Gritar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of gritar — "to shout" 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 gritar 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. Gritar means "to shout" or "to scream" — at a football match, in anger, in joy, in fear, or to be heard across a noisy room. It is also used for shouting a slogan (gritar consignas) and for the way a colour or a shirt "shouts" (figuratively, to clash or stand out). It is a fully regular -ar verb, and its present tense is loud, everyday language: children shout in the playground, fans shout at the match, parents shout when they lose patience. To see it in a real sentence: Ellos gritan de alegría en el estadio. — "They shout with joy in the stadium.".
Present tense conjugation table: gritar
Every person of gritar in the present tense. The gerund is gritando and the past participle is gritado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | grito |
| tú | gritas |
| él/ella/Ud. | grita |
| nosotros/as | gritamos |
| vosotros/as | gritáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | gritan |
How the present indicative of gritar is formed
The present indicative of gritar is built from the stem grit- 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 | grito |
| tú | -as | gritas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | grita |
| nosotros/as | -amos | gritamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | gritáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | gritan |
Because gritar is a regular -ar verb, there are no surprises in the present indicative: the stem grit- never changes, and every person takes its normal ending. The only spelling detail to watch is the written accent on the vosotros form, gritáis, which carries an accent on the vowel of the ending. Learn the six endings once and you can conjugate any regular -ar verb the same way.
The gerund of gritar is gritando and the past participle is gritado. 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 gritar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and gritar 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.
Shouting in excitement
The present describes shouting that happens at matches and celebrations.
"Ellos gritan de alegría en el estadio." — "They shout with joy in the stadium."
Shouting in anger
The present describes a raised voice in an argument.
"Tú gritas demasiado cuando te enfadas." — "You shout too much when you get angry."
Shouting for help
Gritar ayuda or gritar pidiendo ayuda is the cry for help.
"Yo grito pidiendo ayuda." — "I shout asking for help."
Shouting to be heard
The present describes raising your voice across a distance or noise.
"Nosotros gritamos para que nos oigan." — "We shout so they can hear us."
Shouting a slogan
In demonstrations, gritar covers chanting and shouting slogans.
"La gente grita consignas en la plaza." — "People shout slogans in the square."
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: Yo grito cuando marco un gol. — "I shout when I score a goal."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo grité cuando marco un gol. — 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: Tú gritas muy fuerte. — "You shout very loudly."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú gritabas muy fuerte. — 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: El bebé grita toda la noche. — "The baby screams all night."
- Future — what will happen: El bebé gritará toda la noche. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: gritar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show gritar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo grito cuando marco un gol. — "I shout when I score a goal."
- Tú gritas muy fuerte. — "You shout very loudly."
- El bebé grita toda la noche. — "The baby screams all night."
- Nosotros gritamos en los partidos. — "We shout at matches."
- Vosotros gritáis en el patio. — "You shout in the playground."
- Los niños gritan de alegría. — "The children shout with joy."
- Mi madre grita desde la cocina. — "My mother shouts from the kitchen."
Common mistakes with gritar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with gritar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Tú grita muy fuerte (using the él form for tú).
✓ Correct: Tú gritas muy fuerte.
Tú takes gritas, with the -s ending. Grita is the él/ella form.
✗ *Yo grito a de alegría.
✓ Correct: Yo grito cuando marco un gol.
Gritar de alegría takes de, not a: gritar de alegría, gritar de miedo, gritar de dolor.
✗ *Vosotros gritáis en el patio (written without the accent: gritais).
✓ Correct: Vosotros gritáis en el patio.
Gritáis needs the written accent on the á.
✗ *Nosotros gritamos por que nos oigan (writing para que as por que).
✓ Correct: Nosotros gritamos para que nos oigan.
Para que (so that) is one expression. Por que is a different construction and does not fit here.
Quiz: gritar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of gritar. 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 gritar for tú?
- a) grito
- b) grita
- c) gritas
- d) gritan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ cuando marco un gol. — "I shout when I score a goal."
- a) gritan
- b) gritas
- c) grito
- d) grité
3. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ demasiado cuando te enfadas. — "You shout too much when you get angry."
- a) gritamos
- b) gritaste
- c) gritas
- d) grita
4. Which is the correct present tense form of gritar for nosotros?
- a) gritas
- b) grito
- c) gritamos
- d) gritan
5. Which sentence uses gritar correctly in the present tense?
- a) El bebé gritas toda la noche.
- b) El bebé gritó toda la noche.
- c) El bebé grita toda la noche.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of gritar for vosotros?
- a) gritáis
- b) grito
- c) gritas
- d) grita
7. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ para que nos oigan. — "We shout so they can hear us."
- a) grito
- b) gritamos
- c) gritan
- d) gritamos
8. What is the gerund of gritar?
- a) gritado
- b) grito
- c) gritando
- d) gritamos
Answer key
c) gritas — The tú form is gritas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; grito is yo, grita is él/ella and gritan is ellos/ellas.
c) grito — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: grito. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
c) gritas — The subject is tú, so the present form is gritas.
c) gritamos — Nosotros takes gritamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem grit-.
c) El bebé grita toda la noche. — El bebé grita toda la noche. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
a) gritáis — Vosotros takes gritáis. Remember the written accent on the ending — it is part of the correct spelling.
b) gritamos — The subject is nosotros/as, so the present form is gritamos.
c) gritando — The gerund is gritando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle gritado.
Frequently asked questions
Is gritar regular in the present tense?
Yes. gritar is a regular -ar verb, so its present tense follows the standard endings exactly: grito, gritas, grita, gritamos, gritáis and gritan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of gritar?
The gerund is gritando and the past participle is gritado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to shout" in Spanish?
Say grito. For example: Yo grito cuando marco un gol. — "I shout when I score a goal.".
What is the difference between gritar and susurrar?
gritar means "to shout", while susurrar means "to whisper". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use gritar when you mean "to shout" and susurrar when you mean "to whisper". The full conjugation of susurrar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of gritar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- gritar 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.