Multar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of multar — “to fine” 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 multar 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. Multar means to fine someone, to impose a money penalty for breaking a rule. It is used for traffic fines, parking fines and fines for breaking local rules, and it is a fully regular verb that turns up in driving, travel and news contexts. To see it in a real sentence: Multo al conductor por aparcar en doble fila. — “I fine the driver for double parking.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of multar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: multar
Every person of multar in the present tense. The gerund is multando and the past participle is multado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | multo |
| tú | multas |
| él/ella/Ud. | multa |
| nosotros/as | multamos |
| vosotros/as | multáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | multan |
How the present indicative of multar is formed
The present indicative of multar is built from the stem plus the present indicative 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 | multo |
| tú | -as | multas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | multa |
| nosotros/as | -amos | multamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | multáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | multan |
Multar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is mult- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of multar is multando and the past participle is multado. 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 multar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and multar 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.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and multar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo multo al conductor por aparcar en doble fila todos los días.” — “I fine the driver for double parking every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él multa al ciclista por saltarse el semáforo.” — “He/she fines the cyclist for running the red light.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so multo can mean both “I fine” and “I am fineing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo multo a la empresa por contaminar el río.” — “Right now, I fine the company for polluting the river.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo multo con cincuenta euros por exceso de velocidad.” — “Tomorrow, I will fine with fifty euros for speeding.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú multas al conductor por aparcar en doble fila?” — “Do you fine the driver for double parking?”
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Multa al ciclista por saltarse el semáforo. — “He/she fines the cyclist for running the red light.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Multó al ciclista por saltarse el semáforo. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add “used to” in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Multan a la empresa por contaminar el río. — “They fine the company for polluting the river.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Multaban a la empresa por contaminar el río. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Multas con cincuenta euros por exceso de velocidad. — “You fine with fifty euros for speeding.”
- Future — what will happen: Multarás con cincuenta euros por exceso de velocidad. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: multar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show multar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo multo al conductor por aparcar en doble fila. — “I fine the driver for double parking.”
- Tú multas al ciclista por saltarse el semáforo. — “You fine the cyclist for running the red light.”
- Él multa a la empresa por contaminar el río. — “He fines the company for polluting the river.”
- Nosotros multamos con cincuenta euros por exceso de velocidad. — “We fine with fifty euros for speeding.”
- Vosotros multáis al conductor por aparcar en doble fila. — “You (plural) fine the driver for double parking.”
- Ellos multan al ciclista por saltarse el semáforo. — “They fine the cyclist for running the red light.”
- ¿Tú multas a la empresa por contaminar el río? — “Do you fine the company for polluting the river?”
Common mistakes with multar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with multar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo multar al conductor por aparcar en doble fila. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo multo al conductor por aparcar en doble fila.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of multar is multo, not the infinitive multar.
✗ Vosotros multais al conductor por aparcar en doble fila. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros multáis al conductor por aparcar en doble fila.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: multáis, not multais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo multo al ciclista por saltarse el semáforo. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo multé al ciclista por saltarse el semáforo.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: multo is happening now, while multé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating multar and sancionar as identical in every context. (confusing multar with sancionar).
✓ Correct: Multar means to fine, while sancionar means to sanction, in a wider sense.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: multar fits sentences such as Multo al conductor por aparcar en doble fila, while sancionar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: multar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of multar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of multar for tú?
- a) multas
- b) multo
- c) multa
- d) multan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ al conductor por aparcar en doble fila. — “I fine the driver for double parking.”
- a) multa
- b) multamos
- c) multas
- d) multo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al ciclista por saltarse el semáforo. — “He/she fines the cyclist for running the red light.” (present tense)
- a) multaba
- b) multará
- c) multa
- d) multó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of multar for nosotros?
- a) multan
- b) multamos
- c) multo
- d) multa
5. Which sentence uses multar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él multó al ciclista por saltarse el semáforo.
- b) Él multa al ciclista por saltarse el semáforo.
- c) Él multará al ciclista por saltarse el semáforo.
- d) Ellos multa al ciclista por saltarse el semáforo.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ a la empresa por contaminar el río. — “They fine the company for polluting the river.”
- a) multo
- b) multa
- c) multamos
- d) multan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ con cincuenta euros por exceso de velocidad? — “Do you fine with fifty euros for speeding?”
- a) multa
- b) multarás
- c) multas
- d) multo
8. What is the gerund of multar?
- a) multé
- b) multando
- c) multado
- d) multo
Answer key
a) multas — The tú form is multas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; multo is yo, multa is él/ella and multan is ellos/ellas.
d) multo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: multo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) multa — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: multa. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) multamos — Nosotros takes multamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él multa al ciclista por saltarse el semáforo. — Él multa al ciclista por saltarse el semáforo. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) multan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is multan.
c) multas — The question needs the tú form in the present: multas.
b) multando — The gerund is multando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle multado.
Frequently asked questions
Is multar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Multar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: multo, multas, multa, multamos, multáis and multan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of multar?
The gerund is multando and the past participle is multado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I fine” in Spanish?
Say multo. For example: Multo al conductor por aparcar en doble fila. — “I fine the driver for double parking.”
What is the difference between multar and sancionar?
Multar means “to fine”, while sancionar means “to sanction, in a wider sense”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use multar when you mean “to fine” and sancionar when you mean “to sanction, in a wider sense”. The full conjugation of multar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of multar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- multar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Condenar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with multar.
- Sancionar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with multar.
- Indultar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with multar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.