Profundizar Present Tense in Spanish
profundizar means "to deepen" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for profundizar, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo profundizo en el tema del examen. — "Every day, I deepen in the exam topic." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of profundizar: full table
Every person of profundizar in the present tense. The gerund is profundizando and the past participle is profundizado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | profundizo |
| tú | profundizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | profundiza |
| nosotros/as | profundizamos |
| vosotros/as | profundizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | profundizan |
The gerund of profundizar is profundizando and the past participle is profundizado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy profundizando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he profundizado).
How the present tense of profundizar is formed
The present tense of profundizar is built from the stem profundiz- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo profundizo, tú profundizas, él profundiza, nosotros profundizamos, vosotros profundizáis and ellos profundizan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | profundizo |
| tú | -as | profundizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | profundiza |
| nosotros/as | -amos | profundizamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | profundizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | profundizan |
Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the yo preterite is profundicé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example profundice.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is profundizando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy profundizando. The past participle is profundizado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he profundizado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with profundizar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo profundizo en el tema del examen. — "Every day, I deepen in the exam topic." The complement in this sentence is about the exam topic, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear profundizar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú profundizas en la historia de España. — "Now, you deepen in the history of Spain." The complement in this sentence is about the history of Spain, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear profundizar in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él profundiza en su conocimiento del inglés. — "Normally, he/she deepens in his knowledge of English." The complement in this sentence is about his knowledge of English, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear profundizar in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros profundizamos en la relación con su hijo. — "Tomorrow, we deepen in the relationship with his son." The complement in this sentence is about the relationship with his son, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear profundizar in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos profundizan en el tema del examen. — "Always, they deepen in the exam topic." The complement in this sentence is about the exam topic, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear profundizar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: profundizar
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with profundizar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo profundizo en el tema del examen. — "Every day, I deepen in the exam topic."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo profundicé en el tema del examen. — "Yesterday, I deepened in the exam topic."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú profundizas en la historia de España. — "Every day, you deepen in the history of Spain."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú profundizaste en la historia de España. — "Yesterday, you deepened in the history of Spain."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él profundiza en su conocimiento del inglés. — "Every day, he/she deepens in his knowledge of English."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él profundizó en su conocimiento del inglés. — "Yesterday, he/she deepened in his knowledge of English."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: profundizar in the present tense
These eight sentences show profundizar in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo profundizo en el tema del examen. — "I deepen in the exam topic."
- Tú profundizas en la historia de España. — "you deepen in the history of Spain."
- Él profundiza en su conocimiento del inglés. — "he/she deepens in his knowledge of English."
- Nosotros profundizamos en la relación con su hijo. — "we deepen in the relationship with his son."
- Vosotros profundizáis en el tema del examen. — "you (plural) deepen in the exam topic."
- Ellos profundizan en la historia de España. — "they deepen in the history of Spain."
- Yo profundizo en su conocimiento del inglés. — "I deepen in his knowledge of English."
- Tú profundizas en la relación con su hijo. — "you deepen in the relationship with his son."
Common mistakes with profundizar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros profundizais en el tema del examen.
- Right: Vosotros profundizáis en el tema del examen.
- Why: The vosotros form profundizáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me profundizo en el tema del examen.
- Right: Yo profundizo en el tema del examen.
- Why: profundizar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add. The extra pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo profundizo en la historia de España.
- Right: Ayer, yo profundicé en la historia de España.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo profundicé en la historia de España. — "Yesterday, I deepened in the history of Spain." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo profundizo en su conocimiento del inglés.
- Right: Antes, yo profundizaba en su conocimiento del inglés.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo profundizaba en su conocimiento del inglés. — "In the past, I used to deepen in his knowledge of English." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros profundiza en el tema del examen.
- Right: Nosotros profundizamos en el tema del examen.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes profundizamos, while profundiza belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of profundizar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of profundizar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of profundizar in the present tense?
- (a) profundizas
- (b) profundiza
- (c) profundizamos
- (d) profundizo
Answer: (d) profundizo. The yo form is profundizo. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of profundizar in the present tense?
- (a) profundiza
- (b) profundizamos
- (c) profundizas
- (d) profundizo
Answer: (c) profundizas. The tú form is profundizas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of profundizar in the present tense?
- (a) profundizamos
- (b) profundiza
- (c) profundizo
- (d) profundizas
Answer: (b) profundiza. The él/ella form is profundiza. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of profundizar in the present tense?
- (a) profundizamos
- (b) profundizo
- (c) profundizas
- (d) profundiza
Answer: (a) profundizamos. The nosotros form is profundizamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of profundizar in the present tense?
- (a) profundizo
- (b) profundizas
- (c) profundiza
- (d) profundizan
Answer: (d) profundizan. The ellos/ellas form is profundizan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ en el tema del examen.
- (a) profundiza
- (b) profundizamos
- (c) profundizo
- (d) profundizas
Answer: (c) profundizo. The sentence needs the yo form profundizo (Every day, I deepen in the exam topic.)
7. What is the gerund of profundizar?
- (a) profundizo
- (b) profundizar
- (c) profundizando
- (d) profundizado
Answer: (c) profundizando. The gerund is profundizando, used for the progressive: estoy profundizando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Mañana, yo profundizaré en la historia de España.
- (b) Cada día, yo profundizo en la historia de España.
- (c) Antes, yo profundizaba en la historia de España.
- (d) Ayer, yo profundicé en la historia de España.
Answer: (b) Cada día, yo profundizo en la historia de España.. Cada día, yo profundizo en la historia de España. (Every day, I deepen in the history of Spain.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo profundicé en la historia de España. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo profundizaré en la historia de España. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of profundizar
Is profundizar regular in the present tense?
Almost. profundizar is a spelling-changing (z → c before e) -ar verb, so its endings are regular, but watch the spelling: Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the yo preterite is profundicé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example profundice.
How do you say 'deepen' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo profundizo en el tema del examen. — "Every day, I deepen in the exam topic." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with profundizar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo profundizo en la historia de España. — "Every day, I deepen in the history of Spain." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo profundicé en la historia de España. — "Yesterday, I deepened in the history of Spain." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with profundizar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros profundizamos en la relación con su hijo. — "Tomorrow, we deepen in the relationship with his son." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.