Tender Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of tender — "to tend, to lay out" 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 tender 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. Tender means to lay something out flat: tender la ropa al sol, tender el mantel sobre la mesa. It also means to tend towards something — tender a + infinitive — and to offer a hand: tender la mano. To see it in a real sentence: Yo tiendo la ropa al sol — "I lay out the washing in the sun".
Present tense conjugation table: tender
Every person of tender in the present tense. The gerund is tendiendo and the past participle is tendido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | tiendo |
| tú | tiendes |
| él/ella/Ud. | tiende |
| nosotros/as | tendemos |
| vosotros/as | tendéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tienden |
How the present of tender is formed
The present of tender is built from the stem tend- plus the present endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er 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 | tiendo |
| tú | -es | tiendes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | tiende |
| nosotros/as | -emos | tendemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | tendéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | tienden |
The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiendo, tiendes, tiende and tienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: tendemos, tendéis.
The gerund of tender is tendiendo and the past participle is tendido. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of tender
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and tender 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 tiendo la ropa al sol" — "Every day, I lay out the washing in the sun"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo tiende el mantel sobre la mesa" — "My friend lays out the tablecloth on the table"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo tiendo una manta sobre la cama" — "Right now, I lay out a blanket over the bed"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros tendemos la toalla sobre la silla" — "Tomorrow, we lay out the towel over the chair"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos tienden el mapa sobre el escritorio" — "They lay out the map on the desk"
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 tiendo la ropa al sol — "I lay out the washing in the sun"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo tendí la ropa al sol — "I laid out the washing in the sun"
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 tiendes el mantel sobre la mesa — "You lay out the tablecloth on the table"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú tendías el mantel sobre la mesa — "You used to lay out the tablecloth on the table"
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 tiende una manta sobre la cama — "He lays out a blanket over the bed"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él tenderá una manta sobre la cama — "He will lay out a blanket over the bed"
Examples: tender in the present tense
Seven sentences that show tender in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo tiendo la ropa al sol — "I lay out the washing in the sun"
- Tú tiendes el mantel sobre la mesa — "You lay out the tablecloth on the table"
- Él tiende una manta sobre la cama — "He lays out a blanket over the bed"
- Nosotros tendemos la toalla sobre la silla — "We lay out the towel over the chair"
- Vosotros tendéis el mapa sobre el escritorio — "You lay out the map on the desk"
- Ellos tienden la ropa al sol — "They lay out the washing in the sun"
- Yo tiendo el mantel sobre la mesa — "I lay out the tablecloth on the table"
Common mistakes with tender in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with tender in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo tendo la ropa al sol.
✓ Correct: Yo tiendo la ropa al sol.
tender is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is tiendo, not tendo.
✗ *Tú tiende el mantel sobre la mesa.
✓ Correct: Tú tiendes el mantel sobre la mesa.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes tiendes, él takes tiende.
✗ *Cada día, yo tendí una manta sobre la cama
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo tiendo una manta sobre la cama
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros tendeis la toalla sobre la silla.
✓ Correct: Vosotros tendéis la toalla sobre la silla.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: tendéis, not tendeis.
Quiz: tender in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of tender. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of tender for tú? A. tiende B. tendemos C. tiendes D. tiendo
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la ropa al sol — "I lay out the washing in the sun" (present) A. tiende B. tendemos C. tiendo D. tiendes
Complete the sentence: Él ______ el mantel sobre la mesa — "He lays out the tablecloth on the table" (present) A. tiendo B. tiendes C. tendemos D. tiende
Which is the correct present form of tender for nosotros? A. tienden B. tendemos C. tiendes D. tiende
Which sentence uses tender correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo tiendes una manta sobre la cama B. Mi amigo tendía una manta sobre la cama C. Mi amigo tendemos una manta sobre la cama D. Mi amigo tiende una manta sobre la cama
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ la toalla sobre la silla — "You lay out the towel over the chair" (present) A. tiendes B. tiende C. tendéis D. tiendo
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el mapa sobre el escritorio — "They lay out the map on the desk" (present) A. tiende B. tienden C. tiendo D. tiendes
What is the gerund of tender? A. tendiendo B. tendido C. tiendo D. tendí
Answer key
- tiendes — The tú form in the present is tiendes.
- tiendo — The present form for yo is tiendo.
- tiende — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is tiende.
- tendemos — The nosotros form in the present is tendemos.
- Mi amigo tiende una manta sobre la cama — Mi amigo tiende una manta sobre la cama is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- tendéis — The present form for vosotros/as is tendéis.
- tienden — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is tienden.
- tendiendo — The gerund is tendiendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle tendido.
Frequently asked questions
Is tender regular in the present tense?
No — in the present the stem changes: The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiendo, tiendes, tiende and tienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: tendemos, tendéis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem.
What is the gerund and the past participle of tender?
The gerund is tendiendo and the past participle is tendido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I lay out" in the present tense?
Say tiendo. For example: Yo tiendo la ropa al sol — "I lay out the washing in the sun".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of tender?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo tiendo la ropa al sol — "I lay out the washing in the sun". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo tendí la ropa al sol — "Yesterday, I laid out the washing in the sun". 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 tender — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- tender 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.