Transportar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of transportar — “to transport” 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 transportar 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. Transportar means to transport or to carry, and it is used for moving goods, people and animals: transportar mercancías, transportar pasajeros. It is a fully regular -ar verb, common in logistics and travel. To see it in a real sentence: Transporto mercancías por carretera. — “I transport goods by road.”
Present tense conjugation table: transportar
Every person of transportar in the present tense. The gerund is transportando and the past participle is transportado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | transporto |
| tú | transportas |
| él/ella/Ud. | transporta |
| nosotros/as | transportamos |
| vosotros/as | transportáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | transportan |
The gerund is transportando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy transportando” means the action of transportar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is transportado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he transportado” 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 transportar is used.
How the present of transportar is formed
The present of transportar is built from the stem transport 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 | transporto |
| tú | -as | transportas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | transporta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | transportamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | transportáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | transportan |
transportar is a regular -ar verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is transport 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 transportar is transportando and the past participle is transportado. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of transportar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use transportar 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 transportar 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 transportar is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Transporto mercancías por carretera.” — I transport goods by road.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what transportar 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: “Transporta pasajeros al aeropuerto.” — He/she transports passengers to the airport.
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: “Transporto muebles en el camión.” — I transport furniture in the lorry.
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 transportar follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros transportamos animales al veterinario.” — Tomorrow, we transport animals to the vet.
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: “¿Transportas pasajeros al aeropuerto?” — Do you transport passengers to the airport?
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: “Transporto mercancías por carretera.” — I transport goods by road.
Preterite: “Transporté mercancías por carretera.” — I transported goods by road.
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: “Transporta pasajeros al aeropuerto.” — He/she transports passengers to the airport.
Preterite: “Transportó pasajeros al aeropuerto.” — He/she transported passengers to the airport.
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: “Transportamos muebles en el camión.” — We transport furniture in the lorry.
Preterite: “Transportamos muebles en el camión.” — We transported furniture in the lorry.
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: transportar 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.
“Transporto mercancías por carretera.” — I transport goods by road.
“Transportas pasajeros al aeropuerto.” — You transport passengers to the airport.
“Transporta muebles en el camión.” — He/she transports furniture in the lorry.
“Transportamos animales al veterinario.” — We transport animals to the vet.
“Transportáis mercancías por carretera.” — You transport goods by road.
“Transportan pasajeros al aeropuerto.” — They transport passengers to the airport.
“Transporto muebles en el camión.” — I transport furniture in the lorry.
“Transporta animales al veterinario.” — He/she transports animals to the vet.
Common mistakes with transportar 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 transporta mercancías por carretera.” Right: “Yo transporto mercancías por carretera.” Why: Yo needs the yo form transporto. The form transporta belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo transportar pasajeros al aeropuerto.” Right: “Yo transporto pasajeros al aeropuerto.” Why: The infinitive transportar cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving transporto.
Wrong: “Ayer yo transporto pasajeros al aeropuerto.” Right: “Ayer yo transporté pasajeros al aeropuerto.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to transporté.
Wrong: “Ellos transporta pasajeros al aeropuerto.” Right: “Ellos transportan pasajeros al aeropuerto.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form transportan. The singular transporta belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: transportar 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 ___ mercancías por carretera.”
- (a) transporto
- (b) transportas
- (c) transporta
Answer: transporto — The yo form of transportar in the present is transporto.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ pasajeros al aeropuerto.”
- (a) transporto
- (b) transporta
- (c) transportas
Answer: transportas — The tú form of transportar in the present is transportas.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ muebles en el camión.”
- (a) transportas
- (b) transporta
- (c) transporto
Answer: transporta — The él/ella form of transportar in the present is transporta.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ animales al veterinario.”
- (a) transportamos
- (b) transporto
- (c) transportas
Answer: transportamos — The nosotros/as form of transportar in the present is transportamos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ mercancías por carretera.”
- (a) transporto
- (b) transportas
- (c) transportáis
Answer: transportáis — The vosotros/as form of transportar in the present is transportáis.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ pasajeros al aeropuerto.”
- (a) transportas
- (b) transportan
- (c) transporto
Answer: transportan — The ellos/ellas form of transportar in the present is transportan.
7. What does transportar mean in English?
- (a) to transport
- (b) to carry, to take
- (c) to be about
Answer: to transport — Transportar means to transport.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Transporté mercancías por carretera.
- (b) Transportaré mercancías por carretera.
- (c) Transporto mercancías por carretera.
Answer: Transporto mercancías por carretera. — “Transporto mercancías por carretera.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is transportar regular in the present?
Yes. Transportar is regular in the present: transporto, transportas, transporta, transportamos, transportáis and transportan. 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 transportar?
The gerund is transportando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy transportando. The past participle is transportado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he transportado.
What should I watch out for with transportar?
Transportar is fully regular: transporté, transportaba, transportaré. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is transporto, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise transportar in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the transportar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of transportar — every tense of transportar in one place.
- Transportar examples and quiz — more sentences with transportar 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 transportar and other verbs.