Madurar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of madurar — «to mature, to ripen» — is the form you will reach for most often. It talks about habits, facts and what is happening right now, and it is the first tense to master for this verb. madurar is a regular -ar verb verb, so the present follows the -ar endings. On this page you will find the full present-tense table, how the forms are built, five usage rules with examples, a comparison with the preterite, more example sentences, the mistakes learners make in this tense, an eight-question quiz and answers to common questions. A good first sentence is «Yo maduro todos los días» — I mature every day.

Madurar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo maduro
tú maduras
él/ella/Ud. madura
nosotros/as maduramos
vosotros/as maduráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. maduran

Gerund: madurando · Past participle: madurado

How the present tense of madurar is formed

Take the stem madur — the infinitive madurar without its -ar ending — and add the present endings. The table below shows the build for every person, using the actual stem of each form:

Person Stem Ending Form
yo madur -o maduro
tú madur -as maduras
él/ella/Ud. madur -a madura
nosotros/as madur -amos maduramos
vosotros/as madur -áis maduráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. madur -an maduran

The present is the only tense where the yo form ends in -o for all three verb classes, which makes it a useful anchor: if you know maduro, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of madurar

1. Daily routines and habits

The most common use: things you do regularly. Time words like todos los días, siempre and a veces are the giveaway.

Yo maduro todos los días. — I mature every day.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. No time expression is needed — the statement stands on its own.

Él madura con mi familia. — He matures with my family.

3. What is happening right now

For an action in progress, the present works on its own in Spanish, and you can also use estar + the gerund madurando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros maduramos por la mañana. — We mature in the morning.

4. Scheduled near-future plans

Spanish often uses the present for a fixed plan in the near future, where English would say «going to». A time expression such as mañana or la semana que viene makes the future meaning clear.

Tú maduras en el trabajo. — You mature at work.

5. Narrating and commenting

The present is the tense of live commentary and of stories told as if they were happening now. It keeps the listener in the moment, and it is the tense of instructions and explanations.

Ellos maduran a veces. — They mature sometimes.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The present and the preterite answer different questions. The present says what happens in general or what is happening now; the preterite says what happened once and is over. Compare the pairs below — same verb, different time frame:

  • Present: Yo maduro todos los días. — I mature every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo maduré por la tarde. — Yesterday I matured in the afternoon.

  • A routine against a single finished event. The present describes the habit; the preterite reports the one time it happened.

  • Present: Él madura por la mañana. — He matures in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él maduró por la tarde. — Yesterday He matured in the afternoon.

  • What happens in the morning in general, against what happened yesterday afternoon. The time expression decides the tense.

  • Present: Nosotros maduramos con mi familia. — We mature with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros maduramos dos veces. — Last week We matured twice.

  • A shared habit against a shared finished event. If the action repeats, use the present; if it happened once and ended, use the preterite.

Example sentences: madurar in the present

  1. Yo maduro todos los días. — I mature every day.
  2. Tú maduras en el trabajo. — You mature at work.
  3. Él madura con mi familia. — He matures with my family.
  4. Nosotros maduramos por la mañana. — We mature in the morning.
  5. Vosotros maduráis cuando hay tiempo. — You mature when there is time.
  6. Ellos maduran a veces. — They mature sometimes.
  7. Yo maduro en el trabajo. — I mature at work.
  8. Él madura todos los días. — He matures every day.

Common mistakes with madurar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros madurais.

Right: Vosotros maduráis.

The vosotros form maduráis carries a written accent on the ending. Without it the word is misspelled, and in speech the stress falls in the wrong place.

2. Using the present for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo maduro.

Right: Ayer yo maduré.

Ayer belongs with the preterite. The present maduro talks about now or about a habit; a finished yesterday needs maduré.

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos maduro.

Right: Ellos maduran.

Each person has its own form: ellos take maduran, not the yo form maduro. The -n ending on maduran is what marks the third-person plural.

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy maduro.

Right: Estoy madurando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy madurando. The conjugated present maduro never follows estar.

Quiz: madurar in the present

Test yourself on the present tense of madurar. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of madurar in the present indicative?

- (a) maduramos
- (b) maduro
- (c) maduras
- (d) madura

2. What is the tú form of madurar in the present indicative?

- (a) maduras
- (b) maduro
- (c) maduramos
- (d) madura

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of madurar in the present indicative?

- (a) madura
- (b) maduras
- (c) maduro
- (d) maduramos

4. What is the nosotros/as form of madurar in the present indicative?

- (a) madura
- (b) maduro
- (c) maduramos
- (d) maduras

5. What is the vosotros/as form of madurar in the present indicative?

- (a) maduro
- (b) maduras
- (c) madura
- (d) maduráis

6. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of madurar in the present indicative?

- (a) maduras
- (b) maduro
- (c) maduran
- (d) madura

7. What is the gerund of madurar?

- (a) madurar
- (b) maduro
- (c) madurado
- (d) madurando

8. What is the past participle of madurar?

- (a) maduré
- (b) madurado
- (c) madurar
- (d) madurando

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the yo form of madurar is maduro. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the present indicative, the tú form of madurar is maduras. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of madurar is madura. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of madurar is maduramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of madurar is maduráis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of madurar is maduran. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (d) — The gerund of madurar is madurando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy madurando». 8. (b) — The past participle of madurar is madurado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he madurado».

Frequently asked questions

Is madurar regular in the present?

Yes — madurar is regular in the present. The stem madur never changes and the endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an for -ar verbs (with the matching sets for -er and -ir verbs).

What is the yo form of madurar in the present?

It is maduro. Use it for talking about yourself right now.

How is the present different from the preterite for madurar?

The present (maduro) describes habits and what is happening now; the preterite (maduré) reports a single finished event. «Yo maduro todos los días» is a habit, while «Ayer yo maduré» is one event that ended yesterday.

Can I use the present of madurar with estar and the gerund?

Yes — «Estoy madurando» means «I am maturing right now», with the emphasis on the action in progress. The plain present «Yo maduro» is also correct for what is happening now; the gerund version simply stresses the moment.

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