atardecer Present Conjugation
atardecer — to get dark
The present tense of atardecer is irregular in the 'yo' form (atardezco), but regular otherwise.
atardecer Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to describe the daily event of the sun setting or to talk about general truths regarding the time of day.
Notes on atardecer in the Present
This verb follows the -zc- pattern in the first person singular (yo atardezco). While it is often used impersonally (it gets dark), you can use it personally to mean 'to be somewhere when the sun sets'.
Example Sentences
Atardece muy temprano en invierno.
It gets dark very early in winter.
él/ella/usted
Siempre atardezco en la playa cuando estoy de vacaciones.
I am always at the beach when the sun sets when I'm on vacation.
yo
A veces atardecemos en la carretera.
Sometimes we are on the road when it gets dark.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'yo atardeco'.
Correct: yo atardezco
Why: Verbs ending in -ecer almost always require a -zc- change in the first person present.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: atardecí
The preterite of atardecer is regular: atardecí, atardeciste, atardeció, atardecimos, atardecisteis, atardecieron.
Imperfect
yo: atardecía
The imperfect of atardecer is regular: atardecía, atardecías, atardecía, atardecíamos, atardecíais, atardecían.
Future
yo: atardeceré
The future of atardecer is regular: atardeceré, atardecerás, atardecerá, atardeceremos, atardeceréis, atardecerán.
Conditional
yo: atardecería
The conditional of atardecer is regular: atardecería, atardecerías, atardecería, atardeceríamos, atardeceríais, atardecerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: atardezca
The present subjunctive of atardecer is irregular: atardezca, atardezcas, atardezca, atardezcamos, atardezcáis, atardezcan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: atardeciera
The imperfect subjunctive of atardecer is regular: atardeciera, atardecieras, atardeciera, atardeciéramos, atardecierais, atardecieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: atardece
The imperative of atardecer is rarely used but follows the -zc- change for formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no atardezcas
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive forms: no atardezcas, no atardezca, no atardezcamos, no atardezcáis, no atardezcan.