Introduction
Presumir means “to show off, to presume”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Presumir means to show off or to presume, and it has two everyday uses: showing off something you have (presumir de coche nuevo) and assuming something is true (presumo que vendrá). It takes de for what you show off. This page shows presumir in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Presumo de coche nuevo.” — I show off about his new car.
Presumir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how presumir is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use presumir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Presumo de coche nuevo.” — I show off about his new car.
“¿Presumes de sus notas en clase?” — Do you show off about his marks in class?
“Presume que todo saldrá bien.” — He/she shows off that everything will go well.
“Nosotros presumimos mucho delante de sus amigos.” — We show off a lot in front of his friends.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show presumir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo presumí de coche nuevo.” — Yesterday, I showed off about his new car. (preterite)
“Antes, él presumía de sus notas en clase.” — Before, he used to show off about his marks in class. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of presumir stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros presumiremos que todo saldrá bien.” — Tomorrow, we will show off that everything will go well. (future)
“¿Tú has presumido mucho delante de sus amigos?” — Have you shown off a lot in front of his friends? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros presumís de coche nuevo.” — You show off about his new car.
“Ellos presumen de sus notas en clase.” — They show off about his marks in class.
“Yo presumo que todo saldrá bien.” — I show off that everything will go well.
“Mi padre presume mucho delante de sus amigos.” — My father shows off a lot in front of his friends.
Presumir in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how presumir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú presumes de sus notas en clase?” — Do you show off about his marks in class?
Pedro: “Sí, yo presumo de coche nuevo.” — Yes, I show off about his new car.
Marta: “Nosotros presumimos mucho delante de sus amigos.” — We show off a lot in front of his friends.
Pedro: “Y ellos presumen de sus notas en clase.” — And they show off about his marks in class.
Marta: “Vosotros presumís que todo saldrá bien.” — You show off that everything will go well.
Pedro: “Sí, y él presume de coche nuevo.” — Yes, and he shows off about his new car.
A short paragraph
Presume de coche nuevo, y nosotros presumimos mucho delante de sus amigos. Yo presumo de sus notas en clase, y ellos presumen que todo saldrá bien. Presumir is part of everyday life, because show off, to presume is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with presumir
These are the errors learners actually make with presumir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo presume de coche nuevo.” Right: “Yo presumo de coche nuevo.” Why: The person matters: presume is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is presumo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo presumo de sus notas en clase.” Right: “Ayer yo presumí de sus notas en clase.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: presumo is happening now, while presumí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating presumir and suponer as identical in every context.” Right: “Presumir means to show off, to presume, while suponer means to suppose.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: presumir fits sentences such as Presumo de coche nuevo, while suponer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy presumido de sus notas en clase.” Right: “Yo he presumido de sus notas en clase.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he presumido, has presumido, ha presumido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo presumí que todo saldrá bien todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo presumía que todo saldrá bien todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (presumía), not the preterite. The preterite (presumí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: presumir in use
Ten questions on presumir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ de coche nuevo.” (You show off about his new car.)
- (a) presumís
- (b) presumo
- (c) presumes
Answer: presumís — The vosotros/as form of presumir in the present tense is presumís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ de sus notas en clase.” (They show off about his marks in class.)
- (a) presumes
- (b) presumen
- (c) presumo
Answer: presumen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of presumir in the present tense is presumen.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ de coche nuevo.” (Yesterday I showed off about his new car.)
- (a) presumiste
- (b) presumió
- (c) presumí
Answer: presumí — In the preterite, the yo form of presumir is presumí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ de sus notas en clase.” (Before, he used to show off about his marks in class.)
- (a) presumía
- (b) presumo
- (c) presumías
Answer: presumía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of presumir is presumía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ que todo saldrá bien.” (Tomorrow we will show off that everything will go well.)
- (a) presumirás
- (b) presumiremos
- (c) presumiré
Answer: presumiremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of presumir is presumiremos.
6. What does presumir mean in English?
- (a) to show off, to presume
- (b) to preside over
- (c) to suppose
Answer: to show off, to presume — Presumir means “to show off, to presume”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo presume de coche nuevo.
- (b) Ellos presume de sus notas en clase.
- (c) Yo presumo de coche nuevo.
Answer: Yo presumo de coche nuevo. — “Yo presumo de coche nuevo.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I show off about his new car.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre presume mucho delante de sus amigos.
- (b) Presumo de coche nuevo.
- (c) Presumen de coche nuevo.
Answer: Presumo de coche nuevo. — “Presumo de coche nuevo.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of presumir in the present tense?
- (a) presumo
- (b) presumes
- (c) presumimos
Answer: presumimos — The nosotros form is presumimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros presumiremos que todo saldrá bien.
- (b) Presumo de coche nuevo.
- (c) Ayer, yo presumí de coche nuevo.
Answer: Presumo de coche nuevo. — “Presumo de coche nuevo.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I show off about his new car' in Spanish?
Say 'Presumo de coche nuevo'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Presumo de coche nuevo todos los días'.
How do you say 'He shows off about his marks in class' in Spanish?
Say 'Él presume de sus notas en clase'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes presume.
What is the difference between presumir and suponer?
Presumir means to show off, to presume, while suponer means to suppose. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use presumir when you mean to show off, to presume, as in 'Presumo de coche nuevo', and use suponer for to suppose.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of presumir — every tense of presumir in one place.
- Presumir in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on presumir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of presumir until they are automatic.