defender Present Conjugation
defender — defend
Defender has an e > ie stem change in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
defender Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to talk about someone's current stance, habitual defense of an idea, or a sports team's current defensive play.
Notes on defender in the Present
This is a 'boot verb' (stem-changer). The 'e' in the stem becomes 'ie' when stressed (yo, tú, él, ellos).
Example Sentences
Yo siempre defiendo mis ideales.
I always defend my ideals.
yo
¿Por qué no defiendes a tu hermano?
Why don't you defend your brother?
tú
Ellos defienden muy bien en este partido.
They are defending very well in this game.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'defendemos' as 'defiendemos'.
Correct: defendemos
Why: Stem changes never occur in the nosotros or vosotros forms in the present indicative.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: defendí
Defender is regular in the preterite: defendí, defendiste, defendió, defendimos, defendisteis, defendieron.
Imperfect
yo: defendía
Defender is regular in the imperfect: defendía, defendías, defendía, defendíamos, defendíais, defendían.
Future
yo: defenderé
The future of defender is regular: defenderé, defenderás, defenderá, defenderemos, defenderéis, defenderán.
Conditional
yo: defendería
The conditional of defender is regular: defendería, defenderías, defendería, defenderíamos, defenderíais, defenderían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: defienda
The present subjunctive of defender follows the e > ie stem change: defienda, defiendas, defienda, defendamos, defendáis, defiendan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: defendiera
The imperfect subjunctive is regular based on the preterite stem: defendiera, defendieras, defendiera, defendiéramos, defendierais, defendieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: defiende
The imperative uses the stem change (e > ie) for most commands: defiende, defienda, defendamos, defended, defiendan.
Negative Imperative
yo: no defiendas
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive forms: no defiendas, no defienda, no defendamos, no defendáis, no defiendan.