Olvidar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of olvidar — "to forget" 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 olvidar 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. Olvidar means "to forget", and it covers everything from small daily lapses — keys, names, passwords — to forgetting appointments and promises. It is the everyday verb for a memory that slips away, and it is also used for deliberately putting something behind you, as in olvidar el pasado, to forget the past. Learners meet it constantly because forgetting is one of the most talked-about daily experiences, and because olvidar appears in apologies, excuses and reminders in almost every conversation. To see it in a real sentence: Yo siempre olvido las llaves en casa. — "I always forget the keys at home.".
Present tense conjugation table: olvidar
Every person of olvidar in the present tense. The gerund is olvidando and the past participle is olvidado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | olvido |
| tú | olvidas |
| él/ella/Ud. | olvida |
| nosotros/as | olvidamos |
| vosotros/as | olvidáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | olvidan |
How the present indicative of olvidar is formed
The present indicative of olvidar is built from the stem olvid- plus the present indicative 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 | olvido |
| tú | -as | olvidas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | olvida |
| nosotros/as | -amos | olvidamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | olvidáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | olvidan |
Because olvidar is a regular -ar verb, there are no surprises in the present indicative: the stem olvid- never changes, and every person takes its normal ending. The only spelling detail to watch is the written accent on the vosotros form, olvidáis, which carries an accent on the vowel of the ending. Learn the six endings once and you can conjugate any regular -ar verb the same way.
The gerund of olvidar is olvidando and the past participle is olvidado. 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 olvidar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and olvidar 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 of forgetfulness
Use the present for things you regularly forget, with adverbs like siempre or a menudo. It describes a repeated pattern, not a single event.
"Yo siempre olvido las llaves en casa." — "I always forget the keys at home."
Forgetting names and words
When a name or a word escapes you in the moment, olvidar in the present describes exactly that gap.
"Yo olvido los nombres de mis vecinos nuevos." — "I forget the names of my new neighbours."
Appointments and dates
Missing a date is usually described with olvidar plus the thing forgotten — una cita, una reunión, un cumpleaños.
"Tú olvidas todas las citas del médico." — "You forget all the doctor's appointments."
General truths about memory
The present states a general fact about how memory works, with no specific time attached.
"Nosotros olvidamos los detalles con el paso del tiempo." — "We forget the details as time passes."
Instructions and reminders
In the negative, olvidar becomes a reminder: do not forget. The present is used for standing advice.
"No olvidas la contraseña del banco." — "Don't forget the bank password."
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 olvido la fecha del examen. — "I forget the date of the exam."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo olvidé la fecha del examen. — 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 olvidas tu paraguas en el autobús. — "You forget your umbrella on the bus."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú olvidabas tu paraguas en el autobús. — 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 abuelo olvida dónde pone las gafas. — "My grandfather forgets where he puts his glasses."
- Future — what will happen: Mi abuelo olvidará dónde pone las gafas. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: olvidar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show olvidar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo olvido la fecha del examen. — "I forget the date of the exam."
- Tú olvidas tu paraguas en el autobús. — "You forget your umbrella on the bus."
- Mi abuelo olvida dónde pone las gafas. — "My grandfather forgets where he puts his glasses."
- Nosotros olvidamos las instrucciones del profesor. — "We forget the teacher's instructions."
- Vosotros olvidáis el material para la clase de arte. — "You forget the materials for art class."
- Los estudiantes olvidan la tarea en casa. — "The students forget the homework at home."
- Ella olvida el nombre de la calle. — "She forgets the name of the street."
Common mistakes with olvidar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with olvidar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo olvidas las llaves.
✓ Correct: Yo olvido las llaves.
Olvidas is the tú form. With yo you need olvido — the -o ending belongs to yo in -ar verbs.
✗ *Yo olvido de las llaves.
✓ Correct: Yo olvido las llaves.
Olvidar takes a direct object, not de. You forget something directly: olvidar las llaves, not olvidar de las llaves.
✗ *Vosotros olvidáis las llaves (written without the accent: olvidais).
✓ Correct: Vosotros olvidáis las llaves.
The vosotros form olvidáis carries a written accent on the í. Without it the spelling is wrong, even though the pronunciation is similar.
✗ *Ellos olvidan de llamarme.
✓ Correct: Ellos olvidan llamarme.
When olvidar is followed by an infinitive, no preposition comes between them: olvidar llamar, not olvidar de llamar.
Quiz: olvidar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of olvidar. 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 olvidar for tú?
- a) olvidas
- b) olvido
- c) olvidan
- d) olvida
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la fecha del examen. — "I forget the date of the exam."
- a) olvidé
- b) olvidas
- c) olvido
- d) olvidan
3. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ los nombres de mis vecinos nuevos. — "I forget the names of my new neighbours."
- a) olvido
- b) olvida
- c) olvidamos
- d) olvidé
4. Which is the correct present tense form of olvidar for nosotros?
- a) olvidan
- b) olvidamos
- c) olvido
- d) olvidas
5. Which sentence uses olvidar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Mi abuelo olvida dónde pone las gafas.
- b) Mi abuelo olvidas dónde pone las gafas.
- c) Mi abuelo olvidó dónde pone las gafas.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of olvidar for vosotros?
- a) olvida
- b) olvidas
- c) olvido
- d) olvidáis
7. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ los detalles con el paso del tiempo. — "We forget the details as time passes."
- a) olvidan
- b) olvidamos
- c) olvido
- d) olvidamos
8. What is the gerund of olvidar?
- a) olvidamos
- b) olvidando
- c) olvidado
- d) olvido
Answer key
a) olvidas — The tú form is olvidas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; olvido is yo, olvida is él/ella and olvidan is ellos/ellas.
c) olvido — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: olvido. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
a) olvido — The subject is yo, so the present form is olvido.
b) olvidamos — Nosotros takes olvidamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem olvid-.
a) Mi abuelo olvida dónde pone las gafas. — Mi abuelo olvida dónde pone las gafas. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) olvidáis — Vosotros takes olvidáis. Remember the written accent on the ending — it is part of the correct spelling.
b) olvidamos — The subject is nosotros/as, so the present form is olvidamos.
b) olvidando — The gerund is olvidando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle olvidado.
Frequently asked questions
Is olvidar regular in the present tense?
Yes. olvidar is a regular -ar verb, so its present tense follows the standard endings exactly: olvido, olvidas, olvida, olvidamos, olvidáis and olvidan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of olvidar?
The gerund is olvidando and the past participle is olvidado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to forget" in Spanish?
Say olvido. For example: Yo olvido la fecha del examen. — "I forget the date of the exam.".
What is the difference between olvidar and recordar?
olvidar means "to forget", while recordar means "to remember". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use olvidar when you mean "to forget" and recordar when you mean "to remember". The full conjugation of recordar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of olvidar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- olvidar 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.