Perpetuar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of perpetuar — "to perpetuate" 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 perpetuar 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. Perpetuar means to perpetuate something: perpetuar la memoria de su abuelo, perpetuar la tradición. It is used for memories, traditions, names and, in criticism, injustices. To see it in a real sentence: Yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo — "I perpetuate his grandfather's memory".
Present tense conjugation table: perpetuar
Every person of perpetuar in the present tense. The gerund is perpetuando and the past participle is perpetuado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | perpetúo |
| tú | perpetúas |
| él/ella/Ud. | perpetúa |
| nosotros/as | perpetuamos |
| vosotros/as | perpetuáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | perpetúan |
How the present of perpetuar is formed
The present of perpetuar is built from the stem perpetu- plus the present 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 | perpetúo |
| tú | -as | perpetúas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | perpetúa |
| nosotros/as | -amos | perpetuamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | perpetuáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | perpetúan |
The gerund of perpetuar is perpetuando and the past participle is perpetuado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of perpetuar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and perpetuar 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 and routines
The present describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo" — "Every day, I perpetuate his grandfather's memory"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo perpetúa la tradición en el pueblo" — "My friend perpetuates the tradition in the village"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo perpetúo el nombre de su familia" — "Right now, I perpetuate the family name"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros perpetuamos el mito en los libros" — "Tomorrow, we perpetuate the myth in books"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos perpetúan la injusticia con su silencio" — "They perpetuate the injustice with his silence"
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: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo — "I perpetuate his grandfather's memory"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo perpetué la memoria de su abuelo — "I perpetuated his grandfather's memory"
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 perpetúas la tradición en el pueblo — "You perpetuate the tradition in the village"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú perpetuabas la tradición en el pueblo — "You used to perpetuate the tradition in the village"
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: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él perpetúa el nombre de su familia — "He perpetuates the family name"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él perpetuará el nombre de su familia — "He will perpetuate the family name"
Examples: perpetuar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show perpetuar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo — "I perpetuate his grandfather's memory"
- Tú perpetúas la tradición en el pueblo — "You perpetuate the tradition in the village"
- Él perpetúa el nombre de su familia — "He perpetuates the family name"
- Nosotros perpetuamos el mito en los libros — "We perpetuate the myth in books"
- Vosotros perpetuáis la injusticia con su silencio — "You perpetuate the injustice with his silence"
- Ellos perpetúan la memoria de su abuelo — "They perpetuate his grandfather's memory"
- Yo perpetúo la tradición en el pueblo — "I perpetuate the tradition in the village"
Common mistakes with perpetuar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with perpetuar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo perpetúo en la memoria de su abuelo.
✓ Correct: Yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo.
perpetuar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo.
✗ *Tú perpetúa la tradición en el pueblo.
✓ Correct: Tú perpetúas la tradición en el pueblo.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes perpetúas, él takes perpetúa.
✗ *Cada día, yo perpetué el nombre de su familia
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo perpetúo el nombre de su familia
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros perpetuais el mito en los libros.
✓ Correct: Vosotros perpetuáis el mito en los libros.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: perpetuáis, not perpetuais.
Quiz: perpetuar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of perpetuar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of perpetuar for tú? A. perpetúas B. perpetúo C. perpetúa D. perpetuamos
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la memoria de su abuelo — "I perpetuate his grandfather's memory" (present) A. perpetúa B. perpetuamos C. perpetúo D. perpetúas
Complete the sentence: Él ______ la tradición en el pueblo — "He perpetuates the tradition in the village" (present) A. perpetúo B. perpetúas C. perpetuamos D. perpetúa
Which is the correct present form of perpetuar for nosotros? A. perpetúas B. perpetúa C. perpetúan D. perpetuamos
Which sentence uses perpetuar correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo perpetuamos el nombre de su familia B. Mi amigo perpetúa el nombre de su familia C. Mi amigo perpetúas el nombre de su familia D. Mi amigo perpetuaba el nombre de su familia
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ el mito en los libros — "You perpetuate the myth in books" (present) A. perpetúas B. perpetúa C. perpetuáis D. perpetúo
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la injusticia con su silencio — "They perpetuate the injustice with his silence" (present) A. perpetúo B. perpetúas C. perpetúa D. perpetúan
What is the gerund of perpetuar? A. perpetúo B. perpetué C. perpetuando D. perpetuado
Answer key
- perpetúas — The tú form in the present is perpetúas.
- perpetúo — The present form for yo is perpetúo.
- perpetúa — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is perpetúa.
- perpetuamos — The nosotros form in the present is perpetuamos.
- Mi amigo perpetúa el nombre de su familia — Mi amigo perpetúa el nombre de su familia is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- perpetuáis — The present form for vosotros/as is perpetuáis.
- perpetúan — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is perpetúan.
- perpetuando — The gerund is perpetuando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle perpetuado.
Frequently asked questions
Is perpetuar regular in the present tense?
Yes — in the present tense perpetuar follows the regular endings for -ar verbs, as the table above shows.
What is the gerund and the past participle of perpetuar?
The gerund is perpetuando and the past participle is perpetuado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I perpetuate" in the present tense?
Say perpetúo. For example: Yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo — "I perpetuate his grandfather's memory".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of perpetuar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo perpetúo la memoria de su abuelo — "I perpetuate his grandfather's memory". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo perpetué la memoria de su abuelo — "Yesterday, I perpetuated his grandfather's memory". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of perpetuar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- perpetuar 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.