Variar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of variar — "to vary" 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 variar 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. Variar means to vary or to change: variar el menú, variar de opinión. It is used for menus, prices, weather and opinions that change from time to time. To see it in a real sentence: Yo varío el menú cada semana — "I vary the menu every week".
Present tense conjugation table: variar
Every person of variar in the present tense. The gerund is variando and the past participle is variado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | varío |
| tú | varías |
| él/ella/Ud. | varía |
| nosotros/as | variamos |
| vosotros/as | variáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | varían |
How the present of variar is formed
The present of variar is built from the stem vari- 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 | varío |
| tú | -as | varías |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | varía |
| nosotros/as | -amos | variamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | variáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | varían |
The gerund of variar is variando and the past participle is variado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of variar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and variar 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 varío el menú cada semana" — "Every day, I vary the menu every week"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo varía de opinión según el día" — "My friend varies his opinion depending on the day"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo varío los precios en invierno" — "Right now, I vary prices in winter"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros variamos el clima de un día a otro" — "Tomorrow, we vary the weather from one day to the next"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos varían la ruta para no aburrirse" — "They vary the route to avoid boredom"
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 varío el menú cada semana — "I vary the menu every week"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo varié el menú cada semana — "I varied the menu every week"
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 varías de opinión según el día — "You vary his opinion depending on the day"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú variabas de opinión según el día — "You used to vary his opinion depending on the day"
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 varía los precios en invierno — "He varies prices in winter"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él variará los precios en invierno — "He will vary prices in winter"
Examples: variar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show variar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo varío el menú cada semana — "I vary the menu every week"
- Tú varías de opinión según el día — "You vary his opinion depending on the day"
- Él varía los precios en invierno — "He varies prices in winter"
- Nosotros variamos el clima de un día a otro — "We vary the weather from one day to the next"
- Vosotros variáis la ruta para no aburrirse — "You vary the route to avoid boredom"
- Ellos varían el menú cada semana — "They vary the menu every week"
- Yo varío de opinión según el día — "I vary his opinion depending on the day"
Common mistakes with variar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with variar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo varío en el menú cada semana.
✓ Correct: Yo varío el menú cada semana.
variar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo varío el menú cada semana.
✗ *Tú varía de opinión según el día.
✓ Correct: Tú varías de opinión según el día.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes varías, él takes varía.
✗ *Cada día, yo varié los precios en invierno
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo varío los precios en invierno
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros variais el clima de un día a otro.
✓ Correct: Vosotros variáis el clima de un día a otro.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: variáis, not variais.
Quiz: variar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of variar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of variar for tú? A. varío B. varía C. variamos D. varías
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el menú cada semana — "I vary the menu every week" (present) A. varía B. variamos C. varío D. varías
Complete the sentence: Él ______ de opinión según el día — "He varies his opinion depending on the day" (present) A. varías B. variamos C. varía D. varío
Which is the correct present form of variar for nosotros? A. varía B. varían C. variamos D. varías
Which sentence uses variar correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo varía los precios en invierno B. Mi amigo varías los precios en invierno C. Mi amigo variaba los precios en invierno D. Mi amigo variamos los precios en invierno
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ el clima de un día a otro — "You vary the weather from one day to the next" (present) A. varío B. varías C. varía D. variáis
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la ruta para no aburrirse — "They vary the route to avoid boredom" (present) A. varía B. varían C. varío D. varías
What is the gerund of variar? A. varié B. variando C. variado D. varío
Answer key
- varías — The tú form in the present is varías.
- varío — The present form for yo is varío.
- varía — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is varía.
- variamos — The nosotros form in the present is variamos.
- Mi amigo varía los precios en invierno — Mi amigo varía los precios en invierno is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- variáis — The present form for vosotros/as is variáis.
- varían — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is varían.
- variando — The gerund is variando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle variado.
Frequently asked questions
Is variar regular in the present tense?
Yes — in the present tense variar follows the regular endings for -ar verbs, as the table above shows.
What is the gerund and the past participle of variar?
The gerund is variando and the past participle is variado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I vary" in the present tense?
Say varío. For example: Yo varío el menú cada semana — "I vary the menu every week".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of variar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo varío el menú cada semana — "I vary the menu every week". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo varié el menú cada semana — "Yesterday, I varied the menu every week". 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 variar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- variar 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.