Preservar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of preservar — “to preserve” 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 preservar 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. Preservar means to preserve, and it is used for nature, traditions, food and health: preservar el medio ambiente, preservar las costumbres. It is a formal verb, common in news and essays, and it is fully regular. To see it in a real sentence: Preservo el medio ambiente. — “I preserve the environment.”
Present tense conjugation table: preservar
Every person of preservar in the present tense. The gerund is preservando and the past participle is preservado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | preservo |
| tú | preservas |
| él/ella/Ud. | preserva |
| nosotros/as | preservamos |
| vosotros/as | preserváis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | preservan |
The gerund is preservando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy preservando” means the action of preservar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is preservado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he preservado” 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 preservar is used.
How the present of preservar is formed
The present of preservar is built from the stem preserv 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 | preservo |
| tú | -as | preservas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | preserva |
| nosotros/as | -amos | preservamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | preserváis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | preservan |
preservar is a regular -ar verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is preserv and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so there are no surprises to memorise in this tense — the challenge is only using the forms naturally.
The gerund of preservar is preservando and the past participle is preservado. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of preservar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use preservar 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 preservar 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 preservar is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Preservo el medio ambiente.” — I preserve the environment.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what preservar 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: “Preserva las costumbres del pueblo.” — He/she preserves the village traditions.
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: “Preservo la comida en la nevera.” — I preserve food in the fridge.
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 preservar follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros preservamos la salud con ejercicio.” — Tomorrow, we preserve health with exercise.
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: “¿Preservas las costumbres del pueblo?” — Do you preserve the village traditions?
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: “Preservo el medio ambiente.” — I preserve the environment.
Preterite: “Preservé el medio ambiente.” — I preserved the environment.
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: “Preserva las costumbres del pueblo.” — He/she preserves the village traditions.
Preterite: “Preservó las costumbres del pueblo.” — He/she preserved the village traditions.
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: “Preservamos la comida en la nevera.” — We preserve food in the fridge.
Preterite: “Preservamos la comida en la nevera.” — We preserved food in the fridge.
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: preservar 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.
“Preservo el medio ambiente.” — I preserve the environment.
“Preservas las costumbres del pueblo.” — You preserve the village traditions.
“Preserva la comida en la nevera.” — He/she preserves food in the fridge.
“Preservamos la salud con ejercicio.” — We preserve health with exercise.
“Preserváis el medio ambiente.” — You preserve the environment.
“Preservan las costumbres del pueblo.” — They preserve the village traditions.
“Preservo la comida en la nevera.” — I preserve food in the fridge.
“Preserva la salud con ejercicio.” — He/she preserves health with exercise.
Common mistakes with preservar 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 preserva el medio ambiente.” Right: “Yo preservo el medio ambiente.” Why: Yo needs the yo form preservo. The form preserva belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo preservar las costumbres del pueblo.” Right: “Yo preservo las costumbres del pueblo.” Why: The infinitive preservar cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving preservo.
Wrong: “Ayer yo preservo las costumbres del pueblo.” Right: “Ayer yo preservé las costumbres del pueblo.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to preservé.
Wrong: “Ellos preserva las costumbres del pueblo.” Right: “Ellos preservan las costumbres del pueblo.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form preservan. The singular preserva belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: preservar 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 ___ el medio ambiente.”
- (a) preservo
- (b) preservas
- (c) preserva
Answer: preservo — The yo form of preservar in the present is preservo.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ las costumbres del pueblo.”
- (a) preservo
- (b) preserva
- (c) preservas
Answer: preservas — The tú form of preservar in the present is preservas.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ la comida en la nevera.”
- (a) preservas
- (b) preserva
- (c) preservo
Answer: preserva — The él/ella form of preservar in the present is preserva.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ la salud con ejercicio.”
- (a) preservamos
- (b) preservo
- (c) preservas
Answer: preservamos — The nosotros/as form of preservar in the present is preservamos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ el medio ambiente.”
- (a) preservo
- (b) preservas
- (c) preserváis
Answer: preserváis — The vosotros/as form of preservar in the present is preserváis.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ las costumbres del pueblo.”
- (a) preservas
- (b) preservan
- (c) preservo
Answer: preservan — The ellos/ellas form of preservar in the present is preservan.
7. What does preservar mean in English?
- (a) to preserve
- (b) to conserve, to keep
- (c) to be about
Answer: to preserve — Preservar means to preserve.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Preservé el medio ambiente.
- (b) Preservaré el medio ambiente.
- (c) Preservo el medio ambiente.
Answer: Preservo el medio ambiente. — “Preservo el medio ambiente.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is preservar regular in the present?
Yes. Preservar is regular in the present: preservo, preservas, preserva, preservamos, preserváis and preservan. 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 preservar?
The gerund is preservando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy preservando. The past participle is preservado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he preservado.
What should I watch out for with preservar?
Preservar is fully regular: preservé, preservaba, preservaré. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is preservo, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise preservar in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the preservar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of preservar — every tense of preservar in one place.
- Preservar examples and quiz — more sentences with preservar 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 preservar and other verbs.