
evitar Present Conjugation
evitar — to avoid
The present tense of evitar (evito, evitas, evita, etc.) is regular and used for habitual actions, current actions, and general truths.
evitar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense for things you habitually do or don't do, actions happening right now, or general facts. For 'evitar', you might say, 'Yo evito el azúcar' (I avoid sugar) as a general habit, or 'Él evita el contacto visual' (He avoids eye contact) as something he does regularly. It can also describe an action in progress if the context is clear.
Notes on evitar in the Present
Evitar is regular in the present indicative. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo evito las noticias negativas por la mañana.
I avoid negative news in the morning.
yo
¿Tú evitas comer carne?
Do you avoid eating meat?
tú
Ella evita las multitudes siempre que puede.
She avoids crowds whenever she can.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros evitamos el tráfico tomando atajos.
We avoid traffic by taking shortcuts.
nosotros
Ellos evitan hablar de política.
They avoid talking about politics.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Confusing the present indicative 'evita' (él/ella/usted) with the affirmative tú imperative 'evita'.
Correct: Context determines the meaning. 'Él evita la lluvia' (He avoids the rain) vs. 'Tú, evita la lluvia' (You, avoid the rain!).
Why: Both forms are identical, so the surrounding words and situation clarify whether it's a statement or a command.
Mistake: Using the present subjunctive form in indicative contexts.
Correct: For statements of fact or habit, use the present indicative: 'Yo evito...'.
Why: The indicative mood is for facts and objective statements, while the subjunctive is for doubt, wishes, etc.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: evité
The preterite of evitar (evité, evitaste, evitó, etc.) is regular and used for completed actions in the past.
Imperfect
yo: evitaba
The imperfect of evitar (evitaba, evitabas, evitaba, etc.) is regular and used for ongoing or habitual past actions and descriptions.
Future
yo: evitaré
The future tense of evitar (evitaré, evitarás, evitará, etc.) is regular and used for actions that will happen or to express probability.
Conditional
yo: evitaría
The conditional of evitar (evitaría, evitarías, evitaría, etc.) is regular and used for hypotheticals, polite requests, and future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: evite
The present subjunctive of evitar (evite, evites, evitemos, eviten) is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and after impersonal expressions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: evitara
The imperfect subjunctive of evitar (e.g., 'evitara', 'evitaras', 'evitara', 'evitaramos', 'evitaran') is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: evita
Use 'evita' for direct commands to tú, 'evite' for usted, 'evitemos' for nosotros, 'eviten' for ustedes, and 'evitad' for vosotros.
Negative Imperative
yo: no evites
Negative commands use 'no' plus the present subjunctive: 'no evites' (tú), 'no evite' (usted), 'no evitemos' (nosotros), 'no eviten' (ustedes), 'no evitéis' (vosotros).