Temblar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of temblar — "to tremble" 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 temblar 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. Temblar means to tremble or shake: temblar de frío, temblar de miedo. It takes de before the cause, and it can take a body part as its subject: le tiemblan las manos. To see it in a real sentence: Yo tiemblo de frío en invierno — "I tremble with cold in winter".
Present tense conjugation table: temblar
Every person of temblar in the present tense. The gerund is temblando and the past participle is temblado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | tiemblo |
| tú | tiemblas |
| él/ella/Ud. | tiembla |
| nosotros/as | temblamos |
| vosotros/as | tembláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tiemblan |
How the present of temblar is formed
The present of temblar is built from the stem tembl- 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 | tiemblo |
| tú | -as | tiemblas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | tiembla |
| nosotros/as | -amos | temblamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | tembláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | tiemblan |
The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiemblo, tiemblas, tiembla and tiemblan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: temblamos, tembláis.
The gerund of temblar is temblando and the past participle is temblado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of temblar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and temblar 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 tiemblo de frío en invierno" — "Every day, I tremble with cold in winter"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo tiembla de miedo ante el examen" — "My friend trembles with fear before the exam"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo tiemblo de nervios en el escenario" — "Right now, I tremble with nerves on stage"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros temblamos las manos al hablar" — "Tomorrow, we tremble his hands when speaking"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos tiemblan de rabia tras la discusión" — "They tremble with rage after the argument"
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 tiemblo de frío en invierno — "I tremble with cold in winter"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo temblé de frío en invierno — "I trembled with cold in winter"
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 tiemblas de miedo ante el examen — "You tremble with fear before the exam"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú temblabas de miedo ante el examen — "You used to tremble with fear before the exam"
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 tiembla de nervios en el escenario — "He trembles with nerves on stage"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él temblará de nervios en el escenario — "He will tremble with nerves on stage"
Examples: temblar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show temblar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo tiemblo de frío en invierno — "I tremble with cold in winter"
- Tú tiemblas de miedo ante el examen — "You tremble with fear before the exam"
- Él tiembla de nervios en el escenario — "He trembles with nerves on stage"
- Nosotros temblamos las manos al hablar — "We tremble his hands when speaking"
- Vosotros tembláis de rabia tras la discusión — "You tremble with rage after the argument"
- Ellos tiemblan de frío en invierno — "They tremble with cold in winter"
- Yo tiemblo de miedo ante el examen — "I tremble with fear before the exam"
Common mistakes with temblar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with temblar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo temblo de frío en invierno.
✓ Correct: Yo tiemblo de frío en invierno.
temblar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is tiemblo, not temblo.
✗ *Tú tiembla de miedo ante el examen.
✓ Correct: Tú tiemblas de miedo ante el examen.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes tiemblas, él takes tiembla.
✗ *Cada día, yo temblé de nervios en el escenario
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo tiemblo de nervios en el escenario
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros temblais las manos al hablar.
✓ Correct: Vosotros tembláis las manos al hablar.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: tembláis, not temblais.
Quiz: temblar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of temblar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of temblar for tú? A. temblamos B. tiemblas C. tiemblo D. tiembla
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ de frío en invierno — "I tremble with cold in winter" (present) A. tiemblas B. tiembla C. temblamos D. tiemblo
Complete the sentence: Él ______ de miedo ante el examen — "He trembles with fear before the exam" (present) A. tiembla B. tiemblo C. tiemblas D. temblamos
Which is the correct present form of temblar for nosotros? A. temblamos B. tiemblas C. tiembla D. tiemblan
Which sentence uses temblar correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo temblaba de nervios en el escenario B. Mi amigo temblamos de nervios en el escenario C. Mi amigo tiembla de nervios en el escenario D. Mi amigo tiemblas de nervios en el escenario
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ las manos al hablar — "You tremble his hands when speaking" (present) A. tiembla B. tembláis C. tiemblo D. tiemblas
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ de rabia tras la discusión — "They tremble with rage after the argument" (present) A. tiemblas B. tiembla C. tiemblan D. tiemblo
What is the gerund of temblar? A. temblado B. tiemblo C. temblé D. temblando
Answer key
- tiemblas — The tú form in the present is tiemblas.
- tiemblo — The present form for yo is tiemblo.
- tiembla — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is tiembla.
- temblamos — The nosotros form in the present is temblamos.
- Mi amigo tiembla de nervios en el escenario — Mi amigo tiembla de nervios en el escenario is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- tembláis — The present form for vosotros/as is tembláis.
- tiemblan — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is tiemblan.
- temblando — The gerund is temblando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle temblado.
Frequently asked questions
Is temblar regular in the present tense?
No — in the present the stem changes: The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiemblo, tiemblas, tiembla and tiemblan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: temblamos, tembláis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem.
What is the gerund and the past participle of temblar?
The gerund is temblando and the past participle is temblado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I tremble" in the present tense?
Say tiemblo. For example: Yo tiemblo de frío en invierno — "I tremble with cold in winter".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of temblar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo tiemblo de frío en invierno — "I tremble with cold in winter". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo temblé de frío en invierno — "Yesterday, I trembled with cold in winter". 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 temblar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- temblar 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.