b) frecuentas
- (c) frecuenta
- (d) frecuentamos
Answer: (d) frecuentamos. The nosotros form is frecuentamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of frecuentar in the present tense?
- (a) frecuentas
- (b) frecuenta
- (c) frecuentan
- (d) frecuento
Answer: (c) frecuentan. The ellos/ellas form is frecuentan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ el mercado los sábados.
- (a) frecuentamos
- (b) frecuento
- (c) frecuentas
- (d) frecuenta
Answer: (b) frecuento. The sentence needs the yo form frecuento (Every day, I frequent the market on Saturdays.)
7. What is the gerund of frecuentar?
- (a) frecuentar
- (b) frecuentando
- (c) frecuentado
- (d) frecuento
Answer: (b) frecuentando. The gerund is frecuentando, used for the progressive: estoy frecuentando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, yo frecuento la biblioteca por las tardes.
- (b) Antes, yo frecuentaba la biblioteca por las tardes.
- (c) Ayer, yo frecuenté la biblioteca por las tardes.
- (d) Mañana, yo frecuentaré la biblioteca por las tardes.
Answer: (a) Cada día, yo frecuento la biblioteca por las tardes.. Cada día, yo frecuento la biblioteca por las tardes. (Every day, I frequent the library in the afternoons.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo frecuenté la biblioteca por las tardes. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo frecuentaré la biblioteca por las tardes. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of frecuentar
Is frecuentar regular in the present tense?
Yes. frecuentar is a regular -ar verb: frecuento, frecuentas, frecuenta, frecuentamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'frequent' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo frecuento el mercado los sábados. — "Every day, I frequent the market on Saturdays." 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 frecuentar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo frecuento la biblioteca por las tardes. — "Every day, I frequent the library in the afternoons." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo frecuenté la biblioteca por las tardes. — "Yesterday, I frequented the library in the afternoons." 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 frecuentar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros frecuentamos el parque por la mañana. — "Tomorrow, we frequent the park in the morning." 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.