Notar Present Tense in Spanish
Introduction
notar means "to notice" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for notar, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo noto un cambio en su voz. — "Every day, I notice a change in his voice." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of notar: full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| Yo | noto |
| Tú | notas |
| Él / Ella | nota |
| Nosotros | notamos |
| Vosotros | notáis |
| Ellos | notan |
The gerund of notar is notando and the past participle is notado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy notando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he notado).
How the present tense of notar is formed
The present tense of notar is built from the stem not- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo noto, tú notas, él nota, nosotros notamos, vosotros notáis and ellos notan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is notando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy notando. The past participle is notado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he notado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with notar
1. Noticing a change in someone
Noto un cambio en su voz describes the moment you realise someone sounds different: tired, nervous or happy. It is a small, everyday observation, and Spanish speakers use notar for exactly this kind of quiet realisation. For example: Yo noto un cambio en su voz. — "I notice a change in his voice."
2. Noticing a difference
Noto la diferencia entre las fotos is the comparing use: you look at two things and you see what sets them apart. Teachers, editors and shoppers all use notar this way. For example: Tú notas la diferencia entre las fotos. — "You notice the difference between the photos."
3. Noticing a fact
Noto que la puerta está abierta shows notar with a que clause. It reports a fact you became aware of, and it is the structure you will use most often with this verb in real conversation. For example: Él / Ella nota que la puerta está abierta. — "He / She notices that the door is open."
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example, to talk about tomorrow's plan you can use the future — Mañana, yo notaré un error en el texto. — "Tomorrow, I will notice a mistake in the text." — but in conversation you will also hear the present used the same way.
5. General truths and routines
Finally, the present tense states general truths and routines: what usually happens, what is always true, what people normally do. It is the tense of habits and of facts that do not belong to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él / ella nota un cambio en su voz. — "Normally, he / she notices a change in his voice."
Present vs preterite: notar
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with notar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo noto un cambio en su voz. — "Every day, I notice a change in his voice."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo noté un cambio en su voz. — "Yesterday, I noticed a change in his voice."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo noto la diferencia entre las fotos. — "Every day, I notice the difference between the photos."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo noté la diferencia entre las fotos. — "Yesterday, I noticed the difference between the photos."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo noto que la puerta está abierta. — "Every day, I notice that the door is open."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo noté que la puerta está abierta. — "Yesterday, I noticed that the door is open."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: notar in the present tense
These six sentences show notar in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo noto un cambio en su voz. — "I notice a change in his voice."
- Tú notas la diferencia entre las fotos. — "You notice the difference between the photos."
- Él / Ella nota que la puerta está abierta. — "He / She notices that the door is open."
- Nosotros notamos un error en el texto. — "We notice a mistake in the text."
- Vosotros notáis un cambio en su voz. — "You notice a change in his voice."
- Ellos notan la diferencia entre las fotos. — "They notice the difference between the photos."
Common mistakes with notar in the present tense
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo noto a un cambio.
- Right: Yo noto un cambio.
- Why: Notar takes a direct object with no preposition. There is no a before a thing: noto un cambio, noto la diferencia.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Yo noto que la puerta está abierta, pero no lo veo.
- Right: Yo noto que la puerta está abierta.
- Why: Notar que already means you became aware of a fact. Adding pero no lo veo contradicts it.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Notar es lo mismo que observar.
- Right: Notar means to notice; observar means to observe.
- Why: Notar is a single moment of realisation. Observar is watching carefully over time. You can notar something in a second; observar takes longer.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Ayer, yo noto un cambio en su voz.
- Right: Ayer, yo noté un cambio en su voz.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite. The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo notais un cambio en su voz.
- Right: Yo notáis un cambio en su voz.
- Why: The form is notáis, with a written accent. The accent is part of the spelling, and without it the word is misspelled.
Quiz: the present tense of notar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of notar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of notar in the present tense?
- (a) noto
- (b) notas
- (c) nota
- (d) notamos
Answer: (a) noto. The i form is noto. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the you form of notar in the present tense?
- (a) noto
- (b) nota
- (c) notamos
- (d) notas
Answer: (d) notas. The you form is notas. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the he / she form of notar in the present tense?
- (a) notas
- (b) notamos
- (c) nota
- (d) noto
Answer: (c) nota. The he / she form is nota. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the we form of notar in the present tense?
- (a) nota
- (b) notamos
- (c) noto
- (d) notas
Answer: (b) notamos. The we form is notamos. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the they form of notar in the present tense?
- (a) notan
- (b) noto
- (c) notas
- (d) nota
Answer: (a) notan. The they form is notan. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ un cambio en su voz.
- (a) nota
- (b) notamos
- (c) noto
- (d) notas
Answer: (c) noto. The sentence needs the yo form noto (Every day, I notice a change in his voice.)
7. What is the gerund of notar?
- (a) notado
- (b) notar
- (c) nota
- (d) notando
Answer: (d) notando. The gerund is notando, used for the progressive: estoy notando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, yo noto la diferencia entre las fotos.
- (b) Antes, yo notaba la diferencia entre las fotos.
- (c) Ayer, yo noté la diferencia entre las fotos.
- (d) Mañana, yo notaré la diferencia entre las fotos.
Answer: (a) Cada día, yo noto la diferencia entre las fotos.. Cada día, yo noto la diferencia entre las fotos. (Every day, I notice the difference between the photos.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo noté la diferencia entre las fotos. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo notaré la diferencia entre las fotos. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of notar
Is notar regular?
Yes. Notar is a regular -ar verb: noto, notaste, notaba, notaré. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes.
What follows notar: que or de?
Notar takes a direct object or a que clause: noto un error, noto que la puerta está abierta. It does not take de.
What is the difference between notar and darse cuenta?
They are close: both mean to realise something. Notar is simpler and more direct; darse cuenta de algo is more idiomatic and slightly more emphatic.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with notar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo noto un cambio en su voz. — "Every day, I notice a change in his voice." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo noté un cambio en su voz. — "Yesterday, I noticed a change in his voice." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.