Regatear in the Present Tense

Regatear means “to haggle”, and this page covers exactly one thing: regatear in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about routines, facts and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for regatear, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about regatear in the present. For example: “Yo regateo el precio en el mercado.” — I haggle the price in the market. Everything on this page uses the forms of regatear exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Regatear in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo regateo
tú regateas
él/ella/Ud. regatea
nosotros/as regateamos
vosotros/as regateáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. regatean

Gerund: regateando · Past participle: regateado

The gerund is regateando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy regateando” means the action of regatear is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is regateado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he regateado” 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 regatear is used.

How the present of regatear is formed

Regatear is regular in the present tense. Take the stem regate and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving regateo, regateas, regatea, regateamos, regateáis, regatean. Watch the accents: the yo form is regateo and the él/ella/Ud. form is regatea.

When to use the present of regatear

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use regatear in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Routines and habits

The present tense is the tense of what you do regularly. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the right choice, and regatear is no exception. Example: “Yo regateo el precio en el mercado todos los días.” — I haggle the price in the market every day.

2. Facts and general truths

The present states facts that are true in general, not just right now. Use it to say what regatear means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Regatea por un descuento en la tienda.” — He/she haggles for a discount in the shop.

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes actions in progress at this very moment. When something is happening as you speak, the present tense says so directly. Example: “Yo regateo con el vendedor toda la mañana ahora.” — I haggle with the seller all morning now.

4. Scheduled events in the near future

Spanish often uses the present for things that are already arranged, such as plans for tomorrow or next week. The present sounds more certain than the future in these cases. Example: “Nosotros regateamos hasta conseguir un buen precio.” — We haggle until I get a good price.

5. Instructions and everyday speech

In everyday speech the present gives instructions, makes offers and states what someone does. It is the tense you will hear most often in conversation. Example: “Tú regateas el precio en el mercado.” — You haggle the price in the market.

Present Tense vs 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 describes routines, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is a habit or a finished event. Time words help: todos los días and cada semana point to the present, while ayer and la semana pasada point to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Yo regateo el precio en el mercado todos los días.” — I haggle the price in the market every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo regateé el precio en el mercado.” — Yesterday, I haggled the price in the market.

  • The present sentence describes a habit; the preterite sentence reports one finished action. Todos los días points to the present, ayer points to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Él regatea por un descuento en la tienda cada semana.” — He/she haggles for a discount in the shop every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él regateó por un descuento en la tienda.” — Last week, he haggled for a discount in the shop.

  • Cada semana describes a routine, so the present is right; la semana pasada names one finished week, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Nosotros regateamos con el vendedor toda la mañana a menudo.” — We haggle with the seller all morning often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros regateamos con el vendedor toda la mañana.” — Yesterday, we haggled with the seller all morning.

  • The present sentence counts no single event; the preterite sentence counts one finished action. That difference — habit versus finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: regatear 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.

  1. “Regateo el precio en el mercado.” — I haggle the price in the market.

  2. “Regateas por un descuento en la tienda.” — You haggle for a discount in the shop.

  3. “Regatea con el vendedor toda la mañana.” — He/she haggles with the seller all morning.

  4. “Regateamos hasta conseguir un buen precio.” — We haggle until I get a good price.

  5. “Regateáis el precio en el mercado.” — You haggle the price in the market.

  6. “Regatean por un descuento en la tienda.” — They haggle for a discount in the shop.

  7. “Regateo con el vendedor toda la mañana.” — I haggle with the seller all morning.

  8. “Regatea hasta conseguir un buen precio.” — He/she haggles until I get a good price.

Common mistakes with regatear 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: “Ellos regatea el precio en el mercado.” Right: “Ellos regatean el precio en el mercado.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form regatean. The singular regatea belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.

  • Wrong: “Yo regateo por un descuento en la tienda ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo regateé por un descuento en la tienda.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to regateé.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros regateas con el vendedor toda la mañana.” Right: “Nosotros regateamos con el vendedor toda la mañana.” Why: Nosotros needs regateamos. The tú form regateas belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos regateo hasta conseguir un buen precio todos los días.” Right: “Ellos regatean hasta conseguir un buen precio todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form regatean, not the yo form regateo. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.

Quiz: regatear 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 ______ el precio en el mercado.” (The price in the market.)

  • (a) regateo
  • (b) regateas
  • (c) regatea

Answer: regateo — The yo form of regatear in the present is regateo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ por un descuento en la tienda?” (For a discount in the shop.)

  • (a) regateo
  • (b) regatea
  • (c) regateas

Answer: regateas — The tú form of regatear in the present is regateas. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ con el vendedor toda la mañana.” (With the seller all morning.)

  • (a) regateas
  • (b) regatea
  • (c) regateo

Answer: regatea — The él/ella/Ud. form of regatear in the present is regatea. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ hasta conseguir un buen precio.” (Until i get a good price.)

  • (a) regateamos
  • (b) regateo
  • (c) regateas

Answer: regateamos — The nosotros/as form of regatear in the present is regateamos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of regatear in the present?

  • (a) regateo
  • (b) regateas
  • (c) regateáis

Answer: regateáis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes regateáis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros regateáis el precio en el mercado.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ por un descuento en la tienda.” (For a discount in the shop.)

  • (a) regateas
  • (b) regatean
  • (c) regateo

Answer: regatean — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of regatear in the present is regatean. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

7. Which is the correct yo form of regatear in the present?

  • (a) regateo
  • (b) regateas
  • (c) regatea

Answer: regateo — The yo form is regateo. The other two options are the forms for other persons.

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo regateé el precio en el mercado todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros regatearemos el precio en el mercado mañana.
  • (c) Yo regateo el precio en el mercado todos los días.

Answer: Yo regateo el precio en el mercado todos los días. — “Yo regateo el precio en el mercado todos los días.” describes a habit, so it takes the present. The second option reports a finished action in the past, and the third looks to the future.

Frequently asked questions

Is regatear regular in the present?

Yes. Regatear is regular in the present: regateo, regateas, regatea, regateamos, regateáis, regatean. Watch the accents on the yo and él forms, and remember that only context tells the nosotros form apart from the present-tense nosotros form when they are identical.

What is the past participle of regatear?

The past participle is regateado: 'He regateado' means 'I have haggled'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is regateando.

Does regatear take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Regatear is fully regular: regateé, regateaba, regatearé. Regatear el precio is to haggle over the price. In the examples on this page, regatear appears with complements such as el precio en el mercado and por un descuento en la tienda, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of regatear?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo regateo, tú regateas, él/ella/Ud. regatea, nosotros/as regateamos, vosotros/as regateáis, ellos/ellas/Uds. regatean. Then write three of your own sentences with regatear in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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