Soportar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of soportar — “to put up with, to bear” 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 soportar 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. Soportar means to put up with or to bear, and it covers bearing pain, heat, noise and a difficult person: soportar el dolor, soportar el calor. It is a fully regular -ar verb. Note the false friend: soportar never means to support in the sense of holding something up — that is sujetar or apoyar. To see it in a real sentence: Soporto el dolor de la pierna. — “I bear the pain in his leg.”
Present tense conjugation table: soportar
Every person of soportar in the present tense. The gerund is soportando and the past participle is soportado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | soporto |
| tú | soportas |
| él/ella/Ud. | soporta |
| nosotros/as | soportamos |
| vosotros/as | soportáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | soportan |
The gerund is soportando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy soportando” means the action of soportar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is soportado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he soportado” 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 soportar is used.
How the present of soportar is formed
The present of soportar is built from the stem soport 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 | soporto |
| tú | -as | soportas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | soporta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | soportamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | soportáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | soportan |
soportar is a regular -ar verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is soport and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so there are no surprises to memorise in this tense — the challenge is only using the forms naturally.
The gerund of soportar is soportando and the past participle is soportado. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of soportar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use soportar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. A routine or habit
The present tense of soportar is the tense for what happens regularly. When something is part of your routine, your week or your normal life, the present is the right choice, and soportar is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Soporto el dolor de la pierna.” — I bear the pain in his leg.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what soportar means in the world — what it does, who it affects, how it works — the present is the tense to use. There is no time limit on the statement, so no past or future form is needed.
Example: “Soporta el calor del verano.” — He/she bears the summer heat.
3. Something happening right now
The present tense describes what is happening at this very moment. You do not need the progressive (estar plus the gerund) to say what is going on now: the simple present does the job in Spanish, and it is the more common choice in everyday speech.
Example: “Soporto el ruido de la obra.” — I bear the building-site noise.
4. A plan or arrangement
Spanish uses the present tense for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression such as mañana or el lunes. When the arrangement is made, the present tense states it as a fact, and soportar follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros soportamos a su jefe en el trabajo.” — Tomorrow, we bear his boss at work.
5. Asking and answering questions
Questions in the present tense ask about routines, facts and what is happening now. The answer uses the same tense, so a question and its answer stay in the present together. This is the pattern you will hear most often in conversation.
Example: “¿Soportas el calor del verano?” — Do you bear the summer heat?
The present vs the 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 reports what happens now, what happens regularly, or what is generally true, while the preterite reports one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is happening now or is already finished. Time words help: ahora and todos los días point to the present, while ayer and anoche point to the preterite.
Present: “Soporto el dolor de la pierna.” — I bear the pain in his leg.
Preterite: “Soporté el dolor de la pierna.” — I bore the pain in his leg.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Soporta el calor del verano.” — He/she bears the summer heat.
Preterite: “Soportó el calor del verano.” — He/she bore the summer heat.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Soportamos el ruido de la obra.” — We bear the building-site noise.
Preterite: “Soportamos el ruido de la obra.” — We bore the building-site noise.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: soportar 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.
“Soporto el dolor de la pierna.” — I bear the pain in his leg.
“Soportas el calor del verano.” — You bear the summer heat.
“Soporta el ruido de la obra.” — He/she bears the building-site noise.
“Soportamos a su jefe en el trabajo.” — We bear his boss at work.
“Soportáis el dolor de la pierna.” — You bear the pain in his leg.
“Soportan el calor del verano.” — They bear the summer heat.
“Soporto el ruido de la obra.” — I bear the building-site noise.
“Soporta a su jefe en el trabajo.” — He/she bears his boss at work.
Common mistakes with soportar 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: “Yo soporta el dolor de la pierna.” Right: “Yo soporto el dolor de la pierna.” Why: Yo needs the yo form soporto. The form soporta belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo soportar el calor del verano.” Right: “Yo soporto el calor del verano.” Why: The infinitive soportar cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving soporto.
Wrong: “Ayer yo soporto el calor del verano.” Right: “Ayer yo soporté el calor del verano.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to soporté.
Wrong: “Ellos soporta el calor del verano.” Right: “Ellos soportan el calor del verano.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form soportan. The singular soporta belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: soportar 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 dolor de la pierna.”
- (a) soporto
- (b) soportas
- (c) soporta
Answer: soporto — The yo form of soportar in the present is soporto.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ el calor del verano.”
- (a) soporto
- (b) soporta
- (c) soportas
Answer: soportas — The tú form of soportar in the present is soportas.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ el ruido de la obra.”
- (a) soportas
- (b) soporta
- (c) soporto
Answer: soporta — The él/ella form of soportar in the present is soporta.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ a su jefe en el trabajo.”
- (a) soportamos
- (b) soporto
- (c) soportas
Answer: soportamos — The nosotros/as form of soportar in the present is soportamos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ el dolor de la pierna.”
- (a) soporto
- (b) soportas
- (c) soportáis
Answer: soportáis — The vosotros/as form of soportar in the present is soportáis.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ el calor del verano.”
- (a) soportas
- (b) soportan
- (c) soporto
Answer: soportan — The ellos/ellas form of soportar in the present is soportan.
7. What does soportar mean in English?
- (a) to put up with, to bear
- (b) to put up with, to endure
- (c) to be about
Answer: to put up with, to bear — Soportar means to put up with, to bear.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Soporté el dolor de la pierna.
- (b) Soportaré el dolor de la pierna.
- (c) Soporto el dolor de la pierna.
Answer: Soporto el dolor de la pierna. — “Soporto el dolor de la pierna.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is soportar regular in the present?
Yes. Soportar is regular in the present: soporto, soportas, soporta, soportamos, soportáis and soportan. Watch the accents on the forms that carry them, and remember that the nosotros form is the one that keeps the stem unchanged.
What is the gerund and the past participle of soportar?
The gerund is soportando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy soportando. The past participle is soportado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he soportado.
What should I watch out for with soportar?
Soportar never means to support something physically: that is sujetar. Soportar el calor is to bear the heat. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is soporto, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise soportar in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the soportar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of soportar — every tense of soportar in one place.
- Soportar examples and quiz — more sentences with soportar and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on soportar and other verbs.