Glorificar Present Tense in Spanish
glorificar means "to glorify" 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 glorificar, 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 glorifico a Dios en la iglesia. — "Every day, I glorify God in the church." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of glorificar: full table
Every person of glorificar in the present tense. The gerund is glorificando and the past participle is glorificado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | glorifico |
| tú | glorificas |
| él/ella/Ud. | glorifica |
| nosotros/as | glorificamos |
| vosotros/as | glorificáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | glorifican |
The gerund of glorificar is glorificando and the past participle is glorificado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy glorificando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he glorificado).
How the present tense of glorificar is formed
The present tense of glorificar is built from the stem glorific- 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 glorifico, tú glorificas, él glorifica, nosotros glorificamos, vosotros glorificáis and ellos glorifican. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | glorifico |
| tú | -as | glorificas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | glorifica |
| nosotros/as | -amos | glorificamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | glorificáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | glorifican |
Watch the spelling: the c becomes qu before e, so the yo preterite is glorifiqué and the subjunctive forms start with qu, for example glorifique.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is glorificando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy glorificando. The past participle is glorificado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he glorificado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with glorificar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo glorifico a Dios en la iglesia. — "Every day, I glorify God in the church." The complement in this sentence is about God in the church, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear glorificar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú glorificas a los héroes del país. — "Now, you glorify the country's heroes." The complement in this sentence is about the country's heroes, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear glorificar 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 glorifica el nombre de su familia. — "Normally, he/she glorifies his family's name." The complement in this sentence is about his family's name, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear glorificar 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 glorificamos la victoria del equipo. — "Tomorrow, we glorify the team's victory." The complement in this sentence is about the team's victory, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear glorificar 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 glorifican a Dios en la iglesia. — "Always, they glorify God in the church." The complement in this sentence is about God in the church, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear glorificar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: glorificar
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 glorificar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo glorifico a Dios en la iglesia. — "Every day, I glorify God in the church."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo glorifiqué a Dios en la iglesia. — "Yesterday, I glorified God in the church."
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 glorificas a los héroes del país. — "Every day, you glorify the country's heroes."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú glorificaste a los héroes del país. — "Yesterday, you glorified the country's heroes."
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 glorifica el nombre de su familia. — "Every day, he/she glorifies his family's name."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él glorificó el nombre de su familia. — "Yesterday, he/she glorified his family's name."
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: glorificar in the present tense
These eight sentences show glorificar 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 glorifico a Dios en la iglesia. — "I glorify God in the church."
- Tú glorificas a los héroes del país. — "you glorify the country's heroes."
- Él glorifica el nombre de su familia. — "he/she glorifies his family's name."
- Nosotros glorificamos la victoria del equipo. — "we glorify the team's victory."
- Vosotros glorificáis a Dios en la iglesia. — "you (plural) glorify God in the church."
- Ellos glorifican a los héroes del país. — "they glorify the country's heroes."
- Yo glorifico el nombre de su familia. — "I glorify his family's name."
- Tú glorificas la victoria del equipo. — "you glorify the team's victory."
Common mistakes with glorificar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros glorificais a Dios en la iglesia.
- Right: Vosotros glorificáis a Dios en la iglesia.
- Why: The vosotros form glorificáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me glorifico a Dios en la iglesia.
- Right: Yo glorifico a Dios en la iglesia.
- Why: glorificar 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 glorifico a los héroes del país.
- Right: Ayer, yo glorifiqué a los héroes del país.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo glorifiqué a los héroes del país. — "Yesterday, I glorified the country's heroes." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo glorifico el nombre de su familia.
- Right: Antes, yo glorificaba el nombre de su familia.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo glorificaba el nombre de su familia. — "In the past, I used to glorify his family's name." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros glorifica a Dios en la iglesia.
- Right: Nosotros glorificamos a Dios en la iglesia.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes glorificamos, while glorifica belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of glorificar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of glorificar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of glorificar in the present tense?
- (a) glorifica
- (b) glorificamos
- (c) glorifico
- (d) glorificas
Answer: (c) glorifico. The yo form is glorifico. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of glorificar in the present tense?
- (a) glorificamos
- (b) glorificas
- (c) glorifico
- (d) glorifica
Answer: (b) glorificas. The tú form is glorificas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of glorificar in the present tense?
- (a) glorifica
- (b) glorifico
- (c) glorificas
- (d) glorificamos
Answer: (a) glorifica. The él/ella form is glorifica. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of glorificar in the present tense?
- (a) glorifico
- (b) glorificas
- (c) glorifica
- (d) glorificamos
Answer: (d) glorificamos. The nosotros form is glorificamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of glorificar in the present tense?
- (a) glorificas
- (b) glorifica
- (c) glorifican
- (d) glorifico
Answer: (c) glorifican. The ellos/ellas form is glorifican. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ a Dios en la iglesia.
- (a) glorificamos
- (b) glorifico
- (c) glorificas
- (d) glorifica
Answer: (b) glorifico. The sentence needs the yo form glorifico (Every day, I glorify God in the church.)
7. What is the gerund of glorificar?
- (a) glorificar
- (b) glorificando
- (c) glorificado
- (d) glorifico
Answer: (b) glorificando. The gerund is glorificando, used for the progressive: estoy glorificando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, yo glorifico a los héroes del país.
- (b) Antes, yo glorificaba a los héroes del país.
- (c) Ayer, yo glorifiqué a los héroes del país.
- (d) Mañana, yo glorificaré a los héroes del país.
Answer: (a) Cada día, yo glorifico a los héroes del país.. Cada día, yo glorifico a los héroes del país. (Every day, I glorify the country's heroes.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo glorifiqué a los héroes del país. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo glorificaré a los héroes del país. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of glorificar
Is glorificar regular in the present tense?
Almost. glorificar is a spelling-changing (c → qu before e) -ar verb, so its endings are regular, but watch the spelling: Watch the spelling: the c becomes qu before e, so the yo preterite is glorifiqué and the subjunctive forms start with qu, for example glorifique.
How do you say 'glorify' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo glorifico a Dios en la iglesia. — "Every day, I glorify God in the church." 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 glorificar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo glorifico a los héroes del país. — "Every day, I glorify the country's heroes." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo glorifiqué a los héroes del país. — "Yesterday, I glorified the country's heroes." 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 glorificar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros glorificamos la victoria del equipo. — "Tomorrow, we glorify the team's victory." 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.