Imitar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of imitar — «to imitate» — 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. imitar 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 imito todos los días» — I imitate every day.

Imitar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo imito
tú imitas
él/ella/Ud. imita
nosotros/as imitamos
vosotros/as imitáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. imitan

Gerund: imitando · Past participle: imitado

How the present tense of imitar is formed

Take the stem imit — the infinitive imitar 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 imit -o imito
tú imit -as imitas
él/ella/Ud. imit -a imita
nosotros/as imit -amos imitamos
vosotros/as imit -áis imitáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. imit -an imitan

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

When to use the present tense of imitar

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 imito todos los días. — I imitate 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 imita con mi familia. — He imitates 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 imitando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros imitamos por la mañana. — We imitate 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 imitas en el trabajo. — You imitate 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 imitan a veces. — They imitate 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 imito todos los días. — I imitate every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo imité por la tarde. — Yesterday I imitated 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 imita por la mañana. — He imitates in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él imitó por la tarde. — Yesterday He imitated in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros imitamos con mi familia. — We imitate with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros imitamos dos veces. — Last week We imitated 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: imitar in the present

  1. Yo imito todos los días. — I imitate every day.
  2. Tú imitas en el trabajo. — You imitate at work.
  3. Él imita con mi familia. — He imitates with my family.
  4. Nosotros imitamos por la mañana. — We imitate in the morning.
  5. Vosotros imitáis cuando hay tiempo. — You imitate when there is time.
  6. Ellos imitan a veces. — They imitate sometimes.
  7. Yo imito en el trabajo. — I imitate at work.
  8. Él imita todos los días. — He imitates every day.

Common mistakes with imitar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros imitais.

Right: Vosotros imitáis.

The vosotros form imitáis 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 imito.

Right: Ayer yo imité.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos imito.

Right: Ellos imitan.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy imito.

Right: Estoy imitando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy imitando. The conjugated present imito never follows estar.

Quiz: imitar in the present

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

1. What is the nosotros/as form of imitar in the present indicative?

- (a) imitas
- (b) imitamos
- (c) imito
- (d) imita

2. What is the vosotros/as form of imitar in the present indicative?

- (a) imita
- (b) imito
- (c) imitáis
- (d) imitas

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of imitar in the present indicative?

- (a) imito
- (b) imita
- (c) imitan
- (d) imitas

4. What is the yo form of imitar in the present indicative?

- (a) imito
- (b) imitamos
- (c) imitas
- (d) imita

5. What is the tú form of imitar in the present indicative?

- (a) imitamos
- (b) imitas
- (c) imito
- (d) imita

6. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of imitar in the present indicative?

- (a) imito
- (b) imita
- (c) imitamos
- (d) imitas

7. What is the gerund of imitar?

- (a) imitado
- (b) imitando
- (c) imitar
- (d) imito

8. What is the past participle of imitar?

- (a) imité
- (b) imitar
- (c) imitando
- (d) imitado

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of imitar is imitamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of imitar is imitáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of imitar is imitan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the present indicative, the yo form of imitar is imito. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the present indicative, the tú form of imitar is imitas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of imitar is imita. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — The gerund of imitar is imitando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy imitando». 8. (d) — The past participle of imitar is imitado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he imitado».

Frequently asked questions

Is imitar regular in the present?

Yes — imitar is regular in the present. The stem imit 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 imitar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for imitar?

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

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

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

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