Modificar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of modificar — "to modify" 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 modificar 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. Modificar means to modify, and it is used for modifying a plan after a meeting, a document before sending it and a design or a timetable. It is a more precise synonym of cambiar, and it is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e. To see it in a real sentence: Él modifica el plan después de la reunión. — "He/she modifies the plan after the meeting." Work through the table below, then the formation notes, the usage rules and the contrast with the preterite, and test yourself at the end.

Present tense conjugation table: modificar

Every person of modificar in the present tense. The gerund is modificando and the past participle is modificado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo modifico
tú modificas
él/ella/Ud. modifica
nosotros/as modificamos
vosotros/as modificáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. modifican

How the present indicative of modificar is formed

The present indicative of modificar is built from the stem modific- 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 modifico
tú -as modificas
él/ella/Ud. -a modifica
nosotros/as -amos modificamos
vosotros/as -áis modificáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an modifican

modificar is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e. That is why the written form changes in some persons — the sound stays the same, and only the spelling adapts. In this tense, watch the first-person form modifico in particular.

The gerund of modificar is modificando and the past participle is modificado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.

When to use the present tense of modificar

The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and modificar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.

Habits and routines

The present tense describes things you do regularly. If you do it every day, every week or every morning, the present is the tense to use. For modificar, this use looks like this: "Yo modifico el plan después de la reunión." — "I modify the plan after the meeting." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.

General facts

The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. It is the tense for definitions and permanent situations. For modificar, this use looks like this: "Él modifica el documento antes de enviarlo." — "He/she modifies the document before sending it." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.

What is happening now

The present tense also covers what is happening at this moment, especially with verbs that describe an action in progress. For modificar, this use looks like this: "Nosotros modificamos el diseño del cartel." — "We modify the poster design." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.

Timetables and schedules

The present tense is used for fixed plans and timetables, such as trains, classes and opening times, even when they refer to the future. For modificar, this use looks like this: "Ellos modifican el horario para el verano." — "They modify the timetable for the summer." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.

Instructions and requests

The present tense appears in instructions and polite requests, where it sounds softer than a direct command. For modificar, this use looks like this: "Tú modificas el plan después de la reunión." — "You modify the plan after the meeting." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.

The present tense vs the preterite

Learners often mix up the present and the preterite with modificar. The rule is simple: the present is for habits, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite is for one finished action in the past. The three pairs below show the same idea in both tenses, so you can feel the difference.

Pair 1: present vs preterite

  • Present: "Yo modifico el plan después de la reunión." — "I modify the plan after the meeting."
  • Preterite: "Yo modifiqué el plan después de la reunión." — "I modified the plan after the meeting." The first sentence uses the present because it describes a habit or a present fact; the second uses the preterite because it describes a finished action. The verb is the same — only the tense changes the meaning.

Pair 2: present vs preterite

  • Present: "Él modifica el documento antes de enviarlo." — "He/she modifies the document before sending it."
  • Preterite: "Él modificó el documento antes de enviarlo." — "He/she modified the document before sending it." The first sentence uses the present because it describes a habit or a present fact; the second uses the preterite because it describes a finished action. The verb is the same — only the tense changes the meaning.

Pair 3: present vs preterite

  • Present: "Nosotros modificamos el diseño del cartel." — "We modify the poster design."
  • Preterite: "Nosotros modificamos el diseño del cartel." — "We modified the poster design." The first sentence uses the present because it describes a habit or a present fact; the second uses the preterite because it describes a finished action. The verb is the same — only the tense changes the meaning.

Example sentences in the present tense

Eight natural sentences with modificar in the present tense only. Each one uses a form from the table above.

  1. Yo modifico el plan después de la reunión. — I modify the plan after the meeting.
  2. Tú modificas el documento antes de enviarlo. — You modify the document before sending it.
  3. Él modifica el diseño del cartel. — He/she modifies the poster design.
  4. Nosotros modificamos el horario para el verano. — We modify the timetable for the summer.
  5. Vosotros modificáis el plan después de la reunión. — You all modify the plan after the meeting.
  6. Ellos modifican el documento antes de enviarlo. — They modify the document before sending it.
  7. Yo modifico el diseño del cartel. — I modify the poster design.
  8. Él modifica el horario para el verano. — He/she modifies the timetable for the summer.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Vosotros modificais el documento antes de enviarlo. — Right: Vosotros modificáis el documento antes de enviarlo. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: modificáis, not modificais.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo modifico el diseño del cartel. — Right: Ayer, yo modifiqué el diseño del cartel. — Ayer means yesterday, so it needs the preterite (modifiqué), not the present (modifico). The present is for now, not for yesterday.
  3. Wrong: Yo modifica el plan después de la reunión. — Right: Yo modifico el plan después de la reunión. — The person matters: modifica is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is modifico.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy modificado el documento antes de enviarlo. — Right: Yo he modificado el documento antes de enviarlo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he modificado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

Quiz: test yourself

Eight questions on the present tense of modificar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el plan después de la reunión. (present tense) A. modifico B. modificas C. modifica D. modificamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el documento antes de enviarlo. (present tense) A. modificas B. modifico C. modifica D. modificamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Él ___ el diseño del cartel. (present tense) A. modifica B. modifico C. modificas D. modificamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el horario para el verano. (present tense) A. modificamos B. modifico C. modificas D. modifica

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros ___ el plan después de la reunión. (present tense) A. modificáis B. modifico C. modificas D. modifica

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ___ el documento antes de enviarlo. (present tense) A. modifican B. modifico C. modificas D. modifica

  7. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el diseño del cartel. (present tense) A. modifico B. modificas C. modifica D. modificamos

  8. Complete the sentence: Él ___ el horario para el verano. (present tense) A. modifica B. modifico C. modificas D. modificamos

Answer key

  1. modifico — The yo present form of modificar is modifico. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  2. modificas — The tu present form of modificar is modificas. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  3. modifica — The el present form of modificar is modifica. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  4. modificamos — The nosotros present form of modificar is modificamos. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  5. modificáis — The vosotros present form of modificar is modificáis. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  6. modifican — The ellos present form of modificar is modifican. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  7. modifico — The yo present form of modificar is modifico. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  8. modifica — The el present form of modificar is modifica. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.

Frequently asked questions

When do I use the present tense of modificar?

Use the present tense of modificar for habits, facts and what is happening now. For example: Yo modifico el plan después de la reunión. — "I modify the plan after the meeting." The usage rules above give five situations with examples.

How is the present tense of modificar formed?

Take the stem modific- and add the present endings for -ar verbs. The full table is at the top of this page. Remember the spelling change: c becomes qu before e.

What is the difference between the present and the preterite of modificar?

The present describes a habit or a present fact, while the preterite describes a finished action. Compare Yo modifico el documento antes de enviarlo. with Yo modifiqué el documento antes de enviarlo. — the verb is the same, but the time meaning changes.

How do I practise the present tense of modificar?

Drill the six forms in the table above until you can say them without looking, then use the modificar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and test yourself with the Modificar conjugation page for the full picture across all tenses.

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