Lastimar Present Tense in Spanish
lastimar means "to hurt, to injure" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for lastimar, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo lastimo a su hermano con sus palabras. — "Every day, I hurt his brother with his words." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of lastimar: full table
Every person of lastimar in the present tense. The gerund is lastimando and the past participle is lastimado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | lastimo |
| tú | lastimas |
| él/ella/Ud. | lastima |
| nosotros/as | lastimamos |
| vosotros/as | lastimáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | lastiman |
The gerund of lastimar is lastimando and the past participle is lastimado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy lastimando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he lastimado).
How the present tense of lastimar is formed
The present tense of lastimar is built from the stem lastim- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo lastimo, tú lastimas, él lastima, nosotros lastimamos, vosotros lastimáis and ellos lastiman. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | lastimo |
| tú | -as | lastimas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | lastima |
| nosotros/as | -amos | lastimamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | lastimáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | lastiman |
lastimar is completely regular in the present tense: the stem never changes and every ending is the standard -ar ending. The only thing to watch is the accent on the vosotros form lastimáis.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is lastimando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy lastimando. The past participle is lastimado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he lastimado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with lastimar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo lastimo a su hermano con sus palabras. — "Every day, I hurt his brother with his words." The complement in this sentence is about his brother with his words, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear lastimar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú lastimas el brazo de su amigo. — "Now, you hurt his friend's arm." The complement in this sentence is about his friend's arm, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear lastimar in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él lastima a los demás sin querer. — "Normally, he/she hurts other people without meaning to." The complement in this sentence is about other people without meaning to, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear lastimar in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros lastimamos su rodilla en el juego. — "Tomorrow, we hurt his knee in the game." The complement in this sentence is about his knee in the game, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear lastimar in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos lastiman a su hermano con sus palabras. — "Always, they hurt his brother with his words." The complement in this sentence is about his brother with his words, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear lastimar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: lastimar
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with lastimar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo lastimo a su hermano con sus palabras. — "Every day, I hurt his brother with his words."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo lastimé a su hermano con sus palabras. — "Yesterday, I hurt his brother with his words."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú lastimas el brazo de su amigo. — "Every day, you hurt his friend's arm."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú lastimaste el brazo de su amigo. — "Yesterday, you hurt his friend's arm."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él lastima a los demás sin querer. — "Every day, he/she hurts other people without meaning to."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él lastimó a los demás sin querer. — "Yesterday, he/she hurt other people without meaning to."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: lastimar in the present tense
These eight sentences show lastimar in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo lastimo a su hermano con sus palabras. — "I hurt his brother with his words."
- Tú lastimas el brazo de su amigo. — "you hurt his friend's arm."
- Él lastima a los demás sin querer. — "he/she hurts other people without meaning to."
- Nosotros lastimamos su rodilla en el juego. — "we hurt his knee in the game."
- Vosotros lastimáis a su hermano con sus palabras. — "you (plural) hurt his brother with his words."
- Ellos lastiman el brazo de su amigo. — "they hurt his friend's arm."
- Yo lastimo a los demás sin querer. — "I hurt other people without meaning to."
- Tú lastimas su rodilla en el juego. — "you hurt his knee in the game."
Common mistakes with lastimar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros lastimais a su hermano con sus palabras.
- Right: Vosotros lastimáis a su hermano con sus palabras.
- Why: The vosotros form lastimáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me lastimo a su hermano con sus palabras.
- Right: Yo lastimo a su hermano con sus palabras.
- Why: lastimar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add. The extra pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo lastimo el brazo de su amigo.
- Right: Ayer, yo lastimé el brazo de su amigo.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo lastimé el brazo de su amigo. — "Yesterday, I hurt his friend's arm." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo lastimo a los demás sin querer.
- Right: Antes, yo lastimaba a los demás sin querer.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo lastimaba a los demás sin querer. — "In the past, I used to hurt other people without meaning to." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros lastima a su hermano con sus palabras.
- Right: Nosotros lastimamos a su hermano con sus palabras.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes lastimamos, while lastima belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of lastimar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of lastimar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of lastimar in the present tense?
- (a) lastimo
- (b) lastimas
- (c) lastima
- (d) lastimamos
Answer: (a) lastimo. The yo form is lastimo. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of lastimar in the present tense?
- (a) lastimo
- (b) lastima
- (c) lastimamos
- (d) lastimas
Answer: (d) lastimas. The tú form is lastimas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of lastimar in the present tense?
- (a) lastimas
- (b) lastimamos
- (c) lastima
- (d) lastimo
Answer: (c) lastima. The él/ella form is lastima. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of lastimar in the present tense?
- (a) lastima
- (b) lastimamos
- (c) lastimo
- (d) lastimas
Answer: (b) lastimamos. The nosotros form is lastimamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of lastimar in the present tense?
- (a) lastiman
- (b) lastimo
- (c) lastimas
- (d) lastima
Answer: (a) lastiman. The ellos/ellas form is lastiman. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ a su hermano con sus palabras.
- (a) lastimas
- (b) lastima
- (c) lastimamos
- (d) lastimo
Answer: (d) lastimo. The sentence needs the yo form lastimo (Every day, I hurt his brother with his words.)
7. What is the gerund of lastimar?
- (a) lastimado
- (b) lastimo
- (c) lastimar
- (d) lastimando
Answer: (d) lastimando. The gerund is lastimando, used for the progressive: estoy lastimando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Ayer, yo lastimé el brazo de su amigo.
- (b) Mañana, yo lastimaré el brazo de su amigo.
- (c) Cada día, yo lastimo el brazo de su amigo.
- (d) Antes, yo lastimaba el brazo de su amigo.
Answer: (c) Cada día, yo lastimo el brazo de su amigo.. Cada día, yo lastimo el brazo de su amigo. (Every day, I hurt his friend's arm.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo lastimé el brazo de su amigo. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo lastimaré el brazo de su amigo. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of lastimar
Is lastimar regular in the present tense?
Yes. lastimar is a regular -ar verb: lastimo, lastimas, lastima, lastimamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
What is the difference between lastimar and lastimarse?
lastimar means "to hurt, to injure", while lastimarse means "to hurt oneself". The reflexive form is used when the action comes back to the subject, and the plain form is used when the action is done to someone or something else.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with lastimar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo lastimo el brazo de su amigo. — "Every day, I hurt his friend's arm." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo lastimé el brazo de su amigo. — "Yesterday, I hurt his friend's arm." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with lastimar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros lastimamos su rodilla en el juego. — "Tomorrow, we hurt his knee in the game." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.