Precaver Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of precaver — “to take precautions” 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 precaver 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. Precaver means to take precautions or to foresee and prevent, and it is a formal verb for careful planning: precaver los riesgos, precaverse del frío. It is often used reflexively as precaverse, and its preterite third person uses y: precavió. To see it in a real sentence: Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje. — “I take precautions the risks before the trip.”
Present tense conjugation table: precaver
Every person of precaver in the present tense. The gerund is precaviendo and the past participle is precavido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | precavo |
| tú | precaves |
| él/ella/Ud. | precave |
| nosotros/as | precavemos |
| vosotros/as | precavéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | precaven |
The gerund is precaviendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy precaviendo” means the action of precaver is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is precavido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he precavido” 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 precaver is used.
How the present of precaver is formed
The present of precaver is built from the stem precav plus the present endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er 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 | precavo |
| tú | -es | precaves |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | precave |
| nosotros/as | -emos | precavemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | precavéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | precaven |
precaver is a regular -er verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is precav and the endings are the normal -er endings, so there are no surprises to memorise in this tense — the challenge is only using the forms naturally.
The gerund of precaver is precaviendo and the past participle is precavido. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of precaver
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use precaver in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. A routine or habit
The present tense of precaver is the tense for what happens regularly. When something is part of your routine, your week or your normal life, the present is the right choice, and precaver is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje.” — I take precautions the risks before the trip.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what precaver means in the world — what it does, who it affects, how it works — the present is the tense to use. There is no time limit on the statement, so no past or future form is needed.
Example: “Precave el peligro con tiempo.” — He/she takes precautions the danger in time.
3. Something happening right now
The present tense describes what is happening at this very moment. You do not need the progressive (estar plus the gerund) to say what is going on now: the simple present does the job in Spanish, and it is the more common choice in everyday speech.
Example: “Precavo los gastos del mes.” — I take precautions the month's expenses.
4. A plan or arrangement
Spanish uses the present tense for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression such as mañana or el lunes. When the arrangement is made, the present tense states it as a fact, and precaver follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros precavemos las consecuencias de la decisión.” — Tomorrow, we take precautions the consequences of the decision.
5. Asking and answering questions
Questions in the present tense ask about routines, facts and what is happening now. The answer uses the same tense, so a question and its answer stay in the present together. This is the pattern you will hear most often in conversation.
Example: “¿Precaves el peligro con tiempo?” — Do you take precautions the danger in time?
The present vs the 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 reports what happens now, what happens regularly, or what is generally true, while the preterite reports one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is happening now or is already finished. Time words help: ahora and todos los días point to the present, while ayer and anoche point to the preterite.
Present: “Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje.” — I take precautions the risks before the trip.
Preterite: “Precaví los riesgos antes del viaje.” — I took precautions the risks before the trip.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Precave el peligro con tiempo.” — He/she takes precautions the danger in time.
Preterite: “Precavió el peligro con tiempo.” — He/she took precautions the danger in time.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Precavemos los gastos del mes.” — We take precautions the month's expenses.
Preterite: “Precavimos los gastos del mes.” — We took precautions the month's expenses.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: precaver 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.
“Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje.” — I take precautions the risks before the trip.
“Precaves el peligro con tiempo.” — You take precautions the danger in time.
“Precave los gastos del mes.” — He/she takes precautions the month's expenses.
“Precavemos las consecuencias de la decisión.” — We take precautions the consequences of the decision.
“Precavéis los riesgos antes del viaje.” — You take precautions the risks before the trip.
“Precaven el peligro con tiempo.” — They take precautions the danger in time.
“Precavo los gastos del mes.” — I take precautions the month's expenses.
“Precave las consecuencias de la decisión.” — He/she takes precautions the consequences of the decision.
Common mistakes with precaver 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: “Yo precave los riesgos antes del viaje.” Right: “Yo precavo los riesgos antes del viaje.” Why: Yo needs the yo form precavo. The form precave belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo precaver el peligro con tiempo.” Right: “Yo precavo el peligro con tiempo.” Why: The infinitive precaver cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving precavo.
Wrong: “Ayer yo precavo el peligro con tiempo.” Right: “Ayer yo precaví el peligro con tiempo.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to precaví.
Wrong: “Ellos precave el peligro con tiempo.” Right: “Ellos precaven el peligro con tiempo.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form precaven. The singular precave belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: precaver 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 ___ los riesgos antes del viaje.”
- (a) precavo
- (b) precaves
- (c) precave
Answer: precavo — The yo form of precaver in the present is precavo.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ el peligro con tiempo.”
- (a) precavo
- (b) precave
- (c) precaves
Answer: precaves — The tú form of precaver in the present is precaves.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ los gastos del mes.”
- (a) precaves
- (b) precave
- (c) precavo
Answer: precave — The él/ella form of precaver in the present is precave.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ las consecuencias de la decisión.”
- (a) precavemos
- (b) precavo
- (c) precaves
Answer: precavemos — The nosotros/as form of precaver in the present is precavemos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ los riesgos antes del viaje.”
- (a) precavo
- (b) precaves
- (c) precavéis
Answer: precavéis — The vosotros/as form of precaver in the present is precavéis.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ el peligro con tiempo.”
- (a) precaves
- (b) precaven
- (c) precavo
Answer: precaven — The ellos/ellas form of precaver in the present is precaven.
7. What does precaver mean in English?
- (a) to take precautions
- (b) to prevent
- (c) to be about
Answer: to take precautions — Precaver means to take precautions.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Precaví los riesgos antes del viaje.
- (b) Precaveré los riesgos antes del viaje.
- (c) Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje.
Answer: Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje. — “Precavo los riesgos antes del viaje.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is precaver regular in the present?
Yes. Precaver is regular in the present: precavo, precaves, precave, precavemos, precavéis and precaven. Watch the accents on the forms that carry them, and remember that the nosotros form is the one that keeps the stem unchanged.
What is the gerund and the past participle of precaver?
The gerund is precaviendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy precaviendo. The past participle is precavido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he precavido.
What should I watch out for with precaver?
Precaver is a -ver verb: the preterite third person is precavió and the gerund is precaviendo, with y. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is precavo, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise precaver in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the precaver examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of precaver — every tense of precaver in one place.
- Precaver examples and quiz — more sentences with precaver 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 precaver and other verbs.