Introduction
Vender means “to sell”, and this page covers exactly one thing: vender in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for vender, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about vender in the present. Vender is the verb for selling things: a car, a house, clothes, food. The thing sold is the direct object, with no preposition. For example: “Yo vendo mi coche viejo.” — I sell my old car. Everything on this page uses the forms of vender exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Vender in the Present Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | vendo |
| tú | vendes |
| él/ella/Ud. | vende |
| nosotros/as | vendemos |
| vosotros/as | vendéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | venden |
Gerund: vendiendo · Past participle: vendido
The gerund is vendiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy vendiendo” means the action of vender is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is vendido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he vendido” 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 vender is used.
How the present of vender is formed
Vender is a regular -er verb, so the present follows the standard pattern with no surprises. Take the stem vend (the infinitive without its -er ending) and add the present endings: -o for yo, -as or -es for tú, -a or -e for él/ella/Ud., -amos / -emos / -imos for nosotros, -éis for vosotros, and -an or -en for ellos/ellas/Uds.. That gives you vendo, vendes, vende, vendemos, vendéis and venden. Because the verb is regular, once you know the stem and the six endings you can produce every form without memorising a list, and the same pattern works for every other regular -er verb you learn.
When to use the present of vender
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use vender in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. Selling things
Vender is the verb for selling things: a car, a house, clothes, food. The thing sold is the direct object, with no preposition. Example: “Yo vendo mi coche viejo.” — I sell my old car.
2. Selling to someone
Vender a + person means to sell to someone. The personal a appears because the buyer is a person. Example: “Mi padre vende la casa a una familia joven.” — My father sells the house to a young family.
3. Selling in a place
Vender en + place means to sell somewhere: in a shop, at the market, online. The en marks where you sell. Example: “Nosotros vendemos en el mercado.” — We sell at the market.
4. Habits and routines
The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and vender is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos los días, siempre or cada semana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Yo vendo mi coche viejo.” — I sell my old car.
5. What is happening right now
The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Spanish often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with vender in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nosotros vendemos en el mercado.” — We sell at the market.
Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the preterite describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as todos los días or siempre, while the preterite sentences use ayer or la semana pasada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.
Present Tense: “Yo vendo libros de segunda mano todos los meses.” — I sell second-hand books every month.
Preterite: “Ayer yo vendí mi bicicleta.” — Yesterday I sold my bicycle.
Todos los meses describes a routine, so the present is right; ayer names one finished day, so the preterite is right.
Present Tense: “La tienda vende pan fresco todos los días.” — The shop sells fresh bread every day.
Preterite: “La tienda vendió pan fresco ayer.” — The shop sold fresh bread yesterday.
Todos los días signals repetition, so the present fits; ayer names one finished day, so the preterite fits.
Present Tense: “Yo vendo mi coche viejo.” — I sell my old car.
Preterite: “Ayer, yo vendí mi coche viejo.” — the same action, but finished yesterday instead of repeated as a habit.
The present sentence is true every day; the preterite sentence is true once, yesterday. That difference — routine versus one finished event — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: vender 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.
“Yo vendo mi coche viejo.” — I sell my old car.
“¿Tú vendes ropa por internet?” — Do you sell clothes online?
“Mi padre vende la casa a una familia joven.” — My father sells the house to a young family.
“Nosotros vendemos en el mercado.” — We sell at the market.
“Vosotros vendéis flores en la plaza.” — You sell flowers in the square.
“Ellos venden su empresa.” — They sell their company.
“Yo vendo libros de segunda mano.” — I sell second-hand books.
“La tienda vende pan fresco.” — The shop sells fresh bread.
Common mistakes with vender 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 vendo de mi coche.” Right: “Yo vendo mi coche.” Why: Vender takes a direct object with no preposition: vendo mi coche, not vendo de mi coche. The de appears only in phrases such as 'vendo un coche de segunda mano', where it belongs to the description.
Wrong: “Ellos vende su empresa.” Right: “Ellos venden su empresa.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form venden. The singular vende belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as la tienda.
Wrong: “Yo vendo mi bicicleta ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo vendí mi bicicleta.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished sale yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to vendí.
Wrong: “Nosotros vendes en el mercado.” Right: “Nosotros vendemos en el mercado.” Why: Nosotros needs vendemos. The tú form vendes belongs with tú.
Quiz: vender 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 ______ mi coche viejo.” (I sell my old car.)
- (a) vendes
- (b) vende
- (c) vendo
Answer: vendo — The yo form of vender in the present is vendo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ ropa por internet?” (Do you sell clothes online?)
- (a) vende
- (b) vendes
- (c) vendo
Answer: vendes — The tú form of vender in the present is vendes. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Mi padre ______ la casa a una familia joven.” (My father sells the house to a young family.)
- (a) vende
- (b) vendo
- (c) vendes
Answer: vende — The él/ella/Ud. form of vender in the present is vende. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ en el mercado.” (We sell at the market.)
- (a) vendo
- (b) vendes
- (c) vendemos
Answer: vendemos — The nosotros/as form of vender in the present is vendemos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
5. What is the vosotros/as form of vender in the present?
- (a) vendes
- (b) vendéis
- (c) vendo
Answer: vendéis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes vendéis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros vendéis flores en la plaza.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ su empresa.” (They sell their company.)
- (a) vendo
- (b) vendes
- (c) venden
Answer: venden — The subject needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, which is venden.
7. Which is the correct yo form of vender in the present?
- (a) vendo
- (b) vende
- (c) venden
Answer: vendo — The yo form is vendo. The other two options are the él/ella and ellos/ellas forms.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something that happens regularly?
- (a) Yo vendo libros de segunda mano todos los meses.
- (b) Ayer yo vendí mi bicicleta.
- (c) Ayer yo vendí mi bicicleta.
Answer: Yo vendo libros de segunda mano todos los meses. — “Yo vendo libros de segunda mano todos los meses.” describes something repeated, so it takes the present tense. The other two sentences describe single finished occasions in the past, not habits.
Frequently asked questions
Is vender regular in the present tense?
Yes. Vender is a regular -er verb: the stem is vend- and the present endings are -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis and -en. There are no stem changes, so the whole table follows the standard pattern.
Does vender take a preposition before what you sell?
No. What you sell is the direct object: 'Vendo mi coche', 'Vendo libros'. Use a for the buyer ('Vendo la casa a una familia joven') and en for the place ('Vendo en el mercado').
What is the difference between vender and comprar?
Vender means to sell, to give something for money, while comprar means to buy, to pay money for something. They are opposites: the seller vende and the buyer compra, and the same object changes hands in both sentences.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of vender — every tense of vender in one place.
- Vender examples and quiz — more sentences with vender 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 vender and other verbs.