Tomar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of tomar — to take — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. Tomar means to take, to drink and to eat: tomar un café, tomar el autobús, tomar una decisión. It is completely regular. In Latin America tomar often replaces beber for drinks, and tomar el sol is to sunbathe. Its range makes it one of the most useful everyday verbs. This page gives you the complete present tense table for tomar, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Yo tomo un café cada mañana.” — “I have a coffee every morning”.

Present tense conjugation of tomar

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for tomar. Tomar is a regular -ar verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.

Present tense indicative — tomar

Person Form
yo tomo
tú tomas
él/ella/Ud. toma
nosotros/as tomamos
vosotros/as tomáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. toman

The gerund of tomar is tomando and the past participle is tomado. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for the progressive with estar.

How the present tense of tomar is formed

For a regular -ar verb, the present tense is built on the stem tom- (the infinitive tomar without its -ar ending) plus the present tense endings: yo → tomo, tú → tomas, él/ella/Ud. → toma, nosotros/as → tomamos, vosotros/as → tomáis, ellos/ellas/Uds. → toman. So tomar gives tomo, tomas, toma, tomamos, tomáis and toman. There is nothing irregular to memorise for this verb in this tense — the endings do all the work, and the stress falls where the endings put it.

A note on spelling: the written accents in this tense are part of the form, not decoration. In the present tense, tomáis carries an accent, and leaving it out changes the pronunciation and, in writing, marks the form as wrong. Copy the forms from the table above exactly, accents included.

When to use the present tense of tomar

1. Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly. For example, with tomar: “Yo tomo un café cada mañana.” — “I have a coffee every morning”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are always true. For example, with tomar: “Ella toma el autobús a las ocho.” — “She takes the bus at eight”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. What is happening right now

Use the present for actions in progress at this moment. For example, with tomar: “Nosotros tomamos una decisión importante.” — “We make an important decision”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Scheduled plans and the near future

Use the present for fixed plans, especially with a time expression. For example, with tomar: “Ellos toman fotos en el museo.” — “They take photos in the museum”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: tomar now, tomar later

The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.

  • Present tense tense: “Yo tomo un café todos los días.” — “I take a coffee every day.”

  • Future: “Yo tomaré un café mañana.” — “Tomorrow I will take a coffee.”

  • Present tense tense: “Ella toma un café ahora.” — “She takes a coffee now.”

  • Future: “Ella tomará un café la semana que viene.” — “Next week she will take a coffee.”

  • Present tense tense: “Nosotros tomamos un café en clase.” — “We take a coffee in class.”

  • Future: “Nosotros tomaremos un café el lunes.” — “On Monday we will take a coffee.”

Example sentences: tomar in the present tense

Six sentences using only the present tense of tomar, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “Yo tomo un café cada mañana.” — “I have a coffee every morning.”
  • “Ella toma el autobús a las ocho.” — “She takes the bus at eight.”
  • “Nosotros tomamos una decisión importante.” — “We make an important decision.”
  • “Ellos toman fotos en el museo.” — “They take photos in the museum.”
  • “¿Tú tomas algo de postre?” — “Will you have some dessert?”
  • “Vosotros tomáis el sol en la playa.” — “You sunbathe on the beach.”

Common mistakes with tomar in the present tense

Mistake 1

Wrong: Tomar una decisión — learners say hacer una decisión.

Right: Nosotros tomamos una decisión.

Decisions take tomar, not hacer: tomar una decisión.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Tomar el sol — learners translate sunbathe word by word.

Right: Vosotros tomáis el sol.

To sunbathe is tomar el sol, a set phrase, not sol bañarse.

Quiz: tomar in the present tense

Eight questions on the present tense of tomar. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of tomar in the present tense?

  • A) tomo
  • B) tomas
  • C) toma
  • D) tomamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is tomo.

2. What is the tú form of tomar in the present tense?

  • A) tomo
  • B) toma
  • C) tomamos
  • D) tomas

Answer: D — The tú form in the present tense is tomas.

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of tomar in the present tense?

  • A) tomas
  • B) tomamos
  • C) toma
  • D) tomo

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is toma.

4. What is the nosotros/as form of tomar in the present tense?

  • A) toma
  • B) tomamos
  • C) tomo
  • D) tomas

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present tense is tomamos.

5. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ un café cada mañana.” (I have a coffee every morning.)

  • A) tomo
  • B) tomas
  • C) toma
  • D) tomamos

Answer: A — The sentence needs tomo.

6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___ el autobús a las ocho.” (She takes the bus at eight.)

  • A) tomo
  • B) tomas
  • C) tomamos
  • D) toma

Answer: D — The sentence needs toma.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Tomar una decisión — learners say hacer una decisión.
  • B) Nosotros tomamos una decisión.

Answer: B — Decisions take tomar, not hacer: tomar una decisión.

8. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Vosotros tomáis el sol.
  • B) Tomar el sol — learners translate sunbathe word by word.

Answer: A — To sunbathe is tomar el sol, a set phrase, not sol bañarse.

Frequently asked questions

Is tomar regular in the present tense?

Yes. tomar is a regular -ar verb and its present tense follows the standard endings, so once you know the stem tom- you can build all six forms. The only thing to watch is the spelling of the endings themselves, including the accents.

What is the yo form of tomar in the present tense?

It is tomo. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for tomar it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.

When do I use the present tense of tomar instead of the preterite?

Use the present when the action is a habit, a fact, or happening now, and the preterite when it is a finished action in the past. If you can add “yesterday” to the sentence and it still makes sense, you almost certainly need the preterite, not the present.

How can I remember the present tense forms of tomar?

Say the six forms aloud in order — tomo, tomas, toma, tomamos, tomáis, toman — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and the full conjugation page for tomar to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo tomo…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo tomé…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo tomaré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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