Ingerir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of ingerir — “to ingest” 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 ingerir 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. Ingerir means to ingest or to take in, and it is the formal verb for eating, drinking and taking medicine: ingerir alimentos, ingerir pastillas. It is a stem-changing -ir verb, e to ie in the present and e to i in the preterite third person and the gerund: ingiero, ingirió, ingiriendo. To see it in a real sentence: Ingiero alimentos sanos cada día. — “I ingest healthy food every day.”
Present tense conjugation table: ingerir
Every person of ingerir in the present tense. The gerund is ingiriendo and the past participle is ingerido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ingiero |
| tú | ingieres |
| él/ella/Ud. | ingiere |
| nosotros/as | ingerimos |
| vosotros/as | ingerís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ingieren |
The gerund is ingiriendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy ingiriendo” means the action of ingerir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is ingerido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he ingerido” 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 ingerir is used.
How the present of ingerir is formed
The present of ingerir is built from the stem inger 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 | ingiero |
| tú | -es | ingieres |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | ingiere |
| nosotros/as | -imos | ingerimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | ingerís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | ingieren |
ingerir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the singular and third-person plural forms: ingiero, ingieres, ingiere and ingieren. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the original stem: ingerimos and ingerís. Learn the changed forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
The gerund of ingerir is ingiriendo and the past participle is ingerido. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of ingerir
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use ingerir 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 ingerir 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 ingerir is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Ingiero alimentos sanos cada día.” — I ingest healthy food every day.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what ingerir 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: “Ingiere pastillas con agua.” — He/she ingests pills with water.
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: “Ingiero demasiada sal en la cena.” — I ingest too much salt at dinner.
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 ingerir follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros ingerimos líquidos durante el partido.” — Tomorrow, we ingest liquids during the match.
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: “¿Ingieres pastillas con agua?” — Do you ingest pills with water?
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: “Ingiero alimentos sanos cada día.” — I ingest healthy food every day.
Preterite: “Ingerí alimentos sanos cada día.” — I ingested healthy food every day.
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: “Ingiere pastillas con agua.” — He/she ingests pills with water.
Preterite: “Ingirió pastillas con agua.” — He/she ingested pills with water.
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: “Ingerimos demasiada sal en la cena.” — We ingest too much salt at dinner.
Preterite: “Ingerimos demasiada sal en la cena.” — We ingested too much salt at dinner.
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: ingerir 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.
“Ingiero alimentos sanos cada día.” — I ingest healthy food every day.
“Ingieres pastillas con agua.” — You ingest pills with water.
“Ingiere demasiada sal en la cena.” — He/she ingests too much salt at dinner.
“Ingerimos líquidos durante el partido.” — We ingest liquids during the match.
“Ingerís alimentos sanos cada día.” — You ingest healthy food every day.
“Ingieren pastillas con agua.” — They ingest pills with water.
“Ingiero demasiada sal en la cena.” — I ingest too much salt at dinner.
“Ingiere líquidos durante el partido.” — He/she ingests liquids during the match.
Common mistakes with ingerir 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 ingiere alimentos sanos cada día.” Right: “Yo ingiero alimentos sanos cada día.” Why: Yo needs the yo form ingiero. The form ingiere belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo ingero pastillas con agua.” Right: “Yo ingiero pastillas con agua.” Why: Ingerir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the first-person present is ingiero, not ingero.
Wrong: “Ayer yo ingiero pastillas con agua.” Right: “Ayer yo ingerí pastillas con agua.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to ingerí.
Wrong: “Ellos ingiere pastillas con agua.” Right: “Ellos ingieren pastillas con agua.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form ingieren. The singular ingiere belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: ingerir 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 ___ alimentos sanos cada día.”
- (a) ingiero
- (b) ingieres
- (c) ingiere
Answer: ingiero — The yo form of ingerir in the present is ingiero.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ pastillas con agua.”
- (a) ingiero
- (b) ingiere
- (c) ingieres
Answer: ingieres — The tú form of ingerir in the present is ingieres.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ demasiada sal en la cena.”
- (a) ingieres
- (b) ingiere
- (c) ingiero
Answer: ingiere — The él/ella form of ingerir in the present is ingiere.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ líquidos durante el partido.”
- (a) ingerimos
- (b) ingiero
- (c) ingieres
Answer: ingerimos — The nosotros/as form of ingerir in the present is ingerimos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ alimentos sanos cada día.”
- (a) ingiero
- (b) ingieres
- (c) ingerís
Answer: ingerís — The vosotros/as form of ingerir in the present is ingerís.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ pastillas con agua.”
- (a) ingieres
- (b) ingieren
- (c) ingiero
Answer: ingieren — The ellos/ellas form of ingerir in the present is ingieren.
7. What does ingerir mean in English?
- (a) to ingest
- (b) to eat
- (c) to be about
Answer: to ingest — Ingerir means to ingest.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Ingerí alimentos sanos cada día.
- (b) Ingeriré alimentos sanos cada día.
- (c) Ingiero alimentos sanos cada día.
Answer: Ingiero alimentos sanos cada día. — “Ingiero alimentos sanos cada día.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is ingerir regular in the present?
Ingerir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie) in the present: the stem changes in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. The forms are ingiero, ingieres, ingiere, ingerimos, ingerís and ingieren.
What is the gerund and the past participle of ingerir?
The gerund is ingiriendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy ingiriendo. The past participle is ingerido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he ingerido.
What should I watch out for with ingerir?
Ingerir changes e to ie in the present (ingiero) and e to i in the preterite third person (ingirió) and the gerund (ingiriendo). In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is ingiero, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise ingerir in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the ingerir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of ingerir — every tense of ingerir in one place.
- Ingerir examples and quiz — more sentences with ingerir 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 ingerir and other verbs.