Inventar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of inventar — “to invent” 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 inventar 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. Inventar means to invent, and it covers inventing a machine, a story, an excuse or a word. It is fully regular and very common in history, school and everyday excuses: inventar una excusa is something every learner should know how to say. To see it in a real sentence: Invento una máquina nueva. — “I invent a new machine.”
Present tense conjugation table: inventar
Every person of inventar in the present tense. The gerund is inventando and the past participle is inventado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | invento |
| tú | inventas |
| él/ella/Ud. | inventa |
| nosotros/as | inventamos |
| vosotros/as | inventáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | inventan |
The gerund is inventando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy inventando” means the action of inventar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is inventado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he inventado” 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 inventar is used.
How the present of inventar is formed
The present of inventar is built from the stem invent plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar 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 | invento |
| tú | -as | inventas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | inventa |
| nosotros/as | -amos | inventamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | inventáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | inventan |
inventar is a regular -ar verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is invent and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so there are no surprises to memorise in this tense — the challenge is only using the forms naturally.
The gerund of inventar is inventando and the past participle is inventado. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of inventar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use inventar 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 inventar 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 inventar is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Invento una máquina nueva.” — I invent a new machine.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what inventar 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: “Inventa una historia para los niños.” — He/she invents a story for the children.
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: “Invento una excusa para no ir.” — I invent an excuse not to go.
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 inventar follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros inventamos un juego nuevo en el patio.” — Tomorrow, we invent a new game in the yard.
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: “¿Inventas una historia para los niños?” — Do you invent a story for the children?
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: “Invento una máquina nueva.” — I invent a new machine.
Preterite: “Inventé una máquina nueva.” — I invented a new machine.
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: “Inventa una historia para los niños.” — He/she invents a story for the children.
Preterite: “Inventó una historia para los niños.” — He/she invented a story for the children.
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: “Inventamos una excusa para no ir.” — We invent an excuse not to go.
Preterite: “Inventamos una excusa para no ir.” — We invented an excuse not to go.
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: inventar 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.
“Invento una máquina nueva.” — I invent a new machine.
“Inventas una historia para los niños.” — You invent a story for the children.
“Inventa una excusa para no ir.” — He/she invents an excuse not to go.
“Inventamos un juego nuevo en el patio.” — We invent a new game in the yard.
“Inventáis una máquina nueva.” — You invent a new machine.
“Inventan una historia para los niños.” — They invent a story for the children.
“Invento una excusa para no ir.” — I invent an excuse not to go.
“Inventa un juego nuevo en el patio.” — He/she invents a new game in the yard.
Common mistakes with inventar 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 inventa una máquina nueva.” Right: “Yo invento una máquina nueva.” Why: Yo needs the yo form invento. The form inventa belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo inventar una historia para los niños.” Right: “Yo invento una historia para los niños.” Why: The infinitive inventar cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving invento.
Wrong: “Ayer yo invento una historia para los niños.” Right: “Ayer yo inventé una historia para los niños.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to inventé.
Wrong: “Ellos inventa una historia para los niños.” Right: “Ellos inventan una historia para los niños.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form inventan. The singular inventa belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: inventar 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 ___ una máquina nueva.”
- (a) invento
- (b) inventas
- (c) inventa
Answer: invento — The yo form of inventar in the present is invento.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ una historia para los niños.”
- (a) invento
- (b) inventa
- (c) inventas
Answer: inventas — The tú form of inventar in the present is inventas.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ una excusa para no ir.”
- (a) inventas
- (b) inventa
- (c) invento
Answer: inventa — The él/ella form of inventar in the present is inventa.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ un juego nuevo en el patio.”
- (a) inventamos
- (b) invento
- (c) inventas
Answer: inventamos — The nosotros/as form of inventar in the present is inventamos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ una máquina nueva.”
- (a) invento
- (b) inventas
- (c) inventáis
Answer: inventáis — The vosotros/as form of inventar in the present is inventáis.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ una historia para los niños.”
- (a) inventas
- (b) inventan
- (c) invento
Answer: inventan — The ellos/ellas form of inventar in the present is inventan.
7. What does inventar mean in English?
- (a) to invent
- (b) to discover
- (c) to be about
Answer: to invent — Inventar means to invent.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Inventé una máquina nueva.
- (b) Inventaré una máquina nueva.
- (c) Invento una máquina nueva.
Answer: Invento una máquina nueva. — “Invento una máquina nueva.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is inventar regular in the present?
Yes. Inventar is regular in the present: invento, inventas, inventa, inventamos, inventáis and inventan. Watch the accents on the forms that carry them, and remember that the nosotros form is the one that keeps the stem unchanged.
What is the gerund and the past participle of inventar?
The gerund is inventando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy inventando. The past participle is inventado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he inventado.
What should I watch out for with inventar?
Inventar is fully regular: inventé, inventaba, inventaré. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is invento, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise inventar in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the inventar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of inventar — every tense of inventar in one place.
- Inventar examples and quiz — more sentences with inventar 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 inventar and other verbs.