Resolver Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of resolver — "to solve" 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 resolver 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. Resolver means to solve a problem, a mystery or a conflict. Its past participle is irregular — resuelto, not resolvido — so the perfect tenses are he resuelto, has resuelto. To see it in a real sentence: Yo resuelvo el problema de matemáticas — "I solve the maths problem".
Present tense conjugation table: resolver
Every person of resolver in the present tense. The gerund is resolviendo and the past participle is resuelto.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | resuelvo |
| tú | resuelves |
| él/ella/Ud. | resuelve |
| nosotros/as | resolvemos |
| vosotros/as | resolvéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | resuelven |
How the present of resolver is formed
The present of resolver is built from the stem resolv- 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 | resuelvo |
| tú | -es | resuelves |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | resuelve |
| nosotros/as | -emos | resolvemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | resolvéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | resuelven |
The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: resuelvo, resuelves, resuelve and resuelven — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: resolvemos, resolvéis.
The gerund of resolver is resolviendo and the past participle is resuelto. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of resolver
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and resolver 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 resuelvo el problema de matemáticas" — "Every day, I solve the maths problem"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo resuelve el misterio del libro" — "My friend solves the mystery in the book"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo resuelvo la duda de su alumno" — "Right now, I solve his pupil's doubt"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros resolvemos el conflicto entre vecinos" — "Tomorrow, we solve the conflict between neighbours"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos resuelven el crucigrama del domingo" — "They solve the Sunday crossword"
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 resuelvo el problema de matemáticas — "I solve the maths problem"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo resolví el problema de matemáticas — "I solved the maths problem"
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 resuelves el misterio del libro — "You solve the mystery in the book"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú resolvías el misterio del libro — "You used to solve the mystery in the book"
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 resuelve la duda de su alumno — "He solves his pupil's doubt"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él resolverá la duda de su alumno — "He will solve his pupil's doubt"
Examples: resolver in the present tense
Seven sentences that show resolver in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo resuelvo el problema de matemáticas — "I solve the maths problem"
- Tú resuelves el misterio del libro — "You solve the mystery in the book"
- Él resuelve la duda de su alumno — "He solves his pupil's doubt"
- Nosotros resolvemos el conflicto entre vecinos — "We solve the conflict between neighbours"
- Vosotros resolvéis el crucigrama del domingo — "You solve the Sunday crossword"
- Ellos resuelven el problema de matemáticas — "They solve the maths problem"
- Yo resuelvo el misterio del libro — "I solve the mystery in the book"
Common mistakes with resolver in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with resolver in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo resolvo el problema de matemáticas.
✓ Correct: Yo resuelvo el problema de matemáticas.
resolver is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is resuelvo, not resolvo.
✗ *Tú resuelve el misterio del libro.
✓ Correct: Tú resuelves el misterio del libro.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes resuelves, él takes resuelve.
✗ *Cada día, yo resolví la duda de su alumno
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo resuelvo la duda de su alumno
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros resolveis el conflicto entre vecinos.
✓ Correct: Vosotros resolvéis el conflicto entre vecinos.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: resolvéis, not resolveis.
Quiz: resolver in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of resolver. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of resolver for tú? A. resuelve B. resolvemos C. resuelves D. resuelvo
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el problema de matemáticas — "I solve the maths problem" (present) A. resolvemos B. resuelvo C. resuelves D. resuelve
Complete the sentence: Él ______ el misterio del libro — "He solves the mystery in the book" (present) A. resuelves B. resolvemos C. resuelve D. resuelvo
Which is the correct present form of resolver for nosotros? A. resuelven B. resolvemos C. resuelves D. resuelve
Which sentence uses resolver correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo resuelves la duda de su alumno B. Mi amigo resolvía la duda de su alumno C. Mi amigo resolvemos la duda de su alumno D. Mi amigo resuelve la duda de su alumno
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ el conflicto entre vecinos — "You solve the conflict between neighbours" (present) A. resolvéis B. resuelvo C. resuelves D. resuelve
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el crucigrama del domingo — "They solve the Sunday crossword" (present) A. resuelve B. resuelven C. resuelvo D. resuelves
What is the gerund of resolver? A. resolviendo B. resuelto C. resuelvo D. resolví
Answer key
- resuelves — The tú form in the present is resuelves.
- resuelvo — The present form for yo is resuelvo.
- resuelve — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is resuelve.
- resolvemos — The nosotros form in the present is resolvemos.
- Mi amigo resuelve la duda de su alumno — Mi amigo resuelve la duda de su alumno is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- resolvéis — The present form for vosotros/as is resolvéis.
- resuelven — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is resuelven.
- resolviendo — The gerund is resolviendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle resuelto.
Frequently asked questions
Is resolver regular in the present tense?
No — in the present the stem changes: The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: resuelvo, resuelves, resuelve and resuelven — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: resolvemos, resolvéis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem.
What is the gerund and the past participle of resolver?
The gerund is resolviendo and the past participle is resuelto. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I solve" in the present tense?
Say resuelvo. For example: Yo resuelvo el problema de matemáticas — "I solve the maths problem".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of resolver?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo resuelvo el problema de matemáticas — "I solve the maths problem". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo resolví el problema de matemáticas — "Yesterday, I solved the maths problem". 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 resolver — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- resolver 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.