Prender in the Present Tense
Prender means “to turn on”, and this page covers exactly one thing: prender 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 prender, 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 prender in the present. For example: “Yo prendo la luz al entrar.” — I turn on the light on coming in. Everything on this page uses the forms of prender exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Prender in the Present Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | prendo |
| tú | prendes |
| él/ella/Ud. | prende |
| nosotros/as | prendemos |
| vosotros/as | prendéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prenden |
Gerund: prendiendo · Past participle: prendido
The gerund is prendiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy prendiendo” means the action of prender is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is prendido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he prendido” 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 prender is used.
How the present of prender is formed
Prender is regular in the present tense. Take the stem prend and add the present endings for -er verbs: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en, giving prendo, prendes, prende, prendemos, prendéis, prenden. Watch the accents: the yo form is prendo and the él/ella/Ud. form is prende.
When to use the present of prender
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use prender 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 prender is no exception. Example: “Yo prendo la luz al entrar todos los días.” — I turn on the light on coming in 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 prender means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Prende la televisión por la noche.” — He/she turns on the television at night.
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 prendo una vela en la cena ahora.” — I turn on a candle at dinner 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 prendemos el fuego con cerillas.” — We turn on the fire with matches.
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 prendes la luz al entrar.” — You turn on the light on coming in.
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 prendo la luz al entrar todos los días.” — I turn on the light on coming in every day.
Preterite: “Ayer, yo prendí la luz al entrar.” — Yesterday, I turned on the light on coming in.
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 prende la televisión por la noche cada semana.” — He/she turns on the television at night every week.
Preterite: “La semana pasada, él prendió la televisión por la noche.” — Last week, he turned on the television at night.
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 prendemos una vela en la cena a menudo.” — We turn on a candle at dinner often.
Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros prendimos una vela en la cena.” — Yesterday, we turned on a candle at dinner.
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: prender 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.
“Prendo la luz al entrar.” — I turn on the light on coming in.
“Prendes la televisión por la noche.” — You turn on the television at night.
“Prende una vela en la cena.” — He/she turns on a candle at dinner.
“Prendemos el fuego con cerillas.” — We turn on the fire with matches.
“Prendéis la luz al entrar.” — You turn on the light on coming in.
“Prenden la televisión por la noche.” — They turn on the television at night.
“Prendo una vela en la cena.” — I turn on a candle at dinner.
“Prende el fuego con cerillas.” — He/she turns on the fire with matches.
Common mistakes with prender 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 prende la luz al entrar.” Right: “Ellos prenden la luz al entrar.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form prenden. The singular prende belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Yo prendo la televisión por la noche ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo prendí la televisión por la noche.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to prendí.
Wrong: “Nosotros prendes una vela en la cena.” Right: “Nosotros prendemos una vela en la cena.” Why: Nosotros needs prendemos. The tú form prendes belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos prendo el fuego con cerillas todos los días.” Right: “Ellos prenden el fuego con cerillas todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form prenden, not the yo form prendo. 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: prender 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 ______ la luz al entrar.” (The light on coming in.)
- (a) prendo
- (b) prendes
- (c) prende
Answer: prendo — The yo form of prender in the present is prendo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ la televisión por la noche?” (The television at night.)
- (a) prendo
- (b) prende
- (c) prendes
Answer: prendes — The tú form of prender in the present is prendes. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ una vela en la cena.” (A candle at dinner.)
- (a) prendes
- (b) prende
- (c) prendo
Answer: prende — The él/ella/Ud. form of prender in the present is prende. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ el fuego con cerillas.” (The fire with matches.)
- (a) prendemos
- (b) prendo
- (c) prendes
Answer: prendemos — The nosotros/as form of prender in the present is prendemos. 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 prender in the present?
- (a) prendo
- (b) prendes
- (c) prendéis
Answer: prendéis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes prendéis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros prendéis la luz al entrar.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la televisión por la noche.” (The television at night.)
- (a) prendes
- (b) prenden
- (c) prendo
Answer: prenden — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of prender in the present is prenden. 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 prender in the present?
- (a) prendo
- (b) prendes
- (c) prende
Answer: prendo — The yo form is prendo. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?
- (a) Yo prendí la luz al entrar todos los días.
- (b) Nosotros prenderemos la luz al entrar mañana.
- (c) Yo prendo la luz al entrar todos los días.
Answer: Yo prendo la luz al entrar todos los días. — “Yo prendo la luz al entrar 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 prender regular in the present?
Yes. Prender is regular in the present: prendo, prendes, prende, prendemos, prendéis, prenden. 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 prender?
The past participle is prendido: 'He prendido' means 'I have turned on'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is prendiendo.
Does prender take a preposition?
It depends on the meaning. Prender is fully regular: prendí, prendía, prenderé. Prender la luz is to turn on the light. In the examples on this page, prender appears with complements such as la luz al entrar and la televisión por la noche, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.
How do I remember the present forms of prender?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo prendo, tú prendes, él/ella/Ud. prende, nosotros/as prendemos, vosotros/as prendéis, ellos/ellas/Uds. prenden. Then write three of your own sentences with prender in the present, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of prender — every tense of prender in one place.
- Prender examples and quiz — more sentences with prender 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 prender and other verbs.