Tumbar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of tumbar — “to knock down” 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 tumbar 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. Tumbar means to knock down or to lay down, and it covers knocking down a wall, a tree and a person in a game: tumbar la pared, tumbar a su rival. It is a fully regular -ar verb. Its reflexive partner tumbarse means to lie down. To see it in a real sentence: Tumbo la pared del jardín. — “I knock down the garden wall.”
Present tense conjugation table: tumbar
Every person of tumbar in the present tense. The gerund is tumbando and the past participle is tumbado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | tumbo |
| tú | tumbas |
| él/ella/Ud. | tumba |
| nosotros/as | tumbamos |
| vosotros/as | tumbáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tumban |
The gerund is tumbando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy tumbando” means the action of tumbar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is tumbado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he tumbado” 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 tumbar is used.
How the present of tumbar is formed
The present of tumbar is built from the stem tumb 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 | tumbo |
| tú | -as | tumbas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | tumba |
| nosotros/as | -amos | tumbamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | tumbáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | tumban |
tumbar is a regular -ar verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is tumb 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 tumbar is tumbando and the past participle is tumbado. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of tumbar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use tumbar 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 tumbar 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 tumbar is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Tumbo la pared del jardín.” — I knock down the garden wall.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what tumbar 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: “Tumba un árbol con la sierra.” — He/she knocks down a tree with the saw.
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: “Tumbo a su rival en el juego.” — I knock down his rival in the game.
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 tumbar follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros tumbamos la puerta de una patada.” — Tomorrow, we knock down the door with a kick.
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: “¿Tumbas un árbol con la sierra?” — Do you knock down a tree with the saw?
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: “Tumbo la pared del jardín.” — I knock down the garden wall.
Preterite: “Tumbé la pared del jardín.” — I knocked down the garden wall.
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: “Tumba un árbol con la sierra.” — He/she knocks down a tree with the saw.
Preterite: “Tumbó un árbol con la sierra.” — He/she knocked down a tree with the saw.
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: “Tumbamos a su rival en el juego.” — We knock down his rival in the game.
Preterite: “Tumbamos a su rival en el juego.” — We knocked down his rival in the game.
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: tumbar 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.
“Tumbo la pared del jardín.” — I knock down the garden wall.
“Tumbas un árbol con la sierra.” — You knock down a tree with the saw.
“Tumba a su rival en el juego.” — He/she knocks down his rival in the game.
“Tumbamos la puerta de una patada.” — We knock down the door with a kick.
“Tumbáis la pared del jardín.” — You knock down the garden wall.
“Tumban un árbol con la sierra.” — They knock down a tree with the saw.
“Tumbo a su rival en el juego.” — I knock down his rival in the game.
“Tumba la puerta de una patada.” — He/she knocks down the door with a kick.
Common mistakes with tumbar 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 tumba la pared del jardín.” Right: “Yo tumbo la pared del jardín.” Why: Yo needs the yo form tumbo. The form tumba belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo tumbar un árbol con la sierra.” Right: “Yo tumbo un árbol con la sierra.” Why: The infinitive tumbar cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving tumbo.
Wrong: “Ayer yo tumbo un árbol con la sierra.” Right: “Ayer yo tumbé un árbol con la sierra.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to tumbé.
Wrong: “Ellos tumba un árbol con la sierra.” Right: “Ellos tumban un árbol con la sierra.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form tumban. The singular tumba belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: tumbar 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 ___ la pared del jardín.”
- (a) tumbo
- (b) tumbas
- (c) tumba
Answer: tumbo — The yo form of tumbar in the present is tumbo.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ un árbol con la sierra.”
- (a) tumbo
- (b) tumba
- (c) tumbas
Answer: tumbas — The tú form of tumbar in the present is tumbas.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ a su rival en el juego.”
- (a) tumbas
- (b) tumba
- (c) tumbo
Answer: tumba — The él/ella form of tumbar in the present is tumba.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ la puerta de una patada.”
- (a) tumbamos
- (b) tumbo
- (c) tumbas
Answer: tumbamos — The nosotros/as form of tumbar in the present is tumbamos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ la pared del jardín.”
- (a) tumbo
- (b) tumbas
- (c) tumbáis
Answer: tumbáis — The vosotros/as form of tumbar in the present is tumbáis.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ un árbol con la sierra.”
- (a) tumbas
- (b) tumban
- (c) tumbo
Answer: tumban — The ellos/ellas form of tumbar in the present is tumban.
7. What does tumbar mean in English?
- (a) to knock down
- (b) to lie down
- (c) to be about
Answer: to knock down — Tumbar means to knock down.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Tumbé la pared del jardín.
- (b) Tumbaré la pared del jardín.
- (c) Tumbo la pared del jardín.
Answer: Tumbo la pared del jardín. — “Tumbo la pared del jardín.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is tumbar regular in the present?
Yes. Tumbar is regular in the present: tumbo, tumbas, tumba, tumbamos, tumbáis and tumban. 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 tumbar?
The gerund is tumbando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy tumbando. The past participle is tumbado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he tumbado.
What should I watch out for with tumbar?
Tumbar is fully regular: tumbé, tumbaba, tumbaré. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is tumbo, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise tumbar in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the tumbar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of tumbar — every tense of tumbar in one place.
- Tumbar examples and quiz — more sentences with tumbar 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 tumbar and other verbs.