Prestar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of prestar — "to lend" 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 prestar 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. Prestar means "to lend" — you lend a book, money, your car, your phone charger. It is also used for prestar atención (to pay attention), which is the most common fixed expression with this verb, and for prestar ayuda (to lend a hand). The structure is prestar something a alguien: te presto mi libro, I lend you my book. It is a fully regular -ar verb, and the present tense is used for lending that happens now or as a regular habit between friends and family. To see it in a real sentence: Yo te presto mi libro. — "I lend you my book.".
Present tense conjugation table: prestar
Every person of prestar in the present tense. The gerund is prestando and the past participle is prestado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | presto |
| tú | prestas |
| él/ella/Ud. | presta |
| nosotros/as | prestamos |
| vosotros/as | prestáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prestan |
How the present indicative of prestar is formed
The present indicative of prestar is built from the stem prest- plus the present indicative 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 | presto |
| tú | -as | prestas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | presta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | prestamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | prestáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | prestan |
Because prestar is a regular -ar verb, there are no surprises in the present indicative: the stem prest- never changes, and every person takes its normal ending. The only spelling detail to watch is the written accent on the vosotros form, prestáis, which carries an accent on the vowel of the ending. Learn the six endings once and you can conjugate any regular -ar verb the same way.
The gerund of prestar is prestando and the past participle is prestado. 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 prestar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and prestar 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.
Lending a thing to someone
The present describes lending that happens now or regularly.
"Yo te presto mi libro." — "I lend you my book."
Paying attention
Prestar atención is the fixed expression for paying attention in class or in a conversation.
"Tú prestas atención en clase." — "You pay attention in class."
Lending money
Prestar dinero is the standard phrase for lending money to someone.
"Nosotros prestamos dinero a nuestros amigos." — "We lend money to our friends."
Lending a hand
Prestar ayuda means to help — literally to lend help.
"Mi vecino presta ayuda siempre." — "My neighbour always lends a hand."
Asking to borrow
In questions, prestar is how you ask someone to lend you something.
"¿Tú me prestas tu coche?" — "Do you lend me your car?"
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Yo presto mi bicicleta a mi hermano. — "I lend my bicycle to my brother."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo presté mi bicicleta a mi hermano. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Tú prestas tus apuntes a tus compañeros. — "You lend your notes to your classmates."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú prestabas tus apuntes a tus compañeros. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: La biblioteca presta libros por dos semanas. — "The library lends books for two weeks."
- Future — what will happen: La biblioteca prestará libros por dos semanas. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: prestar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show prestar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo presto mi bicicleta a mi hermano. — "I lend my bicycle to my brother."
- Tú prestas tus apuntes a tus compañeros. — "You lend your notes to your classmates."
- La biblioteca presta libros por dos semanas. — "The library lends books for two weeks."
- Nosotros prestamos atención al profesor. — "We pay attention to the teacher."
- Vosotros prestáis vuestros juguetes a los niños. — "You lend your toys to the children."
- Ellos prestan dinero a sus hijos. — "They lend money to their children."
- Ella presta su paraguas a su amiga. — "She lends her umbrella to her friend."
Common mistakes with prestar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with prestar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo presto mi libro a ti (using a ti instead of the pronoun te).
✓ Correct: Yo te presto mi libro.
The person you lend to is an indirect object pronoun before the verb: te presto, not presto a ti — though a ti can be added for emphasis: te presto mi libro a ti.
✗ *Tú prestas atención a clase (using a instead of en).
✓ Correct: Tú prestas atención en clase.
The fixed expression is prestar atención, and the place takes en: prestar atención en clase.
✗ *Vosotros prestáis vuestros juguetes (written without the accent: prestais).
✓ Correct: Vosotros prestáis vuestros juguetes a los niños.
Prestáis needs the written accent on the á.
✗ *La biblioteca presta a libros por dos semanas.
✓ Correct: La biblioteca presta libros por dos semanas.
Books are things: prestar libros, with no a before them.
Quiz: prestar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of prestar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of prestar for tú?
- a) presto
- b) prestan
- c) prestas
- d) presta
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ mi bicicleta a mi hermano. — "I lend my bicycle to my brother."
- a) presté
- b) presto
- c) prestan
- d) prestas
3. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ atención en clase. — "You pay attention in class."
- a) prestamos
- b) prestaste
- c) presta
- d) prestas
4. Which is the correct present tense form of prestar for nosotros?
- a) prestamos
- b) presto
- c) prestas
- d) prestan
5. Which sentence uses prestar correctly in the present tense?
- a) La biblioteca prestó libros por dos semanas.
- b) La biblioteca prestas libros por dos semanas.
- c) La biblioteca presta libros por dos semanas.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of prestar for vosotros?
- a) prestas
- b) prestáis
- c) presta
- d) presto
7. Complete the sentence: Mi vecino ______ ayuda siempre. — "My neighbour always lends a hand."
- a) prestó
- b) presto
- c) presta
- d) prestan
8. What is the gerund of prestar?
- a) prestando
- b) prestamos
- c) presto
- d) prestado
Answer key
c) prestas — The tú form is prestas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; presto is yo, presta is él/ella and prestan is ellos/ellas.
b) presto — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: presto. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) prestas — The subject is tú, so the present form is prestas.
a) prestamos — Nosotros takes prestamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem prest-.
c) La biblioteca presta libros por dos semanas. — La biblioteca presta libros por dos semanas. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
b) prestáis — Vosotros takes prestáis. Remember the written accent on the ending — it is part of the correct spelling.
c) presta — The subject is él/ella/Ud., so the present form is presta.
a) prestando — The gerund is prestando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle prestado.
Frequently asked questions
Is prestar regular in the present tense?
Yes. prestar is a regular -ar verb, so its present tense follows the standard endings exactly: presto, prestas, presta, prestamos, prestáis and prestan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of prestar?
The gerund is prestando and the past participle is prestado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to lend" in Spanish?
Say presto. For example: Yo presto mi bicicleta a mi hermano. — "I lend my bicycle to my brother.".
What is the difference between prestar and pedir prestado?
prestar means "to lend", while pedir prestado means "to borrow". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use prestar when you mean "to lend" and pedir prestado when you mean "to borrow". The full conjugation of pedir prestado is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of prestar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- prestar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.