Pronosticar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of pronosticar — “to forecast” 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 pronosticar 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. Pronosticar means to forecast or to predict, and it is used for weather, results and the future of a patient: pronosticar lluvia, pronosticar una victoria. It is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is pronostiqué and the subjunctive pronostique. To see it in a real sentence: Pronostico lluvia para mañana. — “I forecast rain for tomorrow.”
Present tense conjugation table: pronosticar
Every person of pronosticar in the present tense. The gerund is pronosticando and the past participle is pronosticado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pronostico |
| tú | pronosticas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pronostica |
| nosotros/as | pronosticamos |
| vosotros/as | pronosticáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pronostican |
The gerund is pronosticando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy pronosticando” means the action of pronosticar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is pronosticado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he pronosticado” 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 pronosticar is used.
How the present of pronosticar is formed
The present of pronosticar is built from the stem pronostic 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 | pronostico |
| tú | -as | pronosticas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | pronostica |
| nosotros/as | -amos | pronosticamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | pronosticáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | pronostican |
pronosticar is not fully regular in form: this verb is a -car verb: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite first person is pronostiqué and the present subjunctive is pronostique. The endings in the table above are the regular -ar endings, so once you know the pattern, the whole tense follows. The forms that show the pattern most clearly are pronostico and pronostica.
The gerund of pronosticar is pronosticando and the past participle is pronosticado. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of pronosticar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use pronosticar 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 pronosticar 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 pronosticar is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Pronostico lluvia para mañana.” — I forecast rain for tomorrow.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what pronosticar 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: “Pronostica una victoria del equipo.” — He/she forecasts a victory for the team.
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: “Pronostico sol para el fin de semana.” — I forecast sun for the 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 pronosticar follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros pronosticamos una mejora del enfermo.” — Tomorrow, we forecast an improvement in the patient.
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: “¿Pronosticas una victoria del equipo?” — Do you forecast a victory for the team?
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: “Pronostico lluvia para mañana.” — I forecast rain for tomorrow.
Preterite: “Pronostiqué lluvia para mañana.” — I forecast rain for tomorrow.
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: “Pronostica una victoria del equipo.” — He/she forecasts a victory for the team.
Preterite: “Pronosticó una victoria del equipo.” — He/she forecast a victory for the team.
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: “Pronosticamos sol para el fin de semana.” — We forecast sun for the weekend.
Preterite: “Pronosticamos sol para el fin de semana.” — We forecast sun for the 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: pronosticar 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.
“Pronostico lluvia para mañana.” — I forecast rain for tomorrow.
“Pronosticas una victoria del equipo.” — You forecast a victory for the team.
“Pronostica sol para el fin de semana.” — He/she forecasts sun for the weekend.
“Pronosticamos una mejora del enfermo.” — We forecast an improvement in the patient.
“Pronosticáis lluvia para mañana.” — You forecast rain for tomorrow.
“Pronostican una victoria del equipo.” — They forecast a victory for the team.
“Pronostico sol para el fin de semana.” — I forecast sun for the weekend.
“Pronostica una mejora del enfermo.” — He/she forecasts an improvement in the patient.
Common mistakes with pronosticar 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 pronostica lluvia para mañana.” Right: “Yo pronostico lluvia para mañana.” Why: Yo needs the yo form pronostico. The form pronostica belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo pronosticar una victoria del equipo.” Right: “Yo pronostico una victoria del equipo.” Why: The infinitive pronosticar cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving pronostico.
Wrong: “Ayer yo pronostico una victoria del equipo.” Right: “Ayer yo pronostiqué una victoria del equipo.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to pronostiqué.
Wrong: “Ellos pronostica una victoria del equipo.” Right: “Ellos pronostican una victoria del equipo.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form pronostican. The singular pronostica belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: pronosticar 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 ___ lluvia para mañana.”
- (a) pronostico
- (b) pronosticas
- (c) pronostica
Answer: pronostico — The yo form of pronosticar in the present is pronostico.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ una victoria del equipo.”
- (a) pronostico
- (b) pronostica
- (c) pronosticas
Answer: pronosticas — The tú form of pronosticar in the present is pronosticas.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ sol para el fin de semana.”
- (a) pronosticas
- (b) pronostica
- (c) pronostico
Answer: pronostica — The él/ella form of pronosticar in the present is pronostica.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ una mejora del enfermo.”
- (a) pronosticamos
- (b) pronostico
- (c) pronosticas
Answer: pronosticamos — The nosotros/as form of pronosticar in the present is pronosticamos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ lluvia para mañana.”
- (a) pronostico
- (b) pronosticas
- (c) pronosticáis
Answer: pronosticáis — The vosotros/as form of pronosticar in the present is pronosticáis.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ una victoria del equipo.”
- (a) pronosticas
- (b) pronostican
- (c) pronostico
Answer: pronostican — The ellos/ellas form of pronosticar in the present is pronostican.
7. What does pronosticar mean in English?
- (a) to forecast
- (b) to predict
- (c) to be about
Answer: to forecast — Pronosticar means to forecast.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Pronostiqué lluvia para mañana.
- (b) Pronosticaré lluvia para mañana.
- (c) Pronostico lluvia para mañana.
Answer: Pronostico lluvia para mañana. — “Pronostico lluvia para mañana.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is pronosticar regular in the present?
Pronosticar is a spelling-change verb in the present: it is a -car verb: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite first person is pronostiqué and the present subjunctive is pronostique. The endings are the regular -ar endings, so the table above follows the pattern exactly.
What is the gerund and the past participle of pronosticar?
The gerund is pronosticando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy pronosticando. The past participle is pronosticado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he pronosticado.
What should I watch out for with pronosticar?
Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is pronostiqué and the subjunctive pronostique. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is pronostico, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise pronosticar in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the pronosticar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of pronosticar — every tense of pronosticar in one place.
- Pronosticar examples and quiz — more sentences with pronosticar 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 pronosticar and other verbs.