Humillar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of humillar — «to humiliate» — 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. humillar 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 humillo todos los días» — I humiliate every day.

Humillar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo humillo
tú humillas
él/ella/Ud. humilla
nosotros/as humillamos
vosotros/as humilláis
ellos/ellas/Uds. humillan

Gerund: humillando · Past participle: humillado

How the present tense of humillar is formed

Take the stem humill — the infinitive humillar 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 humill -o humillo
tú humill -as humillas
él/ella/Ud. humill -a humilla
nosotros/as humill -amos humillamos
vosotros/as humill -áis humilláis
ellos/ellas/Uds. humill -an humillan

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

When to use the present tense of humillar

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 humillo todos los días. — I humiliate 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 humilla con mi familia. — He humiliates 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 humillando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros humillamos por la mañana. — We humiliate 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 humillas en el trabajo. — You humiliate 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 humillan a veces. — They humiliate 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 humillo todos los días. — I humiliate every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo humillé por la tarde. — Yesterday I humiliated 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 humilla por la mañana. — He humiliates in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él humilló por la tarde. — Yesterday He humiliated in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros humillamos con mi familia. — We humiliate with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros humillamos dos veces. — Last week We humiliated 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: humillar in the present

  1. Yo humillo todos los días. — I humiliate every day.
  2. Tú humillas en el trabajo. — You humiliate at work.
  3. Él humilla con mi familia. — He humiliates with my family.
  4. Nosotros humillamos por la mañana. — We humiliate in the morning.
  5. Vosotros humilláis cuando hay tiempo. — You humiliate when there is time.
  6. Ellos humillan a veces. — They humiliate sometimes.
  7. Yo humillo en el trabajo. — I humiliate at work.
  8. Él humilla todos los días. — He humiliates every day.

Common mistakes with humillar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros humillais.

Right: Vosotros humilláis.

The vosotros form humilláis 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 humillo.

Right: Ayer yo humillé.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos humillo.

Right: Ellos humillan.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy humillo.

Right: Estoy humillando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy humillando. The conjugated present humillo never follows estar.

Quiz: humillar in the present

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

1. What is the tú form of humillar in the present indicative?

- (a) humilla
- (b) humillamos
- (c) humillo
- (d) humillas

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of humillar in the present indicative?

- (a) humillamos
- (b) humilla
- (c) humillo
- (d) humillas

3. What is the nosotros/as form of humillar in the present indicative?

- (a) humillas
- (b) humillo
- (c) humillamos
- (d) humilla

4. What is the vosotros/as form of humillar in the present indicative?

- (a) humillo
- (b) humilláis
- (c) humilla
- (d) humillas

5. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of humillar in the present indicative?

- (a) humilla
- (b) humillan
- (c) humillo
- (d) humillas

6. What is the yo form of humillar in the present indicative?

- (a) humillas
- (b) humillo
- (c) humilla
- (d) humillamos

7. What is the gerund of humillar?

- (a) humillo
- (b) humillado
- (c) humillar
- (d) humillando

8. What is the past participle of humillar?

- (a) humillar
- (b) humillé
- (c) humillado
- (d) humillando

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the tú form of humillar is humillas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of humillar is humilla. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of humillar is humillamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of humillar is humilláis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of humillar is humillan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — In the present indicative, the yo form of humillar is humillo. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (d) — The gerund of humillar is humillando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy humillando». 8. (c) — The past participle of humillar is humillado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he humillado».

Frequently asked questions

Is humillar regular in the present?

Yes — humillar is regular in the present. The stem humill 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 humillar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for humillar?

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

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

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

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