orar Present Conjugation
orar — to pray
The present tense of orar is regular: oro, oras, ora, oramos, oráis, oran.
orar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use this tense to talk about daily spiritual habits or current actions. It is common when describing someone's regular routine of prayer or a general state of devotion.
Notes on orar in the Present
Orar is a completely regular -ar verb in the present tense. There are no stem changes or spelling shifts to worry about.
Example Sentences
Yo oro todas las mañanas antes de trabajar.
I pray every morning before working.
yo
Ella siempre ora por su familia.
She always prays for her family.
él/ella/usted
Ellos oran juntos en la iglesia.
They pray together at the church.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'rezar' and 'orar' interchangeably without knowing the nuance.
Correct: Use 'orar' for more personal, conversational prayer; 'rezar' often implies recited prayers.
Why: While often synonyms, 'orar' is frequently used in Protestant contexts or for spontaneous prayer.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: oré
The preterite of orar follows standard -ar endings: oré, oraste, oró, oramos, orasteis, oraron.
Imperfect
yo: oraba
The imperfect of orar uses regular -aba endings: oraba, orabas, oraba, orábamos, orabais, oraban.
Future
yo: oraré
The future of orar is regular: add endings to the infinitive to get oraré, orarás, etc.
Conditional
yo: oraría
The conditional of orar is regular: oraría, orarías, oraría, oraríamos, oraríais, orarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: ore
The present subjunctive of orar changes the 'a' to 'e': ore, ores, ore, oremos, oréis, oren.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: orara
The imperfect subjunctive of orar uses the preterite stem: orara, oraras, orara, oráramos, orarais, oraran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ora
The imperative of orar provides commands: ora (tú), ore (usted), oremos (nosotros), orad (vosotros), oren (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no ores
The negative imperative of orar uses 'no' plus the present subjunctive forms: no ores, no ore, etc.