Imprimir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of imprimir — “to print” 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 imprimir 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. Imprimir means to print, and it covers printing a document, a photo, a book and a ticket: imprimir el informe, imprimir las fotos. Its famous trap is the past participle: impreso, not imprimido. It is otherwise regular. To see it in a real sentence: Imprimo el informe para la reunión. — “I print the report for the meeting.”
Present tense conjugation table: imprimir
Every person of imprimir in the present tense. The gerund is imprimiendo and the past participle is impreso.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | imprimo |
| tú | imprimes |
| él/ella/Ud. | imprime |
| nosotros/as | imprimimos |
| vosotros/as | imprimís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | imprimen |
The gerund is imprimiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy imprimiendo” means the action of imprimir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is impreso, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he impreso” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how imprimir is used.
How the present of imprimir is formed
The present of imprimir is built from the stem imprim plus the present endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir 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 | imprimo |
| tú | -es | imprimes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | imprime |
| nosotros/as | -imos | imprimimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | imprimís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | imprimen |
imprimir is not fully regular in form: this verb is . The endings in the table above are the regular -ir endings, so once you know the pattern, the whole tense follows. The forms that show the pattern most clearly are imprimo and imprime.
The gerund of imprimir is imprimiendo and the past participle is impreso. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of imprimir
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use imprimir in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. A routine or habit
The present tense of imprimir is the tense for what happens regularly. When something is part of your routine, your week or your normal life, the present is the right choice, and imprimir is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Imprimo el informe para la reunión.” — I print the report for the meeting.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what imprimir means in the world — what it does, who it affects, how it works — the present is the tense to use. There is no time limit on the statement, so no past or future form is needed.
Example: “Imprime las fotos del viaje.” — He/she prints the photos from the trip.
3. Something happening right now
The present tense describes what is happening at this very moment. You do not need the progressive (estar plus the gerund) to say what is going on now: the simple present does the job in Spanish, and it is the more common choice in everyday speech.
Example: “Imprimo el billete en casa.” — I print the ticket at home.
4. A plan or arrangement
Spanish uses the present tense for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression such as mañana or el lunes. When the arrangement is made, the present tense states it as a fact, and imprimir follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros imprimimos dos copias del contrato.” — Tomorrow, we print two copies of the contract.
5. Asking and answering questions
Questions in the present tense ask about routines, facts and what is happening now. The answer uses the same tense, so a question and its answer stay in the present together. This is the pattern you will hear most often in conversation.
Example: “¿Imprimes las fotos del viaje?” — Do you print the photos from the trip?
The present vs the preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present reports what happens now, what happens regularly, or what is generally true, while the preterite reports one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is happening now or is already finished. Time words help: ahora and todos los días point to the present, while ayer and anoche point to the preterite.
Present: “Imprimo el informe para la reunión.” — I print the report for the meeting.
Preterite: “Imprimí el informe para la reunión.” — I printed the report for the meeting.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Imprime las fotos del viaje.” — He/she prints the photos from the trip.
Preterite: “Imprimió las fotos del viaje.” — He/she printed the photos from the trip.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Imprimimos el billete en casa.” — We print the ticket at home.
Preterite: “Imprimimos el billete en casa.” — We printed the ticket at home.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: imprimir in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Imprimo el informe para la reunión.” — I print the report for the meeting.
“Imprimes las fotos del viaje.” — You print the photos from the trip.
“Imprime el billete en casa.” — He/she prints the ticket at home.
“Imprimimos dos copias del contrato.” — We print two copies of the contract.
“Imprimís el informe para la reunión.” — You print the report for the meeting.
“Imprimen las fotos del viaje.” — They print the photos from the trip.
“Imprimo el billete en casa.” — I print the ticket at home.
“Imprime dos copias del contrato.” — He/she prints two copies of the contract.
Common mistakes with imprimir in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo imprime el informe para la reunión.” Right: “Yo imprimo el informe para la reunión.” Why: Yo needs the yo form imprimo. The form imprime belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo imprimir las fotos del viaje.” Right: “Yo imprimo las fotos del viaje.” Why: The infinitive imprimir cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving imprimo.
Wrong: “Ayer yo imprimo las fotos del viaje.” Right: “Ayer yo imprimí las fotos del viaje.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to imprimí.
Wrong: “Ellos imprime las fotos del viaje.” Right: “Ellos imprimen las fotos del viaje.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form imprimen. The singular imprime belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: imprimir in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ___ el informe para la reunión.”
- (a) imprimo
- (b) imprimes
- (c) imprime
Answer: imprimo — The yo form of imprimir in the present is imprimo.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ las fotos del viaje.”
- (a) imprimo
- (b) imprime
- (c) imprimes
Answer: imprimes — The tú form of imprimir in the present is imprimes.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ el billete en casa.”
- (a) imprimes
- (b) imprime
- (c) imprimo
Answer: imprime — The él/ella form of imprimir in the present is imprime.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ dos copias del contrato.”
- (a) imprimimos
- (b) imprimo
- (c) imprimes
Answer: imprimimos — The nosotros/as form of imprimir in the present is imprimimos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ el informe para la reunión.”
- (a) imprimo
- (b) imprimes
- (c) imprimís
Answer: imprimís — The vosotros/as form of imprimir in the present is imprimís.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ las fotos del viaje.”
- (a) imprimes
- (b) imprimen
- (c) imprimo
Answer: imprimen — The ellos/ellas form of imprimir in the present is imprimen.
7. What does imprimir mean in English?
- (a) to print
- (b) to publish
- (c) to be about
Answer: to print — Imprimir means to print.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Imprimí el informe para la reunión.
- (b) Imprimiré el informe para la reunión.
- (c) Imprimo el informe para la reunión.
Answer: Imprimo el informe para la reunión. — “Imprimo el informe para la reunión.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is imprimir regular in the present?
Imprimir is a spelling-change verb in the present: it is . The endings are the regular -ir endings, so the table above follows the pattern exactly.
What is the gerund and the past participle of imprimir?
The gerund is imprimiendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy imprimiendo. The past participle is impreso, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he impreso.
What should I watch out for with imprimir?
The participle is impreso, never imprimido: he impreso el informe. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is imprimo, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise imprimir in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the imprimir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of imprimir — every tense of imprimir in one place.
- Imprimir examples and quiz — more sentences with imprimir and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on imprimir and other verbs.