Soltar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of soltar — "to let go, to release" 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 soltar 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. Soltar means to let go of something you are holding, or to release it: soltar la cuerda, soltar a su perro. It also means to let out a laugh or a remark: soltar una carcajada. To see it in a real sentence: Yo suelto la cuerda de repente — "I let go the rope suddenly".
Present tense conjugation table: soltar
Every person of soltar in the present tense. The gerund is soltando and the past participle is soltado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | suelto |
| tú | sueltas |
| él/ella/Ud. | suelta |
| nosotros/as | soltamos |
| vosotros/as | soltáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sueltan |
How the present of soltar is formed
The present of soltar is built from the stem solt- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar 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 | suelto |
| tú | -as | sueltas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | suelta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | soltamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | soltáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | sueltan |
The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: suelto, sueltas, suelta and sueltan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: soltamos, soltáis.
The gerund of soltar is soltando and the past participle is soltado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of soltar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and soltar 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 suelto la cuerda de repente" — "Every day, I let go the rope suddenly"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo suelta el globo en el parque" — "My friend lets go the balloon in the park"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo suelto una carcajada en clase" — "Right now, I let go a burst of laughter in class"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros soltamos el freno de mano" — "Tomorrow, we let go the handbrake"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos sueltan a su perro en el campo" — "They let go his dog in the field"
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 suelto la cuerda de repente — "I let go the rope suddenly"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo solté la cuerda de repente — "I let go the rope suddenly"
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 sueltas el globo en el parque — "You let go the balloon in the park"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú soltabas el globo en el parque — "You used to let go the balloon in the park"
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 suelta una carcajada en clase — "He lets go a burst of laughter in class"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él soltará una carcajada en clase — "He will let go a burst of laughter in class"
Examples: soltar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show soltar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo suelto la cuerda de repente — "I let go the rope suddenly"
- Tú sueltas el globo en el parque — "You let go the balloon in the park"
- Él suelta una carcajada en clase — "He lets go a burst of laughter in class"
- Nosotros soltamos el freno de mano — "We let go the handbrake"
- Vosotros soltáis a su perro en el campo — "You let go his dog in the field"
- Ellos sueltan la cuerda de repente — "They let go the rope suddenly"
- Yo suelto el globo en el parque — "I let go the balloon in the park"
Common mistakes with soltar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with soltar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo solto la cuerda de repente.
✓ Correct: Yo suelto la cuerda de repente.
soltar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is suelto, not solto.
✗ *Tú suelta el globo en el parque.
✓ Correct: Tú sueltas el globo en el parque.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes sueltas, él takes suelta.
✗ *Cada día, yo solté una carcajada en clase
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo suelto una carcajada en clase
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros soltais el freno de mano.
✓ Correct: Vosotros soltáis el freno de mano.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: soltáis, not soltais.
Quiz: soltar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of soltar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of soltar for tú? A. suelto B. suelta C. soltamos D. sueltas
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la cuerda de repente — "I let go the rope suddenly" (present) A. sueltas B. suelta C. soltamos D. suelto
Complete the sentence: Él ______ el globo en el parque — "He lets go the balloon in the park" (present) A. suelto B. sueltas C. soltamos D. suelta
Which is the correct present form of soltar for nosotros? A. suelta B. sueltan C. soltamos D. sueltas
Which sentence uses soltar correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo suelta una carcajada en clase B. Mi amigo sueltas una carcajada en clase C. Mi amigo soltaba una carcajada en clase D. Mi amigo soltamos una carcajada en clase
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ el freno de mano — "You let go the handbrake" (present) A. soltáis B. suelto C. sueltas D. suelta
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ a su perro en el campo — "They let go his dog in the field" (present) A. sueltan B. suelto C. sueltas D. suelta
What is the gerund of soltar? A. solté B. soltando C. soltado D. suelto
Answer key
- sueltas — The tú form in the present is sueltas.
- suelto — The present form for yo is suelto.
- suelta — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is suelta.
- soltamos — The nosotros form in the present is soltamos.
- Mi amigo suelta una carcajada en clase — Mi amigo suelta una carcajada en clase is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- soltáis — The present form for vosotros/as is soltáis.
- sueltan — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is sueltan.
- soltando — The gerund is soltando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle soltado.
Frequently asked questions
Is soltar regular in the present tense?
No — in the present the stem changes: The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: suelto, sueltas, suelta and sueltan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: soltamos, soltáis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem.
What is the gerund and the past participle of soltar?
The gerund is soltando and the past participle is soltado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I let go" in the present tense?
Say suelto. For example: Yo suelto la cuerda de repente — "I let go the rope suddenly".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of soltar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo suelto la cuerda de repente — "I let go the rope suddenly". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo solté la cuerda de repente — "Yesterday, I let go the rope suddenly". 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 soltar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- soltar 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.