Preparar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of preparar — "to prepare" 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 preparar 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. Preparar means to prepare, and it covers preparing food, preparing for an exam, preparing a trip and getting a room ready. It is a fully regular -ar verb and one of the most useful verbs for daily life, school and work. To see it in a real sentence: Él prepara la cena para toda la familia. — "He/she prepares dinner for the whole family." Work through the table below, then the formation notes, the usage rules and the contrast with the preterite, and test yourself at the end.
Present tense conjugation table: preparar
Every person of preparar in the present tense. The gerund is preparando and the past participle is preparado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | preparo |
| tú | preparas |
| él/ella/Ud. | prepara |
| nosotros/as | preparamos |
| vosotros/as | preparáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | preparan |
How the present indicative of preparar is formed
The present indicative of preparar is built from the stem prepar- 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 | preparo |
| tú | -as | preparas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | prepara |
| nosotros/as | -amos | preparamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | preparáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | preparan |
The gerund of preparar is preparando and the past participle is preparado. 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 preparar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and preparar 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 tense describes things you do regularly. If you do it every day, every week or every morning, the present is the tense to use. For preparar, this use looks like this: "Yo preparo la cena para toda la familia." — "I prepare dinner for the whole family." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.
General facts
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. It is the tense for definitions and permanent situations. For preparar, this use looks like this: "Él prepara el examen de mañana." — "He/she prepares tomorrow's exam." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.
What is happening now
The present tense also covers what is happening at this moment, especially with verbs that describe an action in progress. For preparar, this use looks like this: "Nosotros preparamos la maleta para el viaje." — "We prepare the suitcase for the trip." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.
Timetables and schedules
The present tense is used for fixed plans and timetables, such as trains, classes and opening times, even when they refer to the future. For preparar, this use looks like this: "Ellos preparan la presentación del lunes." — "They prepare Monday's presentation." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.
Instructions and requests
The present tense appears in instructions and polite requests, where it sounds softer than a direct command. For preparar, this use looks like this: "Tú preparas la cena para toda la familia." — "You prepare dinner for the whole family." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.
The present tense vs the preterite
Learners often mix up the present and the preterite with preparar. The rule is simple: the present is for habits, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite is for one finished action in the past. The three pairs below show the same idea in both tenses, so you can feel the difference.
Pair 1: present vs preterite
- Present: "Yo preparo la cena para toda la familia." — "I prepare dinner for the whole family."
- Preterite: "Yo preparé la cena para toda la familia." — "I prepared dinner for the whole family." The first sentence uses the present because it describes a habit or a present fact; the second uses the preterite because it describes a finished action. The verb is the same — only the tense changes the meaning.
Pair 2: present vs preterite
- Present: "Él prepara el examen de mañana." — "He/she prepares tomorrow's exam."
- Preterite: "Él preparó el examen de mañana." — "He/she prepared tomorrow's exam." The first sentence uses the present because it describes a habit or a present fact; the second uses the preterite because it describes a finished action. The verb is the same — only the tense changes the meaning.
Pair 3: present vs preterite
- Present: "Nosotros preparamos la maleta para el viaje." — "We prepare the suitcase for the trip."
- Preterite: "Nosotros preparamos la maleta para el viaje." — "We prepared the suitcase for the trip." The first sentence uses the present because it describes a habit or a present fact; the second uses the preterite because it describes a finished action. The verb is the same — only the tense changes the meaning.
Example sentences in the present tense
Eight natural sentences with preparar in the present tense only. Each one uses a form from the table above.
- Yo preparo la cena para toda la familia. — I prepare dinner for the whole family.
- Tú preparas el examen de mañana. — You prepare tomorrow's exam.
- Él prepara la maleta para el viaje. — He/she prepares the suitcase for the trip.
- Nosotros preparamos la presentación del lunes. — We prepare Monday's presentation.
- Vosotros preparáis la cena para toda la familia. — You all prepare dinner for the whole family.
- Ellos preparan el examen de mañana. — They prepare tomorrow's exam.
- Yo preparo la maleta para el viaje. — I prepare the suitcase for the trip.
- Él prepara la presentación del lunes. — He/she prepares Monday's presentation.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Vosotros preparais el examen de mañana. — Right: Vosotros preparáis el examen de mañana. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: preparáis, not preparais.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo preparo la maleta para el viaje. — Right: Ayer, yo preparé la maleta para el viaje. — Ayer means yesterday, so it needs the preterite (preparé), not the present (preparo). The present is for now, not for yesterday.
- Wrong: Yo prepara la cena para toda la familia. — Right: Yo preparo la cena para toda la familia. — The person matters: prepara is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is preparo.
- Wrong: Yo soy preparado el examen de mañana. — Right: Yo he preparado el examen de mañana. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he preparado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Eight questions on the present tense of preparar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la cena para toda la familia. (present tense) A. preparo B. preparas C. prepara D. preparamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el examen de mañana. (present tense) A. preparas B. preparo C. prepara D. preparamos
Complete the sentence: Él ___ la maleta para el viaje. (present tense) A. prepara B. preparo C. preparas D. preparamos
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la presentación del lunes. (present tense) A. preparamos B. preparo C. preparas D. prepara
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ___ la cena para toda la familia. (present tense) A. preparáis B. preparo C. preparas D. prepara
Complete the sentence: Ellos ___ el examen de mañana. (present tense) A. preparan B. preparo C. preparas D. prepara
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la maleta para el viaje. (present tense) A. preparo B. preparas C. prepara D. preparamos
Complete the sentence: Él ___ la presentación del lunes. (present tense) A. prepara B. preparo C. preparas D. preparamos
Answer key
- preparo — The yo present form of preparar is preparo. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
- preparas — The tu present form of preparar is preparas. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
- prepara — The el present form of preparar is prepara. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
- preparamos — The nosotros present form of preparar is preparamos. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
- preparáis — The vosotros present form of preparar is preparáis. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
- preparan — The ellos present form of preparar is preparan. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
- preparo — The yo present form of preparar is preparo. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
- prepara — The el present form of preparar is prepara. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
Frequently asked questions
When do I use the present tense of preparar?
Use the present tense of preparar for habits, facts and what is happening now. For example: Yo preparo la cena para toda la familia. — "I prepare dinner for the whole family." The usage rules above give five situations with examples.
How is the present tense of preparar formed?
Take the stem prepar- and add the present endings for -ar verbs. The full table is at the top of this page.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of preparar?
The present describes a habit or a present fact, while the preterite describes a finished action. Compare Yo preparo el examen de mañana. with Yo preparé el examen de mañana. — the verb is the same, but the time meaning changes.
How do I practise the present tense of preparar?
Drill the six forms in the table above until you can say them without looking, then use the preparar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and test yourself with the Preparar conjugation page for the full picture across all tenses.
Related links
- Preparar conjugation — the full conjugation of preparar in every tense.
- Preparar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for preparar.
- Spanish Present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Spanish.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense on any verb.