Tatuar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of tatuar — "to tattoo" 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 tatuar 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. Tatuar means to tattoo: tatuar una rosa en el brazo, tatuar el nombre de su hijo. It takes the design as its object and en for the place on the body. To see it in a real sentence: Yo tatúo una rosa en el brazo — "I tattoo a rose on his arm".
Present tense conjugation table: tatuar
Every person of tatuar in the present tense. The gerund is tatuando and the past participle is tatuado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | tatúo |
| tú | tatúas |
| él/ella/Ud. | tatúa |
| nosotros/as | tatuamos |
| vosotros/as | tatuáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tatúan |
How the present of tatuar is formed
The present of tatuar is built from the stem tatu- 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 | tatúo |
| tú | -as | tatúas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | tatúa |
| nosotros/as | -amos | tatuamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | tatuáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | tatúan |
The gerund of tatuar is tatuando and the past participle is tatuado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of tatuar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and tatuar 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 tatúo una rosa en el brazo" — "Every day, I tattoo a rose on his arm"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo tatúa el nombre de su hijo" — "My friend tattoos his son's name"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo tatúo un dragón en la espalda" — "Right now, I tattoo a dragon on his back"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros tatuamos una frase en latín" — "Tomorrow, we tattoo a phrase in Latin"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos tatúan una flor en el tobillo" — "They tattoo a flower on the ankle"
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 tatúo una rosa en el brazo — "I tattoo a rose on his arm"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo tatué una rosa en el brazo — "I tattooed a rose on his arm"
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 tatúas el nombre de su hijo — "You tattoo his son's name"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú tatuabas el nombre de su hijo — "You used to tattoo his son's name"
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 tatúa un dragón en la espalda — "He tattoos a dragon on his back"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él tatuará un dragón en la espalda — "He will tattoo a dragon on his back"
Examples: tatuar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show tatuar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo tatúo una rosa en el brazo — "I tattoo a rose on his arm"
- Tú tatúas el nombre de su hijo — "You tattoo his son's name"
- Él tatúa un dragón en la espalda — "He tattoos a dragon on his back"
- Nosotros tatuamos una frase en latín — "We tattoo a phrase in Latin"
- Vosotros tatuáis una flor en el tobillo — "You tattoo a flower on the ankle"
- Ellos tatúan una rosa en el brazo — "They tattoo a rose on his arm"
- Yo tatúo el nombre de su hijo — "I tattoo his son's name"
Common mistakes with tatuar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with tatuar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo tatúo en una rosa en el brazo.
✓ Correct: Yo tatúo una rosa en el brazo.
tatuar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo tatúo una rosa en el brazo.
✗ *Tú tatúa el nombre de su hijo.
✓ Correct: Tú tatúas el nombre de su hijo.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes tatúas, él takes tatúa.
✗ *Cada día, yo tatué un dragón en la espalda
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo tatúo un dragón en la espalda
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros tatuais una frase en latín.
✓ Correct: Vosotros tatuáis una frase en latín.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: tatuáis, not tatuais.
Quiz: tatuar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of tatuar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of tatuar for tú? A. tatúo B. tatúa C. tatuamos D. tatúas
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ una rosa en el brazo — "I tattoo a rose on his arm" (present) A. tatuamos B. tatúo C. tatúas D. tatúa
Complete the sentence: Él ______ el nombre de su hijo — "He tattoos his son's name" (present) A. tatuamos B. tatúa C. tatúo D. tatúas
Which is the correct present form of tatuar for nosotros? A. tatúa B. tatúan C. tatuamos D. tatúas
Which sentence uses tatuar correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo tatúa un dragón en la espalda B. Mi amigo tatúas un dragón en la espalda C. Mi amigo tatuaba un dragón en la espalda D. Mi amigo tatuamos un dragón en la espalda
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ una frase en latín — "You tattoo a phrase in Latin" (present) A. tatúa B. tatuáis C. tatúo D. tatúas
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ una flor en el tobillo — "They tattoo a flower on the ankle" (present) A. tatúas B. tatúa C. tatúan D. tatúo
What is the gerund of tatuar? A. tatué B. tatuando C. tatuado D. tatúo
Answer key
- tatúas — The tú form in the present is tatúas.
- tatúo — The present form for yo is tatúo.
- tatúa — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is tatúa.
- tatuamos — The nosotros form in the present is tatuamos.
- Mi amigo tatúa un dragón en la espalda — Mi amigo tatúa un dragón en la espalda is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- tatuáis — The present form for vosotros/as is tatuáis.
- tatúan — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is tatúan.
- tatuando — The gerund is tatuando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle tatuado.
Frequently asked questions
Is tatuar regular in the present tense?
Yes — in the present tense tatuar follows the regular endings for -ar verbs, as the table above shows.
What is the gerund and the past participle of tatuar?
The gerund is tatuando and the past participle is tatuado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I tattoo" in the present tense?
Say tatúo. For example: Yo tatúo una rosa en el brazo — "I tattoo a rose on his arm".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of tatuar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo tatúo una rosa en el brazo — "I tattoo a rose on his arm". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo tatué una rosa en el brazo — "Yesterday, I tattooed a rose on his arm". 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 tatuar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- tatuar 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.