Saborear in the Present Tense

Saborear means “to savour”, and this page covers exactly one thing: saborear 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 saborear, 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 saborear in the present. For example: “Yo saboreo la comida con calma.” — I savour the food calmly. Everything on this page uses the forms of saborear exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Saborear in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo saboreo
tú saboreas
él/ella/Ud. saborea
nosotros/as saboreamos
vosotros/as saboreáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. saborean

Gerund: saboreando · Past participle: saboreado

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

How the present of saborear is formed

Saborear is regular in the present tense. Take the stem sabore and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving saboreo, saboreas, saborea, saboreamos, saboreáis, saborean. Watch the accents: the yo form is saboreo and the él/ella/Ud. form is saborea.

When to use the present of saborear

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use saborear 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 saborear is no exception. Example: “Yo saboreo la comida con calma todos los días.” — I savour the food calmly 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 saborear means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Saborea el vino en la cena.” — He/she savours the wine at dinner.

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 saboreo cada bocado del postre ahora.” — I savour every mouthful of the dessert 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 saboreamos el momento sin prisa.” — We savour the moment without hurrying.

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 saboreas la comida con calma.” — You savour the food calmly.

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 saboreo la comida con calma todos los días.” — I savour the food calmly every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo saboreé la comida con calma.” — Yesterday, I savoured the food calmly.

  • 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 saborea el vino en la cena cada semana.” — He/she savours the wine at dinner every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él saboreó el vino en la cena.” — Last week, he savoured the wine at dinner.

  • 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 saboreamos cada bocado del postre a menudo.” — We savour every mouthful of the dessert often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros saboreamos cada bocado del postre.” — Yesterday, we savoured every mouthful of the dessert.

  • 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: saborear 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. “Saboreo la comida con calma.” — I savour the food calmly.

  2. “Saboreas el vino en la cena.” — You savour the wine at dinner.

  3. “Saborea cada bocado del postre.” — He/she savours every mouthful of the dessert.

  4. “Saboreamos el momento sin prisa.” — We savour the moment without hurrying.

  5. “Saboreáis la comida con calma.” — You savour the food calmly.

  6. “Saborean el vino en la cena.” — They savour the wine at dinner.

  7. “Saboreo cada bocado del postre.” — I savour every mouthful of the dessert.

  8. “Saborea el momento sin prisa.” — He/she savours the moment without hurrying.

Common mistakes with saborear 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 saborea la comida con calma.” Right: “Ellos saborean la comida con calma.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form saborean. The singular saborea belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.

  • Wrong: “Yo saboreo el vino en la cena ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo saboreé el vino en la cena.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to saboreé.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros saboreas cada bocado del postre.” Right: “Nosotros saboreamos cada bocado del postre.” Why: Nosotros needs saboreamos. The tú form saboreas belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos saboreo el momento sin prisa todos los días.” Right: “Ellos saborean el momento sin prisa todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form saborean, not the yo form saboreo. 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: saborear 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 ______ la comida con calma.” (The food calmly.)

  • (a) saboreo
  • (b) saboreas
  • (c) saborea

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

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ el vino en la cena?” (The wine at dinner.)

  • (a) saboreo
  • (b) saborea
  • (c) saboreas

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

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ cada bocado del postre.” (Every mouthful of the dessert.)

  • (a) saboreas
  • (b) saborea
  • (c) saboreo

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

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ el momento sin prisa.” (The moment without hurrying.)

  • (a) saboreamos
  • (b) saboreo
  • (c) saboreas

Answer: saboreamos — The nosotros/as form of saborear in the present is saboreamos. 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 saborear in the present?

  • (a) saboreo
  • (b) saboreas
  • (c) saboreáis

Answer: saboreáis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes saboreáis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros saboreáis la comida con calma.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el vino en la cena.” (The wine at dinner.)

  • (a) saboreas
  • (b) saborean
  • (c) saboreo

Answer: saborean — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of saborear in the present is saborean. 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 saborear in the present?

  • (a) saboreo
  • (b) saboreas
  • (c) saborea

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

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo saboreé la comida con calma todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros saborearemos la comida con calma mañana.
  • (c) Yo saboreo la comida con calma todos los días.

Answer: Yo saboreo la comida con calma todos los días. — “Yo saboreo la comida con calma 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 saborear regular in the present?

Yes. Saborear is regular in the present: saboreo, saboreas, saborea, saboreamos, saboreáis, saborean. 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 saborear?

The past participle is saboreado: 'He saboreado' means 'I have savoured'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is saboreando.

Does saborear take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Saborear is fully regular: saboreé, saboreaba, saborearé. Saborear la comida is to savour the food. In the examples on this page, saborear appears with complements such as la comida con calma and el vino en la cena, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of saborear?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo saboreo, tú saboreas, él/ella/Ud. saborea, nosotros/as saboreamos, vosotros/as saboreáis, ellos/ellas/Uds. saborean. Then write three of your own sentences with saborear in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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