Rendir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of rendir — "to surrender, to yield" 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 rendir 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. Rendir means to surrender or yield: rendir las armas, rendirse ante el enemigo. It also appears in set phrases: rendir homenaje (to pay tribute), rendir cuentas (to give an account), and in Latin America rendir un examen (to sit an exam). To see it in a real sentence: Yo rindo las armas ante el enemigo — "I surrender his weapons before the enemy".
Present tense conjugation table: rendir
Every person of rendir in the present tense. The gerund is rindiendo and the past participle is rendido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | rindo |
| tú | rindes |
| él/ella/Ud. | rinde |
| nosotros/as | rendimos |
| vosotros/as | rendís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rinden |
How the present of rendir is formed
The present of rendir is built from the stem rend- plus the present endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir 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 | rindo |
| tú | -es | rindes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | rinde |
| nosotros/as | -imos | rendimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | rendís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | rinden |
The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: rindo, rindes, rinde and rinden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: rendimos, rendís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: rindió, rindieron, and the gerund is rindiendo.
The gerund of rendir is rindiendo and the past participle is rendido. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of rendir
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and rendir appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Habits and routines
The present describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, yo rindo las armas ante el enemigo" — "Every day, I surrender his weapons before the enemy"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo rinde el castillo tras el asedio" — "My friend surrenders the castle after the siege"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo rindo su espada al vencedor" — "Right now, I surrender his sword to the victor"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros rendimos ante la evidencia de los hechos" — "Tomorrow, we surrender in the face of the evidence"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos rinden su voluntad tras la derrota" — "They surrender his will after the defeat"
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}yo rindo las armas ante el enemigo — "I surrender his weapons before the enemy"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo rendí las armas ante el enemigo — "I surrendered his weapons before the enemy"
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: {}tú rindes el castillo tras el asedio — "You surrender the castle after the siege"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú rendías el castillo tras el asedio — "You used to surrender the castle after the siege"
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él rinde su espada al vencedor — "He surrenders his sword to the victor"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él rendirá su espada al vencedor — "He will surrender his sword to the victor"
Examples: rendir in the present tense
Seven sentences that show rendir in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo rindo las armas ante el enemigo — "I surrender his weapons before the enemy"
- Tú rindes el castillo tras el asedio — "You surrender the castle after the siege"
- Él rinde su espada al vencedor — "He surrenders his sword to the victor"
- Nosotros rendimos ante la evidencia de los hechos — "We surrender in the face of the evidence"
- Vosotros rendís su voluntad tras la derrota — "You surrender his will after the defeat"
- Ellos rinden las armas ante el enemigo — "They surrender his weapons before the enemy"
- Yo rindo el castillo tras el asedio — "I surrender the castle after the siege"
Common mistakes with rendir in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with rendir in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo rendo las armas ante el enemigo.
✓ Correct: Yo rindo las armas ante el enemigo.
rendir is a stem-changing verb (e → i): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is rindo, not rendo.
✗ *Tú rinde el castillo tras el asedio.
✓ Correct: Tú rindes el castillo tras el asedio.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes rindes, él takes rinde.
✗ *Cada día, yo rendí su espada al vencedor
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo rindo su espada al vencedor
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros rendis ante la evidencia de los hechos.
✓ Correct: Vosotros rendís ante la evidencia de los hechos.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: rendís, not rendis.
Quiz: rendir in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of rendir. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of rendir for tú? A. rindes B. rindo C. rinde D. rendimos
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ las armas ante el enemigo — "I surrender his weapons before the enemy" (present) A. rindo B. rindes C. rinde D. rendimos
Complete the sentence: Él ______ el castillo tras el asedio — "He surrenders the castle after the siege" (present) A. rindo B. rindes C. rendimos D. rinde
Which is the correct present form of rendir for nosotros? A. rindes B. rinde C. rinden D. rendimos
Which sentence uses rendir correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo rendimos su espada al vencedor B. Mi amigo rinde su espada al vencedor C. Mi amigo rindes su espada al vencedor D. Mi amigo rendía su espada al vencedor
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ ante la evidencia de los hechos — "You surrender in the face of the evidence" (present) A. rindo B. rindes C. rinde D. rendís
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ su voluntad tras la derrota — "They surrender his will after the defeat" (present) A. rindo B. rindes C. rinde D. rinden
What is the gerund of rendir? A. rindo B. rendí C. rindiendo D. rendido
Answer key
- rindes — The tú form in the present is rindes.
- rindo — The present form for yo is rindo.
- rinde — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is rinde.
- rendimos — The nosotros form in the present is rendimos.
- Mi amigo rinde su espada al vencedor — Mi amigo rinde su espada al vencedor is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- rendís — The present form for vosotros/as is rendís.
- rinden — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is rinden.
- rindiendo — The gerund is rindiendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle rendido.
Frequently asked questions
Is rendir regular in the present tense?
No — in the present the stem changes: The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: rindo, rindes, rinde and rinden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: rendimos, rendís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: rindió, rindieron, and the gerund is rindiendo. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem.
What is the gerund and the past participle of rendir?
The gerund is rindiendo and the past participle is rendido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I surrender" in the present tense?
Say rindo. For example: Yo rindo las armas ante el enemigo — "I surrender his weapons before the enemy".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of rendir?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo rindo las armas ante el enemigo — "I surrender his weapons before the enemy". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo rendí las armas ante el enemigo — "Yesterday, I surrendered his weapons before the enemy". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of rendir — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- rendir examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.