Multiplicar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of multiplicar — "to multiply" 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 multiplicar 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. Multiplicar means to multiply, and it is used for multiplying a number by three, multiplying earnings and, figuratively, multiplying efforts. It takes por for the multiplier, and it is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e. To see it in a real sentence: Él multiplica el número por tres. — "He/she multiplies the number by three." 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: multiplicar

Every person of multiplicar in the present tense. The gerund is multiplicando and the past participle is multiplicado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo multiplico
tú multiplicas
él/ella/Ud. multiplica
nosotros/as multiplicamos
vosotros/as multiplicáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. multiplican

How the present indicative of multiplicar is formed

The present indicative of multiplicar is built from the stem multiplic- 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 multiplico
tú -as multiplicas
él/ella/Ud. -a multiplica
nosotros/as -amos multiplicamos
vosotros/as -áis multiplicáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an multiplican

multiplicar 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 multiplico in particular.

The gerund of multiplicar is multiplicando and the past participle is multiplicado. 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 multiplicar

The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and multiplicar 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 multiplicar, this use looks like this: "Yo multiplico el número por tres." — "I multiply the number by three." 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 multiplicar, this use looks like this: "Él multiplica sus ganancias en un año." — "He/she multiplies his earnings in a year." 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 multiplicar, this use looks like this: "Nosotros multiplicamos los esfuerzos del equipo." — "We multiply the team's efforts." 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 multiplicar, this use looks like this: "Ellos multiplican los panes y los peces en el relato." — "They multiply the loaves and fishes in the story." 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 multiplicar, this use looks like this: "Tú multiplicas el número por tres." — "You multiply the number by three." 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 multiplicar. 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 multiplico el número por tres." — "I multiply the number by three."
  • Preterite: "Yo multipliqué el número por tres." — "I multiplied the number by three." 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 multiplica sus ganancias en un año." — "He/she multiplies his earnings in a year."
  • Preterite: "Él multiplicó sus ganancias en un año." — "He/she multiplied his earnings in a year." 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 multiplicamos los esfuerzos del equipo." — "We multiply the team's efforts."
  • Preterite: "Nosotros multiplicamos los esfuerzos del equipo." — "We multiplied the team's efforts." 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 multiplicar in the present tense only. Each one uses a form from the table above.

  1. Yo multiplico el número por tres. — I multiply the number by three.
  2. Tú multiplicas sus ganancias en un año. — You multiply his earnings in a year.
  3. Él multiplica los esfuerzos del equipo. — He/she multiplies the team's efforts.
  4. Nosotros multiplicamos los panes y los peces en el relato. — We multiply the loaves and fishes in the story.
  5. Vosotros multiplicáis el número por tres. — You all multiply the number by three.
  6. Ellos multiplican sus ganancias en un año. — They multiply his earnings in a year.
  7. Yo multiplico los esfuerzos del equipo. — I multiply the team's efforts.
  8. Él multiplica los panes y los peces en el relato. — He/she multiplies the loaves and fishes in the story.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Vosotros multiplicais sus ganancias en un año. — Right: Vosotros multiplicáis sus ganancias en un año. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: multiplicáis, not multiplicais.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo multiplico los esfuerzos del equipo. — Right: Ayer, yo multipliqué los esfuerzos del equipo. — Ayer means yesterday, so it needs the preterite (multipliqué), not the present (multiplico). The present is for now, not for yesterday.
  3. Wrong: Yo multiplica el número por tres. — Right: Yo multiplico el número por tres. — The person matters: multiplica is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is multiplico.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy multiplicado sus ganancias en un año. — Right: Yo he multiplicado sus ganancias en un año. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he multiplicado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el número por tres. (present tense) A. multiplico B. multiplicas C. multiplica D. multiplicamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ sus ganancias en un año. (present tense) A. multiplicas B. multiplico C. multiplica D. multiplicamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Él ___ los esfuerzos del equipo. (present tense) A. multiplica B. multiplico C. multiplicas D. multiplicamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ los panes y los peces en el relato. (present tense) A. multiplicamos B. multiplico C. multiplicas D. multiplica

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros ___ el número por tres. (present tense) A. multiplicáis B. multiplico C. multiplicas D. multiplica

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ___ sus ganancias en un año. (present tense) A. multiplican B. multiplico C. multiplicas D. multiplica

  7. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los esfuerzos del equipo. (present tense) A. multiplico B. multiplicas C. multiplica D. multiplicamos

  8. Complete the sentence: Él ___ los panes y los peces en el relato. (present tense) A. multiplica B. multiplico C. multiplicas D. multiplicamos

Answer key

  1. multiplico — The yo present form of multiplicar is multiplico. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  2. multiplicas — The tu present form of multiplicar is multiplicas. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  3. multiplica — The el present form of multiplicar is multiplica. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  4. multiplicamos — The nosotros present form of multiplicar is multiplicamos. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  5. multiplicáis — The vosotros present form of multiplicar is multiplicáis. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  6. multiplican — The ellos present form of multiplicar is multiplican. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  7. multiplico — The yo present form of multiplicar is multiplico. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  8. multiplica — The el present form of multiplicar is multiplica. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.

Frequently asked questions

When do I use the present tense of multiplicar?

Use the present tense of multiplicar for habits, facts and what is happening now. For example: Yo multiplico el número por tres. — "I multiply the number by three." The usage rules above give five situations with examples.

How is the present tense of multiplicar formed?

Take the stem multiplic- 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 multiplicar?

The present describes a habit or a present fact, while the preterite describes a finished action. Compare Yo multiplico sus ganancias en un año. with Yo multipliqué sus ganancias en un año. — the verb is the same, but the time meaning changes.

How do I practise the present tense of multiplicar?

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

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