Ocultar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of ocultar — «to hide» — is the form you will reach for most often. It talks about habits, facts and what is happening right now, and it is the first tense to master for this verb. ocultar is a regular -ar verb verb, so the present follows the -ar endings. On this page you will find the full present-tense table, how the forms are built, five usage rules with examples, a comparison with the preterite, more example sentences, the mistakes learners make in this tense, an eight-question quiz and answers to common questions. A good first sentence is «Yo oculto todos los días» — I hide every day.

Ocultar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo oculto
tú ocultas
él/ella/Ud. oculta
nosotros/as ocultamos
vosotros/as ocultáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ocultan

Gerund: ocultando · Past participle: ocultado

How the present tense of ocultar is formed

Take the stem ocult — the infinitive ocultar without its -ar ending — and add the present endings. The table below shows the build for every person, using the actual stem of each form:

Person Stem Ending Form
yo ocult -o oculto
tú ocult -as ocultas
él/ella/Ud. ocult -a oculta
nosotros/as ocult -amos ocultamos
vosotros/as ocult -áis ocultáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ocult -an ocultan

The present is the only tense where the yo form ends in -o for all three verb classes, which makes it a useful anchor: if you know oculto, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of ocultar

1. Daily routines and habits

The most common use: things you do regularly. Time words like todos los días, siempre and a veces are the giveaway.

Yo oculto todos los días. — I hide every day.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. No time expression is needed — the statement stands on its own.

Él oculta con mi familia. — He hides with my family.

3. What is happening right now

For an action in progress, the present works on its own in Spanish, and you can also use estar + the gerund ocultando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros ocultamos por la mañana. — We hide in the morning.

4. Scheduled near-future plans

Spanish often uses the present for a fixed plan in the near future, where English would say «going to». A time expression such as mañana or la semana que viene makes the future meaning clear.

Tú ocultas en el trabajo. — You hide at work.

5. Narrating and commenting

The present is the tense of live commentary and of stories told as if they were happening now. It keeps the listener in the moment, and it is the tense of instructions and explanations.

Ellos ocultan a veces. — They hide sometimes.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The present and the preterite answer different questions. The present says what happens in general or what is happening now; the preterite says what happened once and is over. Compare the pairs below — same verb, different time frame:

  • Present: Yo oculto todos los días. — I hide every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo oculté por la tarde. — Yesterday I hid in the afternoon.

  • A routine against a single finished event. The present describes the habit; the preterite reports the one time it happened.

  • Present: Él oculta por la mañana. — He hides in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él ocultó por la tarde. — Yesterday He hid in the afternoon.

  • What happens in the morning in general, against what happened yesterday afternoon. The time expression decides the tense.

  • Present: Nosotros ocultamos con mi familia. — We hide with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros ocultamos dos veces. — Last week We hid twice.

  • A shared habit against a shared finished event. If the action repeats, use the present; if it happened once and ended, use the preterite.

Example sentences: ocultar in the present

  1. Yo oculto todos los días. — I hide every day.
  2. Tú ocultas en el trabajo. — You hide at work.
  3. Él oculta con mi familia. — He hides with my family.
  4. Nosotros ocultamos por la mañana. — We hide in the morning.
  5. Vosotros ocultáis cuando hay tiempo. — You hide when there is time.
  6. Ellos ocultan a veces. — They hide sometimes.
  7. Yo oculto en el trabajo. — I hide at work.
  8. Él oculta todos los días. — He hides every day.

Common mistakes with ocultar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros ocultais.

Right: Vosotros ocultáis.

The vosotros form ocultáis carries a written accent on the ending. Without it the word is misspelled, and in speech the stress falls in the wrong place.

2. Using the present for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo oculto.

Right: Ayer yo oculté.

Ayer belongs with the preterite. The present oculto talks about now or about a habit; a finished yesterday needs oculté.

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos oculto.

Right: Ellos ocultan.

Each person has its own form: ellos take ocultan, not the yo form oculto. The -n ending on ocultan is what marks the third-person plural.

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy oculto.

Right: Estoy ocultando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy ocultando. The conjugated present oculto never follows estar.

Quiz: ocultar in the present

Test yourself on the present tense of ocultar. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of ocultar in the present indicative?

- (a) ocultamos
- (b) oculta
- (c) oculto
- (d) ocultas

2. What is the tú form of ocultar in the present indicative?

- (a) ocultas
- (b) ocultamos
- (c) oculta
- (d) oculto

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of ocultar in the present indicative?

- (a) oculto
- (b) oculta
- (c) ocultamos
- (d) ocultas

4. What is the nosotros/as form of ocultar in the present indicative?

- (a) ocultas
- (b) ocultamos
- (c) oculta
- (d) oculto

5. What is the vosotros/as form of ocultar in the present indicative?

- (a) ocultáis
- (b) ocultas
- (c) oculto
- (d) oculta

6. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of ocultar in the present indicative?

- (a) oculta
- (b) ocultas
- (c) ocultan
- (d) oculto

7. What is the gerund of ocultar?

- (a) ocultando
- (b) ocultado
- (c) ocultar
- (d) oculto

8. What is the past participle of ocultar?

- (a) ocultado
- (b) oculté
- (c) ocultar
- (d) ocultando

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the yo form of ocultar is oculto. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the present indicative, the tú form of ocultar is ocultas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of ocultar is oculta. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of ocultar is ocultamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of ocultar is ocultáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of ocultar is ocultan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (a) — The gerund of ocultar is ocultando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy ocultando». 8. (a) — The past participle of ocultar is ocultado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he ocultado».

Frequently asked questions

Is ocultar regular in the present?

Yes — ocultar is regular in the present. The stem ocult never changes and the endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an for -ar verbs (with the matching sets for -er and -ir verbs).

What is the yo form of ocultar in the present?

It is oculto. Use it for talking about yourself right now.

How is the present different from the preterite for ocultar?

The present (oculto) describes habits and what is happening now; the preterite (oculté) reports a single finished event. «Yo oculto todos los días» is a habit, while «Ayer yo oculté» is one event that ended yesterday.

Can I use the present of ocultar with estar and the gerund?

Yes — «Estoy ocultando» means «I am hiding right now», with the emphasis on the action in progress. The plain present «Yo oculto» is also correct for what is happening now; the gerund version simply stresses the moment.

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