Obstruir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of obstruir — “to obstruct” 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 obstruir 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. Obstruir means to obstruct or to block, and it is used for blocking a road, a pipe, a view and a process: obstruir la calle, obstruir el paso. It is a -uir verb: yo obstruyo, él obstruye, with y before the vowel endings. To see it in a real sentence: Obstruyo la calle con el camión. — “I obstruct the street with the lorry.”
Present tense conjugation table: obstruir
Every person of obstruir in the present tense. The gerund is obstruyendo and the past participle is obstruido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | obstruyo |
| tú | obstruyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | obstruye |
| nosotros/as | obstruimos |
| vosotros/as | obstruís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | obstruyen |
The gerund is obstruyendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy obstruyendo” means the action of obstruir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is obstruido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he obstruido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how obstruir is used.
How the present of obstruir is formed
The present of obstruir is built from the stem obstru plus the present endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir 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 | obstruyo |
| tú | -es | obstruyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | obstruye |
| nosotros/as | -imos | obstruimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | obstruís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | obstruyen |
obstruir is not fully regular in form: this verb is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is obstruyo and obstruye, and the gerund is obstruyendo. The endings in the table above are the regular -ir endings, so once you know the pattern, the whole tense follows. The forms that show the pattern most clearly are obstruyo and obstruye.
The gerund of obstruir is obstruyendo and the past participle is obstruido. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of obstruir
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use obstruir in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. A routine or habit
The present tense of obstruir is the tense for what happens regularly. When something is part of your routine, your week or your normal life, the present is the right choice, and obstruir is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Obstruyo la calle con el camión.” — I obstruct the street with the lorry.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what obstruir means in the world — what it does, who it affects, how it works — the present is the tense to use. There is no time limit on the statement, so no past or future form is needed.
Example: “Obstruye el paso en la puerta.” — He/she obstructs the doorway.
3. Something happening right now
The present tense describes what is happening at this very moment. You do not need the progressive (estar plus the gerund) to say what is going on now: the simple present does the job in Spanish, and it is the more common choice in everyday speech.
Example: “Obstruyo la tubería con hojas.” — I obstruct the pipe with leaves.
4. A plan or arrangement
Spanish uses the present tense for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression such as mañana or el lunes. When the arrangement is made, the present tense states it as a fact, and obstruir follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros obstruimos la vista con el edificio.” — Tomorrow, we obstruct the view with the building.
5. Asking and answering questions
Questions in the present tense ask about routines, facts and what is happening now. The answer uses the same tense, so a question and its answer stay in the present together. This is the pattern you will hear most often in conversation.
Example: “¿Obstruyes el paso en la puerta?” — Do you obstruct the doorway?
The present vs the preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present reports what happens now, what happens regularly, or what is generally true, while the preterite reports one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is happening now or is already finished. Time words help: ahora and todos los días point to the present, while ayer and anoche point to the preterite.
Present: “Obstruyo la calle con el camión.” — I obstruct the street with the lorry.
Preterite: “Obstruí la calle con el camión.” — I obstructed the street with the lorry.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Obstruye el paso en la puerta.” — He/she obstructs the doorway.
Preterite: “Obstruyó el paso en la puerta.” — He/she obstructed the doorway.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Obstruimos la tubería con hojas.” — We obstruct the pipe with leaves.
Preterite: “Obstruimos la tubería con hojas.” — We obstructed the pipe with leaves.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: obstruir in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Obstruyo la calle con el camión.” — I obstruct the street with the lorry.
“Obstruyes el paso en la puerta.” — You obstruct the doorway.
“Obstruye la tubería con hojas.” — He/she obstructs the pipe with leaves.
“Obstruimos la vista con el edificio.” — We obstruct the view with the building.
“Obstruís la calle con el camión.” — You obstruct the street with the lorry.
“Obstruyen el paso en la puerta.” — They obstruct the doorway.
“Obstruyo la tubería con hojas.” — I obstruct the pipe with leaves.
“Obstruye la vista con el edificio.” — He/she obstructs the view with the building.
Common mistakes with obstruir in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo obstruye la calle con el camión.” Right: “Yo obstruyo la calle con el camión.” Why: Yo needs the yo form obstruyo. The form obstruye belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo obstruo el paso en la puerta.” Right: “Yo obstruyo el paso en la puerta.” Why: Obstruir is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is obstruyo and obstruye, and the gerund is obstruyendo, so the first-person present is obstruyo, not obstruo.
Wrong: “Ayer yo obstruyo el paso en la puerta.” Right: “Ayer yo obstruí el paso en la puerta.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to obstruí.
Wrong: “Ellos obstruye el paso en la puerta.” Right: “Ellos obstruyen el paso en la puerta.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form obstruyen. The singular obstruye belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: obstruir in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ___ la calle con el camión.”
- (a) obstruyo
- (b) obstruyes
- (c) obstruye
Answer: obstruyo — The yo form of obstruir in the present is obstruyo.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ el paso en la puerta.”
- (a) obstruyo
- (b) obstruye
- (c) obstruyes
Answer: obstruyes — The tú form of obstruir in the present is obstruyes.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ la tubería con hojas.”
- (a) obstruyes
- (b) obstruye
- (c) obstruyo
Answer: obstruye — The él/ella form of obstruir in the present is obstruye.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ la vista con el edificio.”
- (a) obstruimos
- (b) obstruyo
- (c) obstruyes
Answer: obstruimos — The nosotros/as form of obstruir in the present is obstruimos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ la calle con el camión.”
- (a) obstruyo
- (b) obstruyes
- (c) obstruís
Answer: obstruís — The vosotros/as form of obstruir in the present is obstruís.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ el paso en la puerta.”
- (a) obstruyes
- (b) obstruyen
- (c) obstruyo
Answer: obstruyen — The ellos/ellas form of obstruir in the present is obstruyen.
7. What does obstruir mean in English?
- (a) to obstruct
- (b) to block
- (c) to be about
Answer: to obstruct — Obstruir means to obstruct.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Obstruí la calle con el camión.
- (b) Obstruiré la calle con el camión.
- (c) Obstruyo la calle con el camión.
Answer: Obstruyo la calle con el camión. — “Obstruyo la calle con el camión.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is obstruir regular in the present?
Obstruir is a spelling-change verb in the present: it is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is obstruyo and obstruye, and the gerund is obstruyendo. The endings are the regular -ir endings, so the table above follows the pattern exactly.
What is the gerund and the past participle of obstruir?
The gerund is obstruyendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy obstruyendo. The past participle is obstruido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he obstruido.
What should I watch out for with obstruir?
Obstruir is a -uir verb: yo obstruyo, él obstruye, with y before the vowel endings. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is obstruyo, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise obstruir in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the obstruir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of obstruir — every tense of obstruir in one place.
- Obstruir examples and quiz — more sentences with obstruir and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on obstruir and other verbs.