Invocar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of invocar — “to invoke” 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 invocar 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. Invocar means to invoke or to call on, and it is used for calling on a god, a law, a right or a spirit: invocar la ley, invocar a los dioses. It is a formal, literary verb, and its spelling change — c to qu before e — is its main learning point. To see it in a real sentence: Invoco la ley en el juicio. — “I invoke the law in the trial.”
Present tense conjugation table: invocar
Every person of invocar in the present tense. The gerund is invocando and the past participle is invocado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | invoco |
| tú | invocas |
| él/ella/Ud. | invoca |
| nosotros/as | invocamos |
| vosotros/as | invocáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | invocan |
The gerund is invocando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy invocando” means the action of invocar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is invocado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he invocado” 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 invocar is used.
How the present of invocar is formed
The present of invocar is built from the stem invoc 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 | invoco |
| tú | -as | invocas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | invoca |
| nosotros/as | -amos | invocamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | invocáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | invocan |
invocar is not fully regular in form: this verb is a -car verb: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite first person is invoqué and the present subjunctive is invoque. The endings in the table above are the regular -ar endings, so once you know the pattern, the whole tense follows. The forms that show the pattern most clearly are invoco and invoca.
The gerund of invocar is invocando and the past participle is invocado. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of invocar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use invocar 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 invocar 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 invocar is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Invoco la ley en el juicio.” — I invoke the law in the trial.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what invocar 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: “Invoca a los dioses antiguos.” — He/she invokes the ancient gods.
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: “Invoco el derecho a la libertad.” — I invoke the right to freedom.
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 invocar follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros invocamos el nombre de su madre.” — Tomorrow, we invoke his mother's name.
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: “¿Invocas a los dioses antiguos?” — Do you invoke the ancient gods?
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: “Invoco la ley en el juicio.” — I invoke the law in the trial.
Preterite: “Invoqué la ley en el juicio.” — I invoked the law in the trial.
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: “Invoca a los dioses antiguos.” — He/she invokes the ancient gods.
Preterite: “Invocó a los dioses antiguos.” — He/she invoked the ancient gods.
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: “Invocamos el derecho a la libertad.” — We invoke the right to freedom.
Preterite: “Invocamos el derecho a la libertad.” — We invoked the right to freedom.
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: invocar 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.
“Invoco la ley en el juicio.” — I invoke the law in the trial.
“Invocas a los dioses antiguos.” — You invoke the ancient gods.
“Invoca el derecho a la libertad.” — He/she invokes the right to freedom.
“Invocamos el nombre de su madre.” — We invoke his mother's name.
“Invocáis la ley en el juicio.” — You invoke the law in the trial.
“Invocan a los dioses antiguos.” — They invoke the ancient gods.
“Invoco el derecho a la libertad.” — I invoke the right to freedom.
“Invoca el nombre de su madre.” — He/she invokes his mother's name.
Common mistakes with invocar 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 invoca la ley en el juicio.” Right: “Yo invoco la ley en el juicio.” Why: Yo needs the yo form invoco. The form invoca belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo invocar a los dioses antiguos.” Right: “Yo invoco a los dioses antiguos.” Why: The infinitive invocar cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving invoco.
Wrong: “Ayer yo invoco a los dioses antiguos.” Right: “Ayer yo invoqué a los dioses antiguos.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to invoqué.
Wrong: “Ellos invoca a los dioses antiguos.” Right: “Ellos invocan a los dioses antiguos.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form invocan. The singular invoca belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: invocar 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 ___ la ley en el juicio.”
- (a) invoco
- (b) invocas
- (c) invoca
Answer: invoco — The yo form of invocar in the present is invoco.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ a los dioses antiguos.”
- (a) invoco
- (b) invoca
- (c) invocas
Answer: invocas — The tú form of invocar in the present is invocas.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ el derecho a la libertad.”
- (a) invocas
- (b) invoca
- (c) invoco
Answer: invoca — The él/ella form of invocar in the present is invoca.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ el nombre de su madre.”
- (a) invocamos
- (b) invoco
- (c) invocas
Answer: invocamos — The nosotros/as form of invocar in the present is invocamos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ la ley en el juicio.”
- (a) invoco
- (b) invocas
- (c) invocáis
Answer: invocáis — The vosotros/as form of invocar in the present is invocáis.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ a los dioses antiguos.”
- (a) invocas
- (b) invocan
- (c) invoco
Answer: invocan — The ellos/ellas form of invocar in the present is invocan.
7. What does invocar mean in English?
- (a) to invoke
- (b) to call
- (c) to be about
Answer: to invoke — Invocar means to invoke.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Invoqué la ley en el juicio.
- (b) Invocaré la ley en el juicio.
- (c) Invoco la ley en el juicio.
Answer: Invoco la ley en el juicio. — “Invoco la ley en el juicio.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is invocar regular in the present?
Invocar is a spelling-change verb in the present: it is a -car verb: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite first person is invoqué and the present subjunctive is invoque. The endings are the regular -ar endings, so the table above follows the pattern exactly.
What is the gerund and the past participle of invocar?
The gerund is invocando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy invocando. The past participle is invocado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he invocado.
What should I watch out for with invocar?
Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is invoqué and the subjunctive invoque. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is invoco, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise invocar in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the invocar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of invocar — every tense of invocar in one place.
- Invocar examples and quiz — more sentences with invocar 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 invocar and other verbs.