prestar Present Conjugation
prestar — to lend
The present tense of prestar is regular: presto, prestas, presta, prestamos, prestáis, prestan.
prestar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to talk about current habits, like lending money to friends or things you lend out regularly. It also works for general truths about sharing or borrowing.
Notes on prestar in the Present
Prestar is a completely regular -ar verb in the present tense; it follows the standard pattern without any stem changes.
Example Sentences
Yo siempre le presto mi coche a mi hermano.
I always lend my car to my brother.
yo
¿Me prestas tu bolígrafo un momento?
Will you lend me your pen for a moment?
tú
Ellos prestan libros en la biblioteca local.
They lend books at the local library.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Confusing prestar with 'borrow' (pedir prestado).
Correct: Use prestar for giving and 'pedir prestado' for receiving.
Why: English uses two different verbs, but Spanish uses prestar for both directions by changing the construction.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: presté
Prestar is regular in the preterite: presté, prestaste, prestó, prestamos, prestasteis, prestaron.
Imperfect
yo: prestaba
The imperfect of prestar uses standard -aba endings: prestaba, prestabas, prestaba, prestábamos, prestabais, prestaban.
Future
yo: prestaré
The future of prestar is regular, adding endings to the infinitive: prestaré, prestarás, prestará, prestaremos, prestaréis, prestarán.
Conditional
yo: prestaría
The conditional of prestar is regular: prestaría, prestarías, prestaría, prestaríamos, prestaríais, prestarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: preste
The present subjunctive of prestar is regular: preste, prestes, preste, prestemos, prestéis, presten.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: prestara
The imperfect subjunctive of prestar is regular: prestara, prestaras, prestara, prestáramos, prestarais, prestaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: presta
The affirmative imperative of prestar is: presta (tú), prestad (vosotros), preste (usted), presten (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no prestes
The negative imperative of prestar uses present subjunctive forms: no prestes, no preste, no prestemos, no prestéis, no presten.