Intuir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of intuir — “to sense, to intuit” 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 intuir 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. Intuir means to sense or to intuit, and it is the verb for knowing something without proof: intuir un peligro, intuir la verdad. It is a -uir verb: yo intuyo, él intuye, with y before the vowel endings. To see it in a real sentence: Intuyo un peligro en la calle. — “I sense danger in the street.”
Present tense conjugation table: intuir
Every person of intuir in the present tense. The gerund is intuyendo and the past participle is intuido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | intuyo |
| tú | intuyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | intuye |
| nosotros/as | intuimos |
| vosotros/as | intuís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intuyen |
The gerund is intuyendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy intuyendo” means the action of intuir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is intuido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he intuido” 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 intuir is used.
How the present of intuir is formed
The present of intuir is built from the stem intu 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 | intuyo |
| tú | -es | intuyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | intuye |
| nosotros/as | -imos | intuimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | intuís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | intuyen |
intuir is not fully regular in form: this verb is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is intuyo and intuye, and the gerund is intuyendo. 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 intuyo and intuye.
The gerund of intuir is intuyendo and the past participle is intuido. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of intuir
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use intuir 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 intuir 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 intuir is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Intuyo un peligro en la calle.” — I sense danger in the street.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what intuir 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: “Intuye la verdad en su mirada.” — He/she senses the truth in his look.
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: “Intuyo que algo va mal.” — I sense that something is wrong.
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 intuir follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros intuimos el resultado antes del final.” — Tomorrow, we sense the result before the end.
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: “¿Intuyes la verdad en su mirada?” — Do you sense the truth in his look?
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: “Intuyo un peligro en la calle.” — I sense danger in the street.
Preterite: “Intuí un peligro en la calle.” — I sensed danger in the street.
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: “Intuye la verdad en su mirada.” — He/she senses the truth in his look.
Preterite: “Intuyó la verdad en su mirada.” — He/she sensed the truth in his look.
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: “Intuimos que algo va mal.” — We sense that something is wrong.
Preterite: “Intuimos que algo va mal.” — We sensed that something is wrong.
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: intuir 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.
“Intuyo un peligro en la calle.” — I sense danger in the street.
“Intuyes la verdad en su mirada.” — You sense the truth in his look.
“Intuye que algo va mal.” — He/she senses that something is wrong.
“Intuimos el resultado antes del final.” — We sense the result before the end.
“Intuís un peligro en la calle.” — You sense danger in the street.
“Intuyen la verdad en su mirada.” — They sense the truth in his look.
“Intuyo que algo va mal.” — I sense that something is wrong.
“Intuye el resultado antes del final.” — He/she senses the result before the end.
Common mistakes with intuir 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 intuye un peligro en la calle.” Right: “Yo intuyo un peligro en la calle.” Why: Yo needs the yo form intuyo. The form intuye belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo intuo la verdad en su mirada.” Right: “Yo intuyo la verdad en su mirada.” Why: Intuir is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is intuyo and intuye, and the gerund is intuyendo, so the first-person present is intuyo, not intuo.
Wrong: “Ayer yo intuyo la verdad en su mirada.” Right: “Ayer yo intuí la verdad en su mirada.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to intuí.
Wrong: “Ellos intuye la verdad en su mirada.” Right: “Ellos intuyen la verdad en su mirada.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form intuyen. The singular intuye belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: intuir 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 ___ un peligro en la calle.”
- (a) intuyo
- (b) intuyes
- (c) intuye
Answer: intuyo — The yo form of intuir in the present is intuyo.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ la verdad en su mirada.”
- (a) intuyo
- (b) intuye
- (c) intuyes
Answer: intuyes — The tú form of intuir in the present is intuyes.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ que algo va mal.”
- (a) intuyes
- (b) intuye
- (c) intuyo
Answer: intuye — The él/ella form of intuir in the present is intuye.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ el resultado antes del final.”
- (a) intuimos
- (b) intuyo
- (c) intuyes
Answer: intuimos — The nosotros/as form of intuir in the present is intuimos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ un peligro en la calle.”
- (a) intuyo
- (b) intuyes
- (c) intuís
Answer: intuís — The vosotros/as form of intuir in the present is intuís.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ la verdad en su mirada.”
- (a) intuyes
- (b) intuyen
- (c) intuyo
Answer: intuyen — The ellos/ellas form of intuir in the present is intuyen.
7. What does intuir mean in English?
- (a) to sense, to intuit
- (b) to suspect
- (c) to be about
Answer: to sense, to intuit — Intuir means to sense, to intuit.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Intuí un peligro en la calle.
- (b) Intuiré un peligro en la calle.
- (c) Intuyo un peligro en la calle.
Answer: Intuyo un peligro en la calle. — “Intuyo un peligro en la calle.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is intuir regular in the present?
Intuir is a spelling-change verb in the present: it is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is intuyo and intuye, and the gerund is intuyendo. The endings are the regular -ir endings, so the table above follows the pattern exactly.
What is the gerund and the past participle of intuir?
The gerund is intuyendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy intuyendo. The past participle is intuido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he intuido.
What should I watch out for with intuir?
Intuir is a -uir verb: yo intuyo, él intuye, with y before the vowel endings. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is intuyo, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise intuir in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the intuir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of intuir — every tense of intuir in one place.
- Intuir examples and quiz — more sentences with intuir 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 intuir and other verbs.