Procurar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of procurar — “to try to, to get” 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 procurar 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. Procurar means to try to or to get, and it covers trying to do something (procurar llegar a tiempo) and obtaining something for someone (procurar un trabajo). It takes an infinitive for the trying sense, and it is fully regular. To see it in a real sentence: Procuro llegar a tiempo. — “I try to arrive on time.”
Present tense conjugation table: procurar
Every person of procurar in the present tense. The gerund is procurando and the past participle is procurado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | procuro |
| tú | procuras |
| él/ella/Ud. | procura |
| nosotros/as | procuramos |
| vosotros/as | procuráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | procuran |
The gerund is procurando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy procurando” means the action of procurar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is procurado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he procurado” 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 procurar is used.
How the present of procurar is formed
The present of procurar is built from the stem procur 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 | procuro |
| tú | -as | procuras |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | procura |
| nosotros/as | -amos | procuramos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | procuráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | procuran |
procurar is a regular -ar verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is procur 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 procurar is procurando and the past participle is procurado. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of procurar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use procurar 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 procurar 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 procurar is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Procuro llegar a tiempo.” — I try to arrive on time.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what procurar 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: “Procura un trabajo para su hijo.” — He/she tries a job for his son.
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: “Procuro descansar este fin de semana.” — I try to rest this weekend.
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 procurar follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros procuramos hablar con el director.” — Tomorrow, we try to speak to the director.
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: “¿Procuras un trabajo para su hijo?” — Do you try a job for his son?
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: “Procuro llegar a tiempo.” — I try to arrive on time.
Preterite: “Procuré llegar a tiempo.” — I tried to arrive on time.
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: “Procura un trabajo para su hijo.” — He/she tries a job for his son.
Preterite: “Procuró un trabajo para su hijo.” — He/she tried a job for his son.
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: “Procuramos descansar este fin de semana.” — We try to rest this weekend.
Preterite: “Procuramos descansar este fin de semana.” — We tried to rest this weekend.
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: procurar 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.
“Procuro llegar a tiempo.” — I try to arrive on time.
“Procuras un trabajo para su hijo.” — You try a job for his son.
“Procura descansar este fin de semana.” — He/she tries to rest this weekend.
“Procuramos hablar con el director.” — We try to speak to the director.
“Procuráis llegar a tiempo.” — You try to arrive on time.
“Procuran un trabajo para su hijo.” — They try a job for his son.
“Procuro descansar este fin de semana.” — I try to rest this weekend.
“Procura hablar con el director.” — He/she tries to speak to the director.
Common mistakes with procurar 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 procura llegar a tiempo.” Right: “Yo procuro llegar a tiempo.” Why: Yo needs the yo form procuro. The form procura belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo procurar un trabajo para su hijo.” Right: “Yo procuro un trabajo para su hijo.” Why: The infinitive procurar cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving procuro.
Wrong: “Ayer yo procuro un trabajo para su hijo.” Right: “Ayer yo procuré un trabajo para su hijo.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to procuré.
Wrong: “Ellos procura un trabajo para su hijo.” Right: “Ellos procuran un trabajo para su hijo.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form procuran. The singular procura belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: procurar 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 ___ llegar a tiempo.”
- (a) procuro
- (b) procuras
- (c) procura
Answer: procuro — The yo form of procurar in the present is procuro.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ un trabajo para su hijo.”
- (a) procuro
- (b) procura
- (c) procuras
Answer: procuras — The tú form of procurar in the present is procuras.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ descansar este fin de semana.”
- (a) procuras
- (b) procura
- (c) procuro
Answer: procura — The él/ella form of procurar in the present is procura.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ hablar con el director.”
- (a) procuramos
- (b) procuro
- (c) procuras
Answer: procuramos — The nosotros/as form of procurar in the present is procuramos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ llegar a tiempo.”
- (a) procuro
- (b) procuras
- (c) procuráis
Answer: procuráis — The vosotros/as form of procurar in the present is procuráis.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ un trabajo para su hijo.”
- (a) procuras
- (b) procuran
- (c) procuro
Answer: procuran — The ellos/ellas form of procurar in the present is procuran.
7. What does procurar mean in English?
- (a) to try to, to get
- (b) to try
- (c) to be about
Answer: to try to, to get — Procurar means to try to, to get.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Procuré llegar a tiempo.
- (b) Procuraré llegar a tiempo.
- (c) Procuro llegar a tiempo.
Answer: Procuro llegar a tiempo. — “Procuro llegar a tiempo.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is procurar regular in the present?
Yes. Procurar is regular in the present: procuro, procuras, procura, procuramos, procuráis and procuran. 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 procurar?
The gerund is procurando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy procurando. The past participle is procurado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he procurado.
What should I watch out for with procurar?
Procurar plus an infinitive is to try to: procuro llegar a tiempo. It is stronger than intentar in formal Spanish. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is procuro, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise procurar in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the procurar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of procurar — every tense of procurar in one place.
- Procurar examples and quiz — more sentences with procurar 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 procurar and other verbs.