Sujetar in the Present Tense
Sujetar means “to hold, to fasten”, and this page covers exactly one thing: sujetar 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 sujetar, 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 sujetar in the present. For example: “Yo sujeto el cinturón antes de salir.” — I hold the seatbelt before leaving. Everything on this page uses the forms of sujetar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Sujetar in the Present Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sujeto |
| tú | sujetas |
| él/ella/Ud. | sujeta |
| nosotros/as | sujetamos |
| vosotros/as | sujetáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sujetan |
Gerund: sujetando · Past participle: sujetado
The gerund is sujetando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy sujetando” means the action of sujetar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is sujetado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he sujetado” 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 sujetar is used.
How the present of sujetar is formed
Sujetar is regular in the present tense. Take the stem sujet and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving sujeto, sujetas, sujeta, sujetamos, sujetáis, sujetan. Watch the accents: the yo form is sujeto and the él/ella/Ud. form is sujeta.
When to use the present of sujetar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use sujetar 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 sujetar is no exception. Example: “Yo sujeto el cinturón antes de salir todos los días.” — I hold the seatbelt before leaving 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 sujetar means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Sujeta la puerta con la mano.” — He/she holds the door with my hand.
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 sujeto el papel con una pinza ahora.” — I hold the paper with a clip 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 sujetamos a su hijo de la mano.” — We hold his son by the hand.
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 sujetas el cinturón antes de salir.” — You hold the seatbelt before leaving.
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 sujeto el cinturón antes de salir todos los días.” — I hold the seatbelt before leaving every day.
Preterite: “Ayer, yo sujeté el cinturón antes de salir.” — Yesterday, I held the seatbelt before leaving.
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 sujeta la puerta con la mano cada semana.” — He/she holds the door with my hand every week.
Preterite: “La semana pasada, él sujetó la puerta con la mano.” — Last week, he held the door with my hand.
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 sujetamos el papel con una pinza a menudo.” — We hold the paper with a clip often.
Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros sujetamos el papel con una pinza.” — Yesterday, we held the paper with a clip.
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: sujetar 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.
“Sujeto el cinturón antes de salir.” — I hold the seatbelt before leaving.
“Sujetas la puerta con la mano.” — You hold the door with my hand.
“Sujeta el papel con una pinza.” — He/she holds the paper with a clip.
“Sujetamos a su hijo de la mano.” — We hold his son by the hand.
“Sujetáis el cinturón antes de salir.” — You hold the seatbelt before leaving.
“Sujetan la puerta con la mano.” — They hold the door with my hand.
“Sujeto el papel con una pinza.” — I hold the paper with a clip.
“Sujeta a su hijo de la mano.” — He/she holds his son by the hand.
Common mistakes with sujetar 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 sujeta el cinturón antes de salir.” Right: “Ellos sujetan el cinturón antes de salir.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form sujetan. The singular sujeta belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Yo sujeto la puerta con la mano ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo sujeté la puerta con la mano.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to sujeté.
Wrong: “Nosotros sujetas el papel con una pinza.” Right: “Nosotros sujetamos el papel con una pinza.” Why: Nosotros needs sujetamos. The tú form sujetas belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos sujeto a su hijo de la mano todos los días.” Right: “Ellos sujetan a su hijo de la mano todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form sujetan, not the yo form sujeto. 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: sujetar 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 cinturón antes de salir.” (The seatbelt before leaving.)
- (a) sujeto
- (b) sujetas
- (c) sujeta
Answer: sujeto — The yo form of sujetar in the present is sujeto. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ la puerta con la mano?” (The door with my hand.)
- (a) sujeto
- (b) sujeta
- (c) sujetas
Answer: sujetas — The tú form of sujetar in the present is sujetas. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ el papel con una pinza.” (The paper with a clip.)
- (a) sujetas
- (b) sujeta
- (c) sujeto
Answer: sujeta — The él/ella/Ud. form of sujetar in the present is sujeta. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ a su hijo de la mano.” (His son by the hand.)
- (a) sujetamos
- (b) sujeto
- (c) sujetas
Answer: sujetamos — The nosotros/as form of sujetar in the present is sujetamos. 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 sujetar in the present?
- (a) sujeto
- (b) sujetas
- (c) sujetáis
Answer: sujetáis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes sujetáis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros sujetáis el cinturón antes de salir.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la puerta con la mano.” (The door with my hand.)
- (a) sujetas
- (b) sujetan
- (c) sujeto
Answer: sujetan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of sujetar in the present is sujetan. 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 sujetar in the present?
- (a) sujeto
- (b) sujetas
- (c) sujeta
Answer: sujeto — The yo form is sujeto. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?
- (a) Yo sujeté el cinturón antes de salir todos los días.
- (b) Nosotros sujetaremos el cinturón antes de salir mañana.
- (c) Yo sujeto el cinturón antes de salir todos los días.
Answer: Yo sujeto el cinturón antes de salir todos los días. — “Yo sujeto el cinturón antes de salir 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 sujetar regular in the present?
Yes. Sujetar is regular in the present: sujeto, sujetas, sujeta, sujetamos, sujetáis, sujetan. 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 sujetar?
The past participle is sujetado: 'He sujetado' means 'I have held'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is sujetando.
Does sujetar take a preposition?
It depends on the meaning. Sujetar is fully regular: sujeté, sujetaba, sujetaré. Sujetar el cinturón is to fasten the seatbelt. In the examples on this page, sujetar appears with complements such as el cinturón antes de salir and la puerta con la mano, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.
How do I remember the present forms of sujetar?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo sujeto, tú sujetas, él/ella/Ud. sujeta, nosotros/as sujetamos, vosotros/as sujetáis, ellos/ellas/Uds. sujetan. Then write three of your own sentences with sujetar in the present, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of sujetar — every tense of sujetar in one place.
- Sujetar examples and quiz — more sentences with sujetar 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 sujetar and other verbs.