Graznar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of graznar — “to caw, to croak” 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 graznar 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. Graznar means to caw or to croak, the harsh cry of a crow, a raven or a duck. It is an animal-sound verb used in nature and the countryside, and it is fully regular. To see it in a real sentence: Grazno en el árbol del jardín. — “I caw in the tree in the garden.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of graznar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: graznar
Every person of graznar in the present tense. The gerund is graznando and the past participle is graznado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | grazno |
| tú | graznas |
| él/ella/Ud. | grazna |
| nosotros/as | graznamos |
| vosotros/as | graznáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | graznan |
How the present indicative of graznar is formed
The present indicative of graznar is built from the stem plus the present indicative 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 | grazno |
| tú | -as | graznas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | grazna |
| nosotros/as | -amos | graznamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | graznáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | graznan |
Graznar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is grazn- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of graznar is graznando and the past participle is graznado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of graznar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and graznar 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.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and graznar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo grazno en el árbol del jardín todos los días.” — “I caw in the tree in the garden every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él grazna al amanecer sobre el tejado.” — “He/she caws at dawn over the roof.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so grazno can mean both “I caw” and “I am cawing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo grazno cuando pasa alguien.” — “Right now, I caw when someone passes by.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo grazno toda la mañana en el campo.” — “Tomorrow, I will caw all morning in the fields.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú graznas en el árbol del jardín?” — “Do you caw in the tree in the garden?”
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: Grazna al amanecer sobre el tejado. — “He/she caws at dawn over the roof.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Graznó al amanecer sobre el tejado. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
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: Graznan cuando pasa alguien. — “They caw when someone passes by.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Graznaban cuando pasa alguien. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
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: Graznas toda la mañana en el campo. — “You caw all morning in the fields.”
- Future — what will happen: Graznarás toda la mañana en el campo. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: graznar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show graznar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo grazno en el árbol del jardín. — “I caw in the tree in the garden.”
- Tú graznas al amanecer sobre el tejado. — “You caw at dawn over the roof.”
- Él grazna cuando pasa alguien. — “He caws when someone passes by.”
- Nosotros graznamos toda la mañana en el campo. — “We caw all morning in the fields.”
- Vosotros graznáis en el árbol del jardín. — “You (plural) caw in the tree in the garden.”
- Ellos graznan al amanecer sobre el tejado. — “They caw at dawn over the roof.”
- ¿Tú graznas cuando pasa alguien? — “Do you caw when someone passes by?”
Common mistakes with graznar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with graznar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo graznar en el árbol del jardín. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo grazno en el árbol del jardín.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of graznar is grazno, not the infinitive graznar.
✗ Vosotros graznais en el árbol del jardín. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros graznáis en el árbol del jardín.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: graznáis, not graznais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo grazno al amanecer sobre el tejado. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo grazné al amanecer sobre el tejado.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: grazno is happening now, while grazné is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating graznar and cantar as identical in every context. (confusing graznar with cantar).
✓ Correct: Graznar means to caw, to croak, while cantar means to sing, for songbirds.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: graznar fits sentences such as Grazno en el árbol del jardín, while cantar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: graznar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of graznar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of graznar for tú?
- a) graznas
- b) grazno
- c) grazna
- d) graznan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ en el árbol del jardín. — “I caw in the tree in the garden.”
- a) grazna
- b) graznamos
- c) graznas
- d) grazno
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al amanecer sobre el tejado. — “He/she caws at dawn over the roof.” (present tense)
- a) graznaba
- b) graznará
- c) grazna
- d) graznó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of graznar for nosotros?
- a) graznan
- b) graznamos
- c) grazno
- d) grazna
5. Which sentence uses graznar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él graznó al amanecer sobre el tejado.
- b) Él grazna al amanecer sobre el tejado.
- c) Él graznará al amanecer sobre el tejado.
- d) Ellos grazna al amanecer sobre el tejado.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ cuando pasa alguien. — “They caw when someone passes by.”
- a) grazno
- b) grazna
- c) graznamos
- d) graznan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ toda la mañana en el campo? — “Do you caw all morning in the fields?”
- a) grazna
- b) graznarás
- c) graznas
- d) grazno
8. What is the gerund of graznar?
- a) grazné
- b) graznando
- c) graznado
- d) grazno
Answer key
a) graznas — The tú form is graznas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; grazno is yo, grazna is él/ella and graznan is ellos/ellas.
d) grazno — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: grazno. The other options are the wrong person.
c) grazna — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: grazna. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) graznamos — Nosotros takes graznamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él grazna al amanecer sobre el tejado. — Él grazna al amanecer sobre el tejado. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) graznan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is graznan.
c) graznas — The question needs the tú form in the present: graznas.
b) graznando — The gerund is graznando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle graznado.
Frequently asked questions
Is graznar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Graznar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: grazno, graznas, grazna, graznamos, graznáis and graznan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of graznar?
The gerund is graznando and the past participle is graznado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I caw” in Spanish?
Say grazno. For example: Grazno en el árbol del jardín. — “I caw in the tree in the garden.”
What is the difference between graznar and cantar?
Graznar means “to caw, to croak”, while cantar means “to sing, for songbirds”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use graznar when you mean “to caw, to croak” and cantar when you mean “to sing, for songbirds”. The full conjugation of graznar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of graznar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- graznar 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.
- Aullar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with graznar.
- Piar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with graznar.
- Relinchar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with graznar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.