Presidir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of presidir — “to preside over” 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 presidir 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. Presidir means to preside over or to chair, and it is used for meetings, ceremonies and organisations: presidir la reunión, presidir el jurado. It is a formal, regular -ir verb. To see it in a real sentence: Presido la reunión del lunes. — “I preside Monday's meeting.”
Present tense conjugation table: presidir
Every person of presidir in the present tense. The gerund is presidiendo and the past participle is presidido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | presido |
| tú | presides |
| él/ella/Ud. | preside |
| nosotros/as | presidimos |
| vosotros/as | presidís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | presiden |
The gerund is presidiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy presidiendo” means the action of presidir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is presidido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he presidido” 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 presidir is used.
How the present of presidir is formed
The present of presidir is built from the stem presid plus the present endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir 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 | presido |
| tú | -es | presides |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | preside |
| nosotros/as | -imos | presidimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | presidís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | presiden |
presidir is a regular -ir verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is presid and the endings are the normal -ir endings, so there are no surprises to memorise in this tense — the challenge is only using the forms naturally.
The gerund of presidir is presidiendo and the past participle is presidido. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of presidir
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use presidir 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 presidir 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 presidir is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Presido la reunión del lunes.” — I preside Monday's meeting.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what presidir 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: “Preside el jurado del concurso.” — He/she presides the competition jury.
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: “Presido la ceremonia de entrega.” — I preside the awards ceremony.
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 presidir follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros presidimos la mesa de debate.” — Tomorrow, we preside the debate table.
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: “¿Presides el jurado del concurso?” — Do you preside the competition jury?
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: “Presido la reunión del lunes.” — I preside Monday's meeting.
Preterite: “Presidí la reunión del lunes.” — I presided Monday's meeting.
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: “Preside el jurado del concurso.” — He/she presides the competition jury.
Preterite: “Presidió el jurado del concurso.” — He/she presided the competition jury.
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: “Presidimos la ceremonia de entrega.” — We preside the awards ceremony.
Preterite: “Presidimos la ceremonia de entrega.” — We presided the awards ceremony.
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: presidir 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.
“Presido la reunión del lunes.” — I preside Monday's meeting.
“Presides el jurado del concurso.” — You preside the competition jury.
“Preside la ceremonia de entrega.” — He/she presides the awards ceremony.
“Presidimos la mesa de debate.” — We preside the debate table.
“Presidís la reunión del lunes.” — You preside Monday's meeting.
“Presiden el jurado del concurso.” — They preside the competition jury.
“Presido la ceremonia de entrega.” — I preside the awards ceremony.
“Preside la mesa de debate.” — He/she presides the debate table.
Common mistakes with presidir 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 preside la reunión del lunes.” Right: “Yo presido la reunión del lunes.” Why: Yo needs the yo form presido. The form preside belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo presidir el jurado del concurso.” Right: “Yo presido el jurado del concurso.” Why: The infinitive presidir cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving presido.
Wrong: “Ayer yo presido el jurado del concurso.” Right: “Ayer yo presidí el jurado del concurso.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to presidí.
Wrong: “Ellos preside el jurado del concurso.” Right: “Ellos presiden el jurado del concurso.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form presiden. The singular preside belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: presidir 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 reunión del lunes.”
- (a) presido
- (b) presides
- (c) preside
Answer: presido — The yo form of presidir in the present is presido.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ el jurado del concurso.”
- (a) presido
- (b) preside
- (c) presides
Answer: presides — The tú form of presidir in the present is presides.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ la ceremonia de entrega.”
- (a) presides
- (b) preside
- (c) presido
Answer: preside — The él/ella form of presidir in the present is preside.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ la mesa de debate.”
- (a) presidimos
- (b) presido
- (c) presides
Answer: presidimos — The nosotros/as form of presidir in the present is presidimos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ la reunión del lunes.”
- (a) presido
- (b) presides
- (c) presidís
Answer: presidís — The vosotros/as form of presidir in the present is presidís.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ el jurado del concurso.”
- (a) presides
- (b) presiden
- (c) presido
Answer: presiden — The ellos/ellas form of presidir in the present is presiden.
7. What does presidir mean in English?
- (a) to preside over
- (b) to direct, to lead
- (c) to be about
Answer: to preside over — Presidir means to preside over.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Presidí la reunión del lunes.
- (b) Presidiré la reunión del lunes.
- (c) Presido la reunión del lunes.
Answer: Presido la reunión del lunes. — “Presido la reunión del lunes.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is presidir regular in the present?
Yes. Presidir is regular in the present: presido, presides, preside, presidimos, presidís and presiden. 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 presidir?
The gerund is presidiendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy presidiendo. The past participle is presidido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he presidido.
What should I watch out for with presidir?
Presidir is regular: presidí, presidía, presidiré. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is presido, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise presidir in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the presidir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of presidir — every tense of presidir in one place.
- Presidir examples and quiz — more sentences with presidir 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 presidir and other verbs.