Zarpar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of zarpar — “to set sail” 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 zarpar 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. Zarpar means to set sail, for a ship leaving port. It is a nautical verb used in ports, travel and literature, and it is fully regular. To see it in a real sentence: Zarpo del puerto al amanecer. — “I set sail from the port at dawn.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of zarpar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: zarpar
Every person of zarpar in the present tense. The gerund is zarpando and the past participle is zarpado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | zarpo |
| tú | zarpas |
| él/ella/Ud. | zarpa |
| nosotros/as | zarpamos |
| vosotros/as | zarpáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | zarpan |
How the present indicative of zarpar is formed
The present indicative of zarpar is built from the stem plus the present indicative 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 | zarpo |
| tú | -as | zarpas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | zarpa |
| nosotros/as | -amos | zarpamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | zarpáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | zarpan |
Zarpar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is zarp- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of zarpar is zarpando and the past participle is zarpado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of zarpar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and zarpar 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.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and zarpar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo zarpo del puerto al amanecer todos los días.” — “I set sail from the port at dawn every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él zarpa hacia las islas con buen viento.” — “He/she sets sail for the islands with a good wind.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so zarpo can mean both “I set sail” and “I am set sailing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo zarpo en silencio por la noche.” — “Right now, I set sail in silence at night.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo zarpo con la marea alta.” — “Tomorrow, I will set sail with the high tide.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú zarpas del puerto al amanecer?” — “Do you set sail from the port at dawn?”
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: Zarpa hacia las islas con buen viento. — “He/she sets sail for the islands with a good wind.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Zarpó hacia las islas con buen viento. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
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: Zarpan en silencio por la noche. — “They set sail in silence at night.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Zarpaban en silencio por la noche. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
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: Zarpas con la marea alta. — “You set sail with the high tide.”
- Future — what will happen: Zarparás con la marea alta. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: zarpar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show zarpar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo zarpo del puerto al amanecer. — “I set sail from the port at dawn.”
- Tú zarpas hacia las islas con buen viento. — “You set sail for the islands with a good wind.”
- Él zarpa en silencio por la noche. — “He sets sail in silence at night.”
- Nosotros zarpamos con la marea alta. — “We set sail with the high tide.”
- Vosotros zarpáis del puerto al amanecer. — “You (plural) set sail from the port at dawn.”
- Ellos zarpan hacia las islas con buen viento. — “They set sail for the islands with a good wind.”
- ¿Tú zarpas en silencio por la noche? — “Do you set sail in silence at night?”
Common mistakes with zarpar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with zarpar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo zarpar del puerto al amanecer. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo zarpo del puerto al amanecer.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of zarpar is zarpo, not the infinitive zarpar.
✗ Vosotros zarpais del puerto al amanecer. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros zarpáis del puerto al amanecer.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: zarpáis, not zarpais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo zarpo hacia las islas con buen viento. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo zarpé hacia las islas con buen viento.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: zarpo is happening now, while zarpé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating zarpar and salir as identical in every context. (confusing zarpar with salir).
✓ Correct: Zarpar means to set sail, while salir means to leave, in general.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: zarpar fits sentences such as Zarpo del puerto al amanecer, while salir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: zarpar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of zarpar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of zarpar for tú?
- a) zarpas
- b) zarpo
- c) zarpa
- d) zarpan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ del puerto al amanecer. — “I set sail from the port at dawn.”
- a) zarpa
- b) zarpamos
- c) zarpas
- d) zarpo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ hacia las islas con buen viento. — “He/she sets sail for the islands with a good wind.” (present tense)
- a) zarpaba
- b) zarpará
- c) zarpa
- d) zarpó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of zarpar for nosotros?
- a) zarpan
- b) zarpamos
- c) zarpo
- d) zarpa
5. Which sentence uses zarpar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él zarpó hacia las islas con buen viento.
- b) Él zarpa hacia las islas con buen viento.
- c) Él zarpará hacia las islas con buen viento.
- d) Ellos zarpa hacia las islas con buen viento.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ en silencio por la noche. — “They set sail in silence at night.”
- a) zarpo
- b) zarpa
- c) zarpamos
- d) zarpan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ con la marea alta? — “Do you set sail with the high tide?”
- a) zarpa
- b) zarparás
- c) zarpas
- d) zarpo
8. What is the gerund of zarpar?
- a) zarpé
- b) zarpando
- c) zarpado
- d) zarpo
Answer key
a) zarpas — The tú form is zarpas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; zarpo is yo, zarpa is él/ella and zarpan is ellos/ellas.
d) zarpo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: zarpo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) zarpa — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: zarpa. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) zarpamos — Nosotros takes zarpamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él zarpa hacia las islas con buen viento. — Él zarpa hacia las islas con buen viento. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) zarpan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is zarpan.
c) zarpas — The question needs the tú form in the present: zarpas.
b) zarpando — The gerund is zarpando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle zarpado.
Frequently asked questions
Is zarpar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Zarpar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: zarpo, zarpas, zarpa, zarpamos, zarpáis and zarpan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of zarpar?
The gerund is zarpando and the past participle is zarpado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I set sail” in Spanish?
Say zarpo. For example: Zarpo del puerto al amanecer. — “I set sail from the port at dawn.”
What is the difference between zarpar and salir?
Zarpar means “to set sail”, while salir means “to leave, in general”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use zarpar when you mean “to set sail” and salir when you mean “to leave, in general”. The full conjugation of zarpar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of zarpar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- zarpar 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.
- Atracar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with zarpar.
- Despegar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with zarpar.
- Aterrizar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with zarpar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.