Proveer Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of proveer — “to provide, to supply” 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 proveer 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. Proveer means to provide or to supply, and it is the verb for supplying what is needed: proveer de agua a la ciudad, proveer material a la escuela. Its famous trap is the past participle: provisto, not proveído. The gerund is proveyendo, with y. To see it in a real sentence: Proveo de agua a la ciudad. — “I provide water to the city.”
Present tense conjugation table: proveer
Every person of proveer in the present tense. The gerund is proveyendo and the past participle is provisto.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | proveo |
| tú | provees |
| él/ella/Ud. | provee |
| nosotros/as | proveemos |
| vosotros/as | proveéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | proveen |
The gerund is proveyendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy proveyendo” means the action of proveer is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is provisto, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he provisto” 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 proveer is used.
How the present of proveer is formed
The present of proveer is built from the stem prove plus the present endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er 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 | proveo |
| tú | -es | provees |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | provee |
| nosotros/as | -emos | proveemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | proveéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | proveen |
proveer is not fully regular in form: this verb is a -ver verb: the stem vowel becomes y in some forms, so the preterite third person is proveyó, the gerund is proveyendo, and the imperfect subjunctive is proveyera. The endings in the table above are the regular -er endings, so once you know the pattern, the whole tense follows. The forms that show the pattern most clearly are proveo and provee.
The gerund of proveer is proveyendo and the past participle is provisto. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of proveer
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use proveer 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 proveer 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 proveer is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Proveo de agua a la ciudad.” — I provide water to the city.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what proveer 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: “Provee material a la escuela.” — He/she provides material to the school.
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: “Proveo alimentos a los refugiados.” — I provide food to the refugees.
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 proveer follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros proveemos información al equipo.” — Tomorrow, we provide information to the team.
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: “¿Provees material a la escuela?” — Do you provide material to the school?
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: “Proveo de agua a la ciudad.” — I provide water to the city.
Preterite: “Proveí de agua a la ciudad.” — I provided water to the city.
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: “Provee material a la escuela.” — He/she provides material to the school.
Preterite: “Proveyó material a la escuela.” — He/she provided material to the school.
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: “Proveemos alimentos a los refugiados.” — We provide food to the refugees.
Preterite: “Proveímos alimentos a los refugiados.” — We provided food to the refugees.
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: proveer 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.
“Proveo de agua a la ciudad.” — I provide water to the city.
“Provees material a la escuela.” — You provide material to the school.
“Provee alimentos a los refugiados.” — He/she provides food to the refugees.
“Proveemos información al equipo.” — We provide information to the team.
“Proveéis de agua a la ciudad.” — You provide water to the city.
“Proveen material a la escuela.” — They provide material to the school.
“Proveo alimentos a los refugiados.” — I provide food to the refugees.
“Provee información al equipo.” — He/she provides information to the team.
Common mistakes with proveer 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 provee de agua a la ciudad.” Right: “Yo proveo de agua a la ciudad.” Why: Yo needs the yo form proveo. The form provee belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo proveer material a la escuela.” Right: “Yo proveo material a la escuela.” Why: The infinitive proveer cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving proveo.
Wrong: “Ayer yo proveo material a la escuela.” Right: “Ayer yo proveí material a la escuela.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to proveí.
Wrong: “Ellos provee material a la escuela.” Right: “Ellos proveen material a la escuela.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form proveen. The singular provee belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: proveer 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 ___ de agua a la ciudad.”
- (a) proveo
- (b) provees
- (c) provee
Answer: proveo — The yo form of proveer in the present is proveo.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ material a la escuela.”
- (a) proveo
- (b) provee
- (c) provees
Answer: provees — The tú form of proveer in the present is provees.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ alimentos a los refugiados.”
- (a) provees
- (b) provee
- (c) proveo
Answer: provee — The él/ella form of proveer in the present is provee.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ información al equipo.”
- (a) proveemos
- (b) proveo
- (c) provees
Answer: proveemos — The nosotros/as form of proveer in the present is proveemos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ de agua a la ciudad.”
- (a) proveo
- (b) provees
- (c) proveéis
Answer: proveéis — The vosotros/as form of proveer in the present is proveéis.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ material a la escuela.”
- (a) provees
- (b) proveen
- (c) proveo
Answer: proveen — The ellos/ellas form of proveer in the present is proveen.
7. What does proveer mean in English?
- (a) to provide, to supply
- (b) to provide
- (c) to be about
Answer: to provide, to supply — Proveer means to provide, to supply.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Proveí de agua a la ciudad.
- (b) Proveeré de agua a la ciudad.
- (c) Proveo de agua a la ciudad.
Answer: Proveo de agua a la ciudad. — “Proveo de agua a la ciudad.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is proveer regular in the present?
Proveer is a spelling-change verb in the present: it is a -ver verb: the stem vowel becomes y in some forms, so the preterite third person is proveyó, the gerund is proveyendo, and the imperfect subjunctive is proveyera. The endings are the regular -er endings, so the table above follows the pattern exactly.
What is the gerund and the past participle of proveer?
The gerund is proveyendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy proveyendo. The past participle is provisto, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he provisto.
What should I watch out for with proveer?
The participle is provisto, never proveído: he provisto de agua. The gerund is proveyendo. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is proveo, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise proveer in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the proveer examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of proveer — every tense of proveer in one place.
- Proveer examples and quiz — more sentences with proveer 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 proveer and other verbs.