Tardar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of tardar — “to take (time), to be late” 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 tardar 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. Tardar means to take time or to be late, and it is the verb for durations: tardar dos horas en llegar, tardar mucho. It takes en plus an infinitive for the activity, and it is fully regular. The construction tardar en is one of the most useful time expressions in Spanish. To see it in a real sentence: Tardo dos horas en llegar. — “I take two hours to arrive.”
Present tense conjugation table: tardar
Every person of tardar in the present tense. The gerund is tardando and the past participle is tardado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | tardo |
| tú | tardas |
| él/ella/Ud. | tarda |
| nosotros/as | tardamos |
| vosotros/as | tardáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tardan |
The gerund is tardando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy tardando” means the action of tardar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is tardado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he tardado” 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 tardar is used.
How the present of tardar is formed
The present of tardar is built from the stem tard 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 | tardo |
| tú | -as | tardas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | tarda |
| nosotros/as | -amos | tardamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | tardáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | tardan |
tardar is a regular -ar verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is tard 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 tardar is tardando and the past participle is tardado. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of tardar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use tardar 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 tardar 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 tardar is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Tardo dos horas en llegar.” — I take two hours to arrive.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what tardar 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: “Tarda mucho en vestirse.” — He/she takes a long time to get dressed.
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: “Tardo una semana en terminar.” — I take a week to finish.
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 tardar follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros tardamos poco en cocinar.” — Tomorrow, we take a short time to cook.
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: “¿Tardas mucho en vestirse?” — Do you take a long time to get dressed?
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: “Tardo dos horas en llegar.” — I take two hours to arrive.
Preterite: “Tardé dos horas en llegar.” — I took two hours to arrive.
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: “Tarda mucho en vestirse.” — He/she takes a long time to get dressed.
Preterite: “Tardó mucho en vestirse.” — He/she took a long time to get dressed.
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: “Tardamos una semana en terminar.” — We take a week to finish.
Preterite: “Tardamos una semana en terminar.” — We took a week to finish.
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: tardar 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.
“Tardo dos horas en llegar.” — I take two hours to arrive.
“Tardas mucho en vestirse.” — You take a long time to get dressed.
“Tarda una semana en terminar.” — He/she takes a week to finish.
“Tardamos poco en cocinar.” — We take a short time to cook.
“Tardáis dos horas en llegar.” — You take two hours to arrive.
“Tardan mucho en vestirse.” — They take a long time to get dressed.
“Tardo una semana en terminar.” — I take a week to finish.
“Tarda poco en cocinar.” — He/she takes a short time to cook.
Common mistakes with tardar 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 tarda dos horas en llegar.” Right: “Yo tardo dos horas en llegar.” Why: Yo needs the yo form tardo. The form tarda belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo tardar mucho en vestirse.” Right: “Yo tardo mucho en vestirse.” Why: The infinitive tardar cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving tardo.
Wrong: “Ayer yo tardo mucho en vestirse.” Right: “Ayer yo tardé mucho en vestirse.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to tardé.
Wrong: “Ellos tarda mucho en vestirse.” Right: “Ellos tardan mucho en vestirse.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form tardan. The singular tarda belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: tardar 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 ___ dos horas en llegar.”
- (a) tardo
- (b) tardas
- (c) tarda
Answer: tardo — The yo form of tardar in the present is tardo.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ mucho en vestirse.”
- (a) tardo
- (b) tarda
- (c) tardas
Answer: tardas — The tú form of tardar in the present is tardas.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ una semana en terminar.”
- (a) tardas
- (b) tarda
- (c) tardo
Answer: tarda — The él/ella form of tardar in the present is tarda.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ poco en cocinar.”
- (a) tardamos
- (b) tardo
- (c) tardas
Answer: tardamos — The nosotros/as form of tardar in the present is tardamos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ dos horas en llegar.”
- (a) tardo
- (b) tardas
- (c) tardáis
Answer: tardáis — The vosotros/as form of tardar in the present is tardáis.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ mucho en vestirse.”
- (a) tardas
- (b) tardan
- (c) tardo
Answer: tardan — The ellos/ellas form of tardar in the present is tardan.
7. What does tardar mean in English?
- (a) to take (time), to be late
- (b) to delay
- (c) to be about
Answer: to take (time), to be late — Tardar means to take (time), to be late.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Tardé dos horas en llegar.
- (b) Tardaré dos horas en llegar.
- (c) Tardo dos horas en llegar.
Answer: Tardo dos horas en llegar. — “Tardo dos horas en llegar.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is tardar regular in the present?
Yes. Tardar is regular in the present: tardo, tardas, tarda, tardamos, tardáis and tardan. 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 tardar?
The gerund is tardando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy tardando. The past participle is tardado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he tardado.
What should I watch out for with tardar?
Tardar en plus an infinitive gives the duration: tardo dos horas en llegar. Tardar mucho is to take a long time. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is tardo, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise tardar in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the tardar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of tardar — every tense of tardar in one place.
- Tardar examples and quiz — more sentences with tardar 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 tardar and other verbs.