proteger Present Conjugation
proteger — to protect
Proteger has a spelling change in the 'yo' form: protejo, proteges, protege, protegemos, protegéis, protegen.
proteger Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense for general habits, like wearing sunscreen, or current states of security.
Notes on proteger in the Present
This is a 'g-to-j' verb. To keep the raspy 'j' sound in the 'yo' form before an 'o', the 'g' must change to a 'j' (protejo).
Example Sentences
Yo siempre protejo mi piel con crema solar.
I always protect my skin with sunscreen.
yo
Esta ley protege a los animales.
This law protects animals.
él/ella/usted
¿Proteges tus archivos con contraseña?
Do you protect your files with a password?
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'protego' for the yo form.
Correct: protejo
Why: If you used 'g', it would sound like 'pro-te-go' (hard G). To keep the 'h' sound, Spanish uses a 'j' before 'o'.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: protegí
The preterite of proteger is regular: protegí, protegiste, protegió, protegimos, protegisteis, protegieron.
Imperfect
yo: protegía
The imperfect of proteger is regular: protegía, protegías, protegía, protegíamos, protegíais, protegían.
Future
yo: protegeré
The future of proteger is regular: protegeré, protegerás, protegerá, protegeremos, protegeréis, protegerán.
Conditional
yo: protegería
The conditional of proteger is regular: protegería, protegerías, protegería, protegeríamos, protegeríais, protegerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: proteja
The present subjunctive of proteger uses 'j' in all forms: proteja, protejas, proteja, protejamos, protejáis, protejan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: protegiera
The imperfect subjunctive of proteger is regular: protegiera, protegieras, protegiera, protegiéramos, protegierais, protegieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: protege
The imperative uses 'g' for 'tú' and 'vosotros', but 'j' for 'usted' and 'nosotros': protege, proteja, protejamos, proteged, protejan.
Negative Imperative
yo: no protejas
The negative imperative always uses 'j': no protejas, no proteja, no protejamos, no protejáis, no protejan.