Nacer Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of nacer — "to be born" 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 nacer 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. Nacer means "to be born", and it is the verb for the beginning of every life story: ¿dónde naciste?, where were you born? It is used for people, animals and plants, and figuratively for ideas and movements that are born (nace una idea, an idea is born). Like crecer, it is a -zc- verb: the yo form is nazco, while all the other persons keep the plain stem nac- (naces, nace, nacemos, nacéis, nacen). The preterite is also common for this verb, but the present is used for general facts — babies are born every day — and for the question everyone asks when they meet someone new. To see it in a real sentence: Mi hijo nace en Madrid. — "My son was born in Madrid.".
Present tense conjugation table: nacer
Every person of nacer in the present tense. The gerund is naciendo and the past participle is nacido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | nazco |
| tú | naces |
| él/ella/Ud. | nace |
| nosotros/as | nacemos |
| vosotros/as | nacéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | nacen |
How the present indicative of nacer is formed
The present indicative of nacer is built from the stem nac- plus the present indicative endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er 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 | nazco |
| tú | -es | naces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | nace |
| nosotros/as | -emos | nacemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | nacéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | nacen |
nacer is a -zc- verb. Only the yo form changes: the stem gains a zc, giving nazco. Every other person keeps the plain stem nac-: naces, nace, nacemos, nacéis and nacen. The rule is simple to remember — the zc belongs to yo and to the subjunctive forms built on it, and nowhere else in the present tense. If you catch yourself writing the zc in any other person, drop it.
The gerund of nacer is naciendo and the past participle is nacido. 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 nacer
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and nacer 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.
Saying where someone was born
In the present, nacer states a general fact about origin: nace en Madrid means he is a Madrid native.
"Mi hijo nace en Madrid." — "My son was born in Madrid."
Talking about babies being born
The present reports births as a general, ongoing fact.
"Cada día nacen miles de bebés en el mundo." — "Thousands of babies are born in the world every day."
Ideas and movements being born
Figuratively, nacer describes something new appearing — an idea, a company, a trend.
"Una idea nueva nace cada día." — "A new idea is born every day."
Plants being born
Gardeners use nacer for seeds sprouting — the plant is born from the seed.
"El trigo nace en primavera." — "The wheat sprouts in spring."
Asking about origin
The question ¿dónde naces? is less common than the preterite, but the present is used for general origin questions about groups.
"¿Tú naces en España?" — "Were you born in Spain?"
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: Yo nazco en un pueblo pequeño. — "I was born in a small village."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo nací en un pueblo pequeño. — 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: Tú naces en Madrid, ¿verdad? — "You were born in Madrid, right?"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú nacías en Madrid, ¿verdad? — 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: Mi hijo nace en Madrid. — "My son was born in Madrid."
- Future — what will happen: Mi hijo nacerá en Madrid. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: nacer in the present tense
Seven sentences that show nacer in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo nazco en un pueblo pequeño. — "I was born in a small village."
- Tú naces en Madrid, ¿verdad? — "You were born in Madrid, right?"
- Mi hijo nace en Madrid. — "My son was born in Madrid."
- Nosotros nacemos en la misma ciudad. — "We were born in the same city."
- Vosotros nacéis en el extranjero. — "You were born abroad."
- Los gemelos nacen en enero. — "The twins are born in January."
- Una estrella nace cada noche. — "A star is born every night."
Common mistakes with nacer in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with nacer in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo naco en un pueblo pequeño.
✓ Correct: Yo nazco en un pueblo pequeño.
Nacer is a -zc- verb: the yo form is nazco, not naco. The zc appears only in yo.
✗ *Tú nazces en Madrid, ¿verdad?
✓ Correct: Tú naces en Madrid, ¿verdad?
Only yo takes the zc. Tú is naces, él is nace, ellos are nacen.
✗ *Nosotros nazcemos en la misma ciudad.
✓ Correct: Nosotros nacemos en la misma ciudad.
Nosotros is nacemos. The zc never appears in nosotros or vosotros.
✗ *Yo nací en un pueblo pequeño (using the preterite when the present is asked for — correct Spanish, wrong tense for this page).
✓ Correct: Yo nazco en un pueblo pequeño.
Nací is the preterite and it is the normal way to say where you were born. The present nazco is used for general facts, so match the tense to the meaning you want.
Quiz: nacer in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of nacer. 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 nacer for tú?
- a) nacen
- b) nazco
- c) naces
- d) nace
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ en un pueblo pequeño. — "I was born in a small village."
- a) nazco
- b) nacen
- c) naces
- d) nací
3. Complete the sentence: Cada día ______ miles de bebés en el mundo. — "Thousands of babies are born in the world every day."
- a) nacemos
- b) nacieron
- c) nace
- d) nacen
4. Which is the correct present tense form of nacer for nosotros?
- a) nacemos
- b) naces
- c) nazco
- d) nacen
5. Which sentence uses nacer correctly in the present tense?
- a) Mi hijo nace en Madrid.
- b) Mi hijo naces en Madrid.
- c) Mi hijo nació en Madrid.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of nacer for yo?
- a) nazco
- b) naco
- c) nace
- d) naces
7. Complete the sentence: El trigo ______ en primavera. — "The wheat sprouts in spring."
- a) nazco
- b) nacen
- c) nace
- d) nació
8. What is the gerund of nacer?
- a) nazco
- b) naciendo
- c) nacemos
- d) nacido
Answer key
c) naces — The tú form is naces. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; nazco is yo, nace is él/ella and nacen is ellos/ellas.
a) nazco — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: nazco. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) nacen — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is nacen.
a) nacemos — Nosotros takes nacemos. In the present the nosotros ending for -er verbs is -emos, attached to the stem nac-.
a) Mi hijo nace en Madrid. — Mi hijo nace en Madrid. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
a) nazco — nacer is a -zc- verb: the yo form is nazco, with the zc. The form without the z is a spelling error, and the other options belong to different persons.
c) nace — The subject is él/ella/Ud., so the present form is nace.
b) naciendo — The gerund is naciendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle nacido.
Frequently asked questions
Is nacer regular in the present tense?
Almost. nacer is a -zc- verb: only the yo form changes, giving nazco. Every other person is regular: naces, nace, nacemos, nacéis and nacen.
What is the gerund and the past participle of nacer?
The gerund is naciendo and the past participle is nacido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to be born" in Spanish?
Say nazco. For example: Yo nazco en un pueblo pequeño. — "I was born in a small village.".
What is the difference between nacer and morir?
nacer means "to be born", while morir means "to die". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use nacer when you mean "to be born" and morir when you mean "to die". The full conjugation of morir is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of nacer — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- nacer 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.