Probar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of probar — "to try, to taste" 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 probar 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. Probar means "to try" and "to taste" — you try on clothes, you taste food, you try a new restaurant, you try a method. It is also used for proving something (probar un hecho) and for testing (probar un coche). It is an -ar stem-changing verb: the o becomes ue in yo, tú, él and ellos (pruebo, pruebas, prueba, prueban) but stays o in nosotros and vosotros (probamos, probáis). That probamos is also the preterite yo form, so context decides. The taste sense is the most common: prueba la sopa, taste the soup. To see it in a real sentence: Tú pruebas la sopa, ¿qué tal está? — "You taste the soup, how is it?".
Present tense conjugation table: probar
Every person of probar in the present tense. The gerund is probando and the past participle is probado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pruebo |
| tú | pruebas |
| él/ella/Ud. | prueba |
| nosotros/as | probamos |
| vosotros/as | probáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | prueban |
How the present indicative of probar is formed
The present indicative of probar is built from the stem prob- 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 | pruebo |
| tú | -as | pruebas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | prueba |
| nosotros/as | -amos | probamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | probáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | prueban |
probar is an o → ue stem-changing verb. In the present indicative, the o of the stem becomes ue in four persons — yo, tú, él/ella and ellos/ellas — so you get pruebo, pruebas, prueba and prueban. But nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: probamos and probáis. That split is the whole pattern — four persons change, two do not. Watch the spelling: the ue is part of the stem, so it appears in every form that takes the change, and it never appears in nosotros or vosotros.
The gerund of probar is probando and the past participle is probado. 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 probar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and probar 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.
Tasting food
The present describes tasting now — in a restaurant, in the kitchen.
"Tú pruebas la sopa, ¿qué tal está?" — "You taste the soup, how is it?"
Trying on clothes
Probarse (reflexive) is for trying clothes on, but probar alone covers trying a new dish or a new thing.
"Yo pruebo el vestido nuevo." — "I try on the new dress."
Trying a new restaurant
The present describes trying something for the first time.
"Nosotros probamos un restaurante nuevo." — "We try a new restaurant."
Trying a method
Probar covers testing a way of doing something.
"Mi padre prueba un método nuevo." — "My father tries a new method."
Proving something
Probar also means to prove — to show that something is true.
"Ellos prueban su inocencia." — "They prove their innocence."
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 pruebo la paella por primera vez. — "I taste paella for the first time."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo probé la paella por primera vez. — 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 pruebas el vino de la casa. — "You taste the house wine."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú probabas el vino de la casa. — 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: El chef prueba la salsa. — "The chef tastes the sauce."
- Future — what will happen: El chef probará la salsa. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: probar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show probar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo pruebo la paella por primera vez. — "I taste paella for the first time."
- Tú pruebas el vino de la casa. — "You taste the house wine."
- El chef prueba la salsa. — "The chef tastes the sauce."
- Nosotros probamos la comida típica. — "We try the typical food."
- Vosotros probáis el postre. — "You taste the dessert."
- Ellos prueban los platos nuevos. — "They try the new dishes."
- Ella prueba un zapato nuevo. — "She tries on a new shoe."
Common mistakes with probar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with probar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo probo la paella por primera vez (no stem change).
✓ Correct: Yo pruebo la paella por primera vez.
Probar is an o → ue stem-changing verb: yo pruebo, not probo. The change hits yo, tú, él and ellos.
✗ *Nosotros pruebamos la comida típica.
✓ Correct: Nosotros probamos la comida típica.
Nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: probamos, probáis. The ue change never reaches them.
✗ *Yo pruebo a la paella por primera vez.
✓ Correct: Yo pruebo la paella por primera vez.
Food is a thing: probar la paella, with no a before it.
✗ *Tú pruebas de el vino.
✓ Correct: Tú pruebas el vino de la casa.
Probar takes a direct object: probar el vino. Never use de after probar.
Quiz: probar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of probar. 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 probar for tú?
- a) prueba
- b) pruebas
- c) pruebo
- d) prueban
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la paella por primera vez. — "I taste paella for the first time."
- a) pruebas
- b) pruebo
- c) probé
- d) prueban
3. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el vestido nuevo. — "I try on the new dress."
- a) prueba
- b) probé
- c) pruebo
- d) probamos
4. Which is the correct present tense form of probar for nosotros?
- a) pruebo
- b) probamos
- c) pruebas
- d) prueban
5. Which sentence uses probar correctly in the present tense?
- a) El chef pruebas la salsa.
- b) El chef probó la salsa.
- c) El chef prueba la salsa.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of probar for él/ella? Watch the stem.
- a) probamos
- b) proba
- c) pruebo
- d) prueba
7. Complete the sentence: Mi padre ______ un método nuevo. — "My father tries a new method."
- a) prueban
- b) prueba
- c) probó
- d) pruebo
8. What is the gerund of probar?
- a) probamos
- b) probado
- c) pruebo
- d) probando
Answer key
b) pruebas — The tú form is pruebas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; pruebo is yo, prueba is él/ella and prueban is ellos/ellas.
b) pruebo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: pruebo. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
c) pruebo — The subject is yo, so the present form is pruebo.
b) probamos — Nosotros takes probamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem prob-.
c) El chef prueba la salsa. — El chef prueba la salsa. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) prueba — probar is a stem-changing verb, so the él/ella form is prueba, with the changed stem. The nosotros form keeps the plain stem, and the form without the change is not Spanish.
b) prueba — The subject is él/ella/Ud., so the present form is prueba.
d) probando — The gerund is probando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle probado.
Frequently asked questions
Is probar regular in the present tense?
No. probar is a o → ue stem-changing verb, so the stem changes in yo, tú, él/ella and ellos/ellas — pruebo, pruebas, prueba, prueban — but stays plain in nosotros and vosotros: probamos and probáis.
What is the gerund and the past participle of probar?
The gerund is probando and the past participle is probado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to try, to taste" in Spanish?
Say pruebo. For example: Yo pruebo la paella por primera vez. — "I taste paella for the first time.".
What is the difference between probar and gustar?
probar means "to try, to taste", while gustar means "to like". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use probar when you mean "to try, to taste" and gustar when you mean "to like". The full conjugation of gustar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of probar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- probar 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.