despreciar Present Conjugation
despreciar — to look down on
The present tense of despreciar (desprecio, desprecias, desprecia...) describes current actions or habits.
despreciar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense for actions happening right now ('I look down on him'), habitual actions ('She always looks down on new ideas'), or general truths ('People who look down on others are often insecure').
Notes on despreciar in the Present
Despreciar is a regular -ar verb in the present indicative. All forms follow the standard conjugation pattern.
Example Sentences
Yo no despreció las críticas constructivas.
I don't look down on constructive criticism.
yo
¿Tú desprecias a la gente que llega tarde?
Do you look down on people who arrive late?
tú
Él desprecia las películas de acción.
He looks down on action movies.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros despreciamos la mala educación.
We look down on bad manners.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the subjunctive instead of the indicative for statements of fact.
Correct: Use 'desprecias' (indicative) when stating a fact, not 'desprecies' (subjunctive).
Why: The indicative mood is used for facts and objective statements.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'desprecia' (él/ella/usted) when it sounds like the imperative.
Correct: The third-person singular present indicative is 'desprecia', same as the affirmative tú imperative.
Why: While they look the same, context makes the meaning clear (statement vs. command).
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: desprecié
The preterite of despreciar is regular: desprecié, despreciaste, despreció, despreciamos, despreciasteis, despreciaron.
Imperfect
yo: despreciaba
The imperfect of despreciar (despreciaba, despreciabas...) describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Future
yo: despreciaré
The future tense of despreciar (despreciaré, despreciarás...) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: despreciaría
The conditional of despreciar (despreciaría, despreciarías...) expresses 'would' actions or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: desprecie
Use 'desprecie' (yo/él/ella/Ud.) and 'desprecien' (ellos/ellas/Uds.) after wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: despreciara
The imperfect subjunctive of despreciar (e.g., despreciara, despreciaras) is used for past hypotheticals and wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: desprecia
Use 'desprecia' (tú) and 'desprecien' (ustedes) for direct commands with despreciar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no desprecies
Negative commands for despreciar use the present subjunctive: 'no desprecies', 'no desprecien'.