Nombrar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of nombrar — "to name" 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 nombrar 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. Nombrar means to name or to appoint, and it covers naming a person, appointing someone to a post and naming streets or things. It is a fully regular -ar verb, and the double meaning — to give a name and to appoint — is its main learning point. To see it in a real sentence: Él nombra a su hijo mayor director. — "He/she names her eldest son as director." 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: nombrar

Every person of nombrar in the present tense. The gerund is nombrando and the past participle is nombrado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo nombro
tú nombras
él/ella/Ud. nombra
nosotros/as nombramos
vosotros/as nombráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. nombran

How the present indicative of nombrar is formed

The present indicative of nombrar is built from the stem nombr- 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 nombro
tú -as nombras
él/ella/Ud. -a nombra
nosotros/as -amos nombramos
vosotros/as -áis nombráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an nombran

The gerund of nombrar is nombrando and the past participle is nombrado. 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 nombrar

The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and nombrar 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 nombrar, this use looks like this: "Yo nombro a su hijo mayor director." — "I name her eldest son as director." 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 nombrar, this use looks like this: "Él nombra el nuevo ministro el lunes." — "He/she names the new minister on Monday." 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 nombrar, this use looks like this: "Nosotros nombramos las calles de la ciudad." — "We name the streets of the city." 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 nombrar, this use looks like this: "Ellos nombran a su sucesor antes de irse." — "They name his successor before leaving." 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 nombrar, this use looks like this: "Tú nombras a su hijo mayor director." — "You name her eldest son as director." 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 nombrar. 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 nombro a su hijo mayor director." — "I name her eldest son as director."
  • Preterite: "Yo nombré a su hijo mayor director." — "I named her eldest son as director." 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 nombra el nuevo ministro el lunes." — "He/she names the new minister on Monday."
  • Preterite: "Él nombró el nuevo ministro el lunes." — "He/she named the new minister on Monday." 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 nombramos las calles de la ciudad." — "We name the streets of the city."
  • Preterite: "Nosotros nombramos las calles de la ciudad." — "We named the streets of the city." 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 nombrar in the present tense only. Each one uses a form from the table above.

  1. Yo nombro a su hijo mayor director. — I name her eldest son as director.
  2. Tú nombras el nuevo ministro el lunes. — You name the new minister on Monday.
  3. Él nombra las calles de la ciudad. — He/she names the streets of the city.
  4. Nosotros nombramos a su sucesor antes de irse. — We name his successor before leaving.
  5. Vosotros nombráis a su hijo mayor director. — You all name her eldest son as director.
  6. Ellos nombran el nuevo ministro el lunes. — They name the new minister on Monday.
  7. Yo nombro las calles de la ciudad. — I name the streets of the city.
  8. Él nombra a su sucesor antes de irse. — He/she names his successor before leaving.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Vosotros nombrais el nuevo ministro el lunes. — Right: Vosotros nombráis el nuevo ministro el lunes. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: nombráis, not nombrais.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo nombro las calles de la ciudad. — Right: Ayer, yo nombré las calles de la ciudad. — Ayer means yesterday, so it needs the preterite (nombré), not the present (nombro). The present is for now, not for yesterday.
  3. Wrong: Yo nombra a su hijo mayor director. — Right: Yo nombro a su hijo mayor director. — The person matters: nombra is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is nombro.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy nombrado el nuevo ministro el lunes. — Right: Yo he nombrado el nuevo ministro el lunes. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he nombrado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a su hijo mayor director. (present tense) A. nombro B. nombras C. nombra D. nombramos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el nuevo ministro el lunes. (present tense) A. nombras B. nombro C. nombra D. nombramos

  3. Complete the sentence: Él ___ las calles de la ciudad. (present tense) A. nombra B. nombro C. nombras D. nombramos

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a su sucesor antes de irse. (present tense) A. nombramos B. nombro C. nombras D. nombra

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros ___ a su hijo mayor director. (present tense) A. nombráis B. nombro C. nombras D. nombra

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ___ el nuevo ministro el lunes. (present tense) A. nombran B. nombro C. nombras D. nombra

  7. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ las calles de la ciudad. (present tense) A. nombro B. nombras C. nombra D. nombramos

  8. Complete the sentence: Él ___ a su sucesor antes de irse. (present tense) A. nombra B. nombro C. nombras D. nombramos

Answer key

  1. nombro — The yo present form of nombrar is nombro. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  2. nombras — The tu present form of nombrar is nombras. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  3. nombra — The el present form of nombrar is nombra. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  4. nombramos — The nosotros present form of nombrar is nombramos. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  5. nombráis — The vosotros present form of nombrar is nombráis. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  6. nombran — The ellos present form of nombrar is nombran. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  7. nombro — The yo present form of nombrar is nombro. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  8. nombra — The el present form of nombrar is nombra. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.

Frequently asked questions

When do I use the present tense of nombrar?

Use the present tense of nombrar for habits, facts and what is happening now. For example: Yo nombro a su hijo mayor director. — "I name her eldest son as director." The usage rules above give five situations with examples.

How is the present tense of nombrar formed?

Take the stem nombr- and add the present endings for -ar verbs. The full table is at the top of this page.

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

The present describes a habit or a present fact, while the preterite describes a finished action. Compare Yo nombro el nuevo ministro el lunes. with Yo nombré el nuevo ministro el lunes. — the verb is the same, but the time meaning changes.

How do I practise the present tense of nombrar?

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

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