Maquillar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of maquillar — «to apply makeup to» — 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. maquillar 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 maquillo todos los días» — I apply makeup to every day.

Maquillar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo maquillo
tú maquillas
él/ella/Ud. maquilla
nosotros/as maquillamos
vosotros/as maquilláis
ellos/ellas/Uds. maquillan

Gerund: maquillando · Past participle: maquillado

How the present tense of maquillar is formed

Take the stem maquill — the infinitive maquillar 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 maquill -o maquillo
tú maquill -as maquillas
él/ella/Ud. maquill -a maquilla
nosotros/as maquill -amos maquillamos
vosotros/as maquill -áis maquilláis
ellos/ellas/Uds. maquill -an maquillan

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 maquillo, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of maquillar

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 maquillo todos los días. — I apply makeup to 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 maquilla con mi familia. — He applies makeup to 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 maquillando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros maquillamos por la mañana. — We apply makeup to 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 maquillas en el trabajo. — You apply makeup to 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 maquillan a veces. — They apply makeup to 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 maquillo todos los días. — I apply makeup to every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo maquillé por la tarde. — Yesterday I applied makeup to 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 maquilla por la mañana. — He applies makeup to in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él maquilló por la tarde. — Yesterday He applied makeup to in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nosotros maquillamos con mi familia. — We apply makeup to with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros maquillamos dos veces. — Last week We applied makeup to 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: maquillar in the present

  1. Yo maquillo todos los días. — I apply makeup to every day.
  2. Tú maquillas en el trabajo. — You apply makeup to at work.
  3. Él maquilla con mi familia. — He applies makeup to with my family.
  4. Nosotros maquillamos por la mañana. — We apply makeup to in the morning.
  5. Vosotros maquilláis cuando hay tiempo. — You apply makeup to when there is time.
  6. Ellos maquillan a veces. — They apply makeup to sometimes.
  7. Yo maquillo en el trabajo. — I apply makeup to at work.
  8. Él maquilla todos los días. — He applies makeup to every day.

Common mistakes with maquillar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros maquillais.

Right: Vosotros maquilláis.

The vosotros form maquilláis 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 maquillo.

Right: Ayer yo maquillé.

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

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos maquillo.

Right: Ellos maquillan.

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

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy maquillo.

Right: Estoy maquillando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy maquillando. The conjugated present maquillo never follows estar.

Quiz: maquillar in the present

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

1. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of maquillar in the present indicative?

- (a) maquillo
- (b) maquillas
- (c) maquillamos
- (d) maquilla

2. What is the nosotros/as form of maquillar in the present indicative?

- (a) maquillamos
- (b) maquillas
- (c) maquilla
- (d) maquillo

3. What is the vosotros/as form of maquillar in the present indicative?

- (a) maquilláis
- (b) maquillo
- (c) maquilla
- (d) maquillas

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of maquillar in the present indicative?

- (a) maquillas
- (b) maquilla
- (c) maquillo
- (d) maquillan

5. What is the yo form of maquillar in the present indicative?

- (a) maquillo
- (b) maquillamos
- (c) maquillas
- (d) maquilla

6. What is the tú form of maquillar in the present indicative?

- (a) maquilla
- (b) maquillas
- (c) maquillamos
- (d) maquillo

7. What is the gerund of maquillar?

- (a) maquillado
- (b) maquillar
- (c) maquillando
- (d) maquillo

8. What is the past participle of maquillar?

- (a) maquillar
- (b) maquillado
- (c) maquillé
- (d) maquillando

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of maquillar is maquilla. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of maquillar is maquillamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of maquillar is maquilláis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of maquillar is maquillan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the present indicative, the yo form of maquillar is maquillo. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — In the present indicative, the tú form of maquillar is maquillas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (c) — The gerund of maquillar is maquillando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy maquillando». 8. (b) — The past participle of maquillar is maquillado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he maquillado».

Frequently asked questions

Is maquillar regular in the present?

Yes — maquillar is regular in the present. The stem maquill 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 maquillar in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for maquillar?

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

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

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

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