Ignorar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of ignorar — «to ignore, to not know» — 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. ignorar 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 ignoro todos los días» — I ignore every day.

Ignorar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo ignoro
tú ignoras
él/ella/Ud. ignora
nosotros/as ignoramos
vosotros/as ignoráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ignoran

Gerund: ignorando · Past participle: ignorado

How the present tense of ignorar is formed

Take the stem ignor — the infinitive ignorar 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 ignor -o ignoro
tú ignor -as ignoras
él/ella/Ud. ignor -a ignora
nosotros/as ignor -amos ignoramos
vosotros/as ignor -áis ignoráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ignor -an ignoran

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

When to use the present tense of ignorar

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 ignoro todos los días. — I ignore 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 ignora con mi familia. — He ignores 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 ignorando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros ignoramos por la mañana. — We ignore 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 ignoras en el trabajo. — You ignore 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 ignoran a veces. — They ignore 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 ignoro todos los días. — I ignore every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo ignoré por la tarde. — Yesterday I ignored 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 ignora por la mañana. — He ignores in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él ignoró por la tarde. — Yesterday He ignored in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros ignoramos con mi familia. — We ignore with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros ignoramos dos veces. — Last week We ignored 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: ignorar in the present

  1. Yo ignoro todos los días. — I ignore every day.
  2. Tú ignoras en el trabajo. — You ignore at work.
  3. Él ignora con mi familia. — He ignores with my family.
  4. Nosotros ignoramos por la mañana. — We ignore in the morning.
  5. Vosotros ignoráis cuando hay tiempo. — You ignore when there is time.
  6. Ellos ignoran a veces. — They ignore sometimes.
  7. Yo ignoro en el trabajo. — I ignore at work.
  8. Él ignora todos los días. — He ignores every day.

Common mistakes with ignorar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros ignorais.

Right: Vosotros ignoráis.

The vosotros form ignoráis 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 ignoro.

Right: Ayer yo ignoré.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos ignoro.

Right: Ellos ignoran.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy ignoro.

Right: Estoy ignorando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy ignorando. The conjugated present ignoro never follows estar.

Quiz: ignorar in the present

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

1. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of ignorar in the present indicative?

- (a) ignora
- (b) ignoro
- (c) ignoras
- (d) ignoramos

2. What is the nosotros/as form of ignorar in the present indicative?

- (a) ignoro
- (b) ignoramos
- (c) ignoras
- (d) ignora

3. What is the vosotros/as form of ignorar in the present indicative?

- (a) ignoro
- (b) ignoráis
- (c) ignora
- (d) ignoras

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of ignorar in the present indicative?

- (a) ignoras
- (b) ignora
- (c) ignoran
- (d) ignoro

5. What is the yo form of ignorar in the present indicative?

- (a) ignoras
- (b) ignoramos
- (c) ignora
- (d) ignoro

6. What is the tú form of ignorar in the present indicative?

- (a) ignora
- (b) ignoro
- (c) ignoramos
- (d) ignoras

7. What is the gerund of ignorar?

- (a) ignoro
- (b) ignorado
- (c) ignorar
- (d) ignorando

8. What is the past participle of ignorar?

- (a) ignorar
- (b) ignorado
- (c) ignorando
- (d) ignoré

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of ignorar is ignora. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of ignorar is ignoramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of ignorar is ignoráis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of ignorar is ignoran. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the present indicative, the yo form of ignorar is ignoro. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present indicative, the tú form of ignorar is ignoras. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (d) — The gerund of ignorar is ignorando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy ignorando». 8. (b) — The past participle of ignorar is ignorado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he ignorado».

Frequently asked questions

Is ignorar regular in the present?

Yes — ignorar is regular in the present. The stem ignor 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 ignorar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for ignorar?

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

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

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

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