Permitir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of permitir — "to allow, to permit" 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 permitir 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. Permitir means "to allow" or "to permit", and it is the formal verb for giving permission — a teacher allows a student to leave early, a law permits something, a parent allows a child to go out. It is more formal than dejar in this sense, and it usually takes an indirect object for the person (me permite, te permite) plus an infinitive for the action allowed. Because permission is negotiated constantly at work, at school and at home, permitir is a high-frequency verb worth learning early. To see it in a real sentence: El profesor permite salir antes a los alumnos. — "The teacher allows the students to leave early.".
Present tense conjugation table: permitir
Every person of permitir in the present tense. The gerund is permitiendo and the past participle is permitido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | permito |
| tú | permites |
| él/ella/Ud. | permite |
| nosotros/as | permitimos |
| vosotros/as | permitís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | permiten |
How the present indicative of permitir is formed
The present indicative of permitir is built from the stem permit- plus the present indicative 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 | permito |
| tú | -es | permites |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | permite |
| nosotros/as | -imos | permitimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | permitís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | permiten |
Because permitir is a regular -ir verb, there are no surprises in the present indicative: the stem permit- never changes, and every person takes its normal ending. The only spelling detail to watch is the written accent on the vosotros form, permitís, which carries an accent on the vowel of the ending. Learn the six endings once and you can conjugate any regular -ir verb the same way.
The gerund of permitir is permitiendo and the past participle is permitido. 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 permitir
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and permitir 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.
Giving permission to someone
Permitir with an indirect object pronoun names who receives the permission, then an infinitive names the action.
"El profesor permite salir antes a los alumnos." — "The teacher allows the students to leave early."
Rules and prohibitions in the negative
No permitir states a rule. The present describes a standing rule, not a one-off decision.
"Nosotros no permitimos fumar en la oficina." — "We do not allow smoking in the office."
Laws and regulations
In formal and legal language, permitir describes what a rule or a law makes possible.
"La ley permite trabajar a partir de los dieciséis años." — "The law allows working from the age of sixteen."
Asking for permission
In questions, permitir is the polite way to ask whether something is allowed.
"¿Tú permites que use tu ordenador?" — "Do you allow me to use your computer?"
Physical access
Permitir also means to let someone in or through — a door, a ticket, a password permits entry.
"Este billete permite la entrada al museo." — "This ticket allows entry to the museum."
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 permito a mi hijo jugar en el parque. — "I allow my son to play in the park."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo permití a mi hijo jugar en el parque. — 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 permites entrar a tus amigos en casa. — "You allow your friends into the house."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú permitías entrar a tus amigos en casa. — 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: El director permite usar el móvil en el recreo. — "The headteacher allows using phones at break time."
- Future — what will happen: El director permitirá usar el móvil en el recreo. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: permitir in the present tense
Seven sentences that show permitir in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo permito a mi hijo jugar en el parque. — "I allow my son to play in the park."
- Tú permites entrar a tus amigos en casa. — "You allow your friends into the house."
- El director permite usar el móvil en el recreo. — "The headteacher allows using phones at break time."
- Nosotros permitimos hablar en voz baja en la biblioteca. — "We allow talking quietly in the library."
- Vosotros permitís salir a los niños al jardín. — "You allow the children out into the garden."
- Los padres permiten ver la televisión una hora al día. — "The parents allow watching television one hour a day."
- La norma permite aparcar solo dos horas. — "The rule allows parking for only two hours."
Common mistakes with permitir in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with permitir in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo permito a mi hijo a jugar en el parque.
✓ Correct: Yo permito a mi hijo jugar en el parque.
After permitir, the action goes directly as an infinitive with no preposition: permitir jugar, not permitir a jugar.
✗ *Ellos permiten que fumar en la oficina (using que + infinitive).
✓ Correct: Ellos no permiten fumar en la oficina.
Permitir + infinitive is the natural pattern. Que + subjunctive is possible (permiten que se fume) but que + infinitive is wrong.
✗ *Tú permites yo usar tu ordenador.
✓ Correct: Tú me permites usar tu ordenador.
The person who receives permission is an indirect object pronoun (me, te, le), not a subject pronoun: me permites, not permites yo.
✗ *Nosotros permitamos fumar (using the subjunctive form as a present indicative).
✓ Correct: Nosotros permitimos fumar en la oficina.
Permitamos is subjunctive. The present indicative for nosotros is permitimos.
Quiz: permitir in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of permitir. 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 permitir for tú?
- a) permite
- b) permites
- c) permito
- d) permiten
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a mi hijo jugar en el parque. — "I allow my son to play in the park."
- a) permiten
- b) permito
- c) permites
- d) permití
3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros no ______ fumar en la oficina. — "We do not allow smoking in the office."
- a) permitimos
- b) permitimos
- c) permite
- d) permitís
4. Which is the correct present tense form of permitir for nosotros?
- a) permitimos
- b) permites
- c) permito
- d) permiten
5. Which sentence uses permitir correctly in the present tense?
- a) El director permites usar el móvil en el recreo.
- b) El director permite usar el móvil en el recreo.
- c) El director permitió usar el móvil en el recreo.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of permitir for vosotros?
- a) permitís
- b) permite
- c) permites
- d) permito
7. Complete the sentence: ¿Tú ______ que use tu ordenador? — "Do you allow me to use your computer?"
- a) permiten
- b) permites
- c) permito
- d) permitiste
8. What is the gerund of permitir?
- a) permito
- b) permitiendo
- c) permitido
- d) permitimos
Answer key
b) permites — The tú form is permites. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; permito is yo, permite is él/ella and permiten is ellos/ellas.
b) permito — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: permito. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
a) permitimos — The subject is nosotros/as, so the present form is permitimos.
a) permitimos — Nosotros takes permitimos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ir verbs is -imos, attached to the stem permit-.
b) El director permite usar el móvil en el recreo. — El director permite usar el móvil en el recreo. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
a) permitís — Vosotros takes permitís. Remember the written accent on the ending — it is part of the correct spelling.
b) permites — The subject is tú, so the present form is permites.
b) permitiendo — The gerund is permitiendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle permitido.
Frequently asked questions
Is permitir regular in the present tense?
Yes. permitir is a regular -ir verb, so its present tense follows the standard endings exactly: permito, permites, permite, permitimos, permitís and permiten.
What is the gerund and the past participle of permitir?
The gerund is permitiendo and the past participle is permitido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to allow, to permit" in Spanish?
Say permito. For example: Yo permito a mi hijo jugar en el parque. — "I allow my son to play in the park.".
What is the difference between permitir and prohibir?
permitir means "to allow, to permit", while prohibir means "to forbid". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use permitir when you mean "to allow, to permit" and prohibir when you mean "to forbid". The full conjugation of prohibir is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of permitir — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- permitir 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.