Patinar in the Present Tense
Patinar means “to skate”, and this page covers exactly one thing: patinar in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about routines, facts and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for patinar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about patinar in the present. For example: “Yo patino sobre hielo en invierno.” — I skate on ice in winter. Everything on this page uses the forms of patinar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Patinar in the Present Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | patino |
| tú | patinas |
| él/ella/Ud. | patina |
| nosotros/as | patinamos |
| vosotros/as | patináis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | patinan |
Gerund: patinando · Past participle: patinado
The gerund is patinando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy patinando” means the action of patinar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is patinado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he patinado” 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 patinar is used.
How the present of patinar is formed
Patinar is regular in the present tense. Take the stem patin and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving patino, patinas, patina, patinamos, patináis, patinan. Watch the accents: the yo form is patino and the él/ella/Ud. form is patina.
When to use the present of patinar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use patinar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. Routines and habits
The present tense is the tense of what you do regularly. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the right choice, and patinar is no exception. Example: “Yo patino sobre hielo en invierno todos los días.” — I skate on ice in winter every day.
2. Facts and general truths
The present states facts that are true in general, not just right now. Use it to say what patinar means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Patina en la pista del parque.” — He/she skates on the rink in the park.
3. What is happening right now
The present also describes actions in progress at this very moment. When something is happening as you speak, the present tense says so directly. Example: “Yo patino con los amigos el sábado ahora.” — I skate with friends on Saturday now.
4. Scheduled events in the near future
Spanish often uses the present for things that are already arranged, such as plans for tomorrow or next week. The present sounds more certain than the future in these cases. Example: “Nosotros patinamos en el parque con los patines.” — We skate in the park with skates.
5. Instructions and everyday speech
In everyday speech the present gives instructions, makes offers and states what someone does. It is the tense you will hear most often in conversation. Example: “Tú patinas sobre hielo en invierno.” — You skate on ice in winter.
Present Tense vs 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 describes routines, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is a habit or a finished event. Time words help: todos los días and cada semana point to the present, while ayer and la semana pasada point to the preterite.
Present Tense: “Yo patino sobre hielo en invierno todos los días.” — I skate on ice in winter every day.
Preterite: “Ayer, yo patiné sobre hielo en invierno.” — Yesterday, I skated on ice in winter.
The present sentence describes a habit; the preterite sentence reports one finished action. Todos los días points to the present, ayer points to the preterite.
Present Tense: “Él patina en la pista del parque cada semana.” — He/she skates on the rink in the park every week.
Preterite: “La semana pasada, él patinó en la pista del parque.” — Last week, he skated on the rink in the park.
Cada semana describes a routine, so the present is right; la semana pasada names one finished week, so the preterite is right.
Present Tense: “Nosotros patinamos con los amigos el sábado a menudo.” — We skate with friends on Saturday often.
Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros patinamos con los amigos el sábado.” — Yesterday, we skated with friends on Saturday.
The present sentence counts no single event; the preterite sentence counts one finished action. That difference — habit versus finished event — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: patinar 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.
“Patino sobre hielo en invierno.” — I skate on ice in winter.
“Patinas en la pista del parque.” — You skate on the rink in the park.
“Patina con los amigos el sábado.” — He/she skates with friends on Saturday.
“Patinamos en el parque con los patines.” — We skate in the park with skates.
“Patináis sobre hielo en invierno.” — You skate on ice in winter.
“Patinan en la pista del parque.” — They skate on the rink in the park.
“Patino con los amigos el sábado.” — I skate with friends on Saturday.
“Patina en el parque con los patines.” — He/she skates in the park with skates.
Common mistakes with patinar 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: “Ellos patina sobre hielo en invierno.” Right: “Ellos patinan sobre hielo en invierno.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form patinan. The singular patina belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Yo patino en la pista del parque ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo patiné en la pista del parque.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to patiné.
Wrong: “Nosotros patinas con los amigos el sábado.” Right: “Nosotros patinamos con los amigos el sábado.” Why: Nosotros needs patinamos. The tú form patinas belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos patino en el parque con los patines todos los días.” Right: “Ellos patinan en el parque con los patines todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form patinan, not the yo form patino. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.
Quiz: patinar 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 ______ sobre hielo en invierno.” (On ice in winter.)
- (a) patino
- (b) patinas
- (c) patina
Answer: patino — The yo form of patinar in the present is patino. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ en la pista del parque?” (On the rink in the park.)
- (a) patino
- (b) patina
- (c) patinas
Answer: patinas — The tú form of patinar in the present is patinas. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ con los amigos el sábado.” (With friends on saturday.)
- (a) patinas
- (b) patina
- (c) patino
Answer: patina — The él/ella/Ud. form of patinar in the present is patina. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ en el parque con los patines.” (In the park with skates.)
- (a) patinamos
- (b) patino
- (c) patinas
Answer: patinamos — The nosotros/as form of patinar in the present is patinamos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
5. What is the vosotros/as form of patinar in the present?
- (a) patino
- (b) patinas
- (c) patináis
Answer: patináis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes patináis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros patináis sobre hielo en invierno.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ en la pista del parque.” (On the rink in the park.)
- (a) patinas
- (b) patinan
- (c) patino
Answer: patinan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of patinar in the present is patinan. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
7. Which is the correct yo form of patinar in the present?
- (a) patino
- (b) patinas
- (c) patina
Answer: patino — The yo form is patino. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?
- (a) Yo patiné sobre hielo en invierno todos los días.
- (b) Nosotros patinaremos sobre hielo en invierno mañana.
- (c) Yo patino sobre hielo en invierno todos los días.
Answer: Yo patino sobre hielo en invierno todos los días. — “Yo patino sobre hielo en invierno todos los días.” describes a habit, so it takes the present. The second option reports a finished action in the past, and the third looks to the future.
Frequently asked questions
Is patinar regular in the present?
Yes. Patinar is regular in the present: patino, patinas, patina, patinamos, patináis, patinan. Watch the accents on the yo and él forms, and remember that only context tells the nosotros form apart from the present-tense nosotros form when they are identical.
What is the past participle of patinar?
The past participle is patinado: 'He patinado' means 'I have skated'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is patinando.
Does patinar take a preposition?
It depends on the meaning. Patinar is fully regular: patiné, patinaba, patinaré. The object is the surface or the place, not a verb. In the examples on this page, patinar appears with complements such as sobre hielo en invierno and en la pista del parque, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.
How do I remember the present forms of patinar?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo patino, tú patinas, él/ella/Ud. patina, nosotros/as patinamos, vosotros/as patináis, ellos/ellas/Uds. patinan. Then write three of your own sentences with patinar in the present, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of patinar — every tense of patinar in one place.
- Patinar examples and quiz — more sentences with patinar 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 patinar and other verbs.