rodar Present Conjugation
rodar — to roll
Actions happening now or habitually: 'ruedo' (I roll), 'rueda' (it rolls).
rodar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense for actions happening right now ('la pelota rueda'), for habits ('ruedo la masa cada mañana'), or general truths ('la rueda siempre gira').
Notes on rodar in the Present
Rodar is regular in the present indicative, except for the stem change in the 'yo' form ('ruedo') and the informal 'tú' form ('ruedas'), where the 'o' changes to 'ue'. The other forms (él/ella/usted, nosotros, vosotros, ellos/ellas/ustedes) use the infinitive stem 'rod-'.
Example Sentences
Yo ruedo la pelota.
I roll the ball.
yo
Él rueda el queso para hacerlo redondo.
He rolls the cheese to make it round.
él/ella/usted
Las ruedas del coche ruedan suavemente.
The car's wheels roll smoothly.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
¿Ruedas bien la bicicleta?
Do you roll the bicycle well?
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'rodo' instead of 'ruedo' for 'yo'.
Correct: It's 'yo ruedo', with a 'ue' stem change.
Why: This is a common stem-changing verb ('o' to 'ue') in the present tense for 'yo' and 'tú' forms.
Mistake: Using the present tense for ongoing actions in the past.
Correct: Use the imperfect tense ('rodaba') for ongoing past actions.
Why: The present tense is for the present; the imperfect is for the past.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: rodé
Completed past actions like 'rodé' (I rolled) or 'rodó' (it rolled).
Imperfect
yo: rodaba
Ongoing or habitual past actions: 'rodaba' (I used to roll), 'rodaban' (they used to roll).
Future
yo: rodaré
Future actions: 'rodaré' (I will roll), 'rodará' (it will roll).
Conditional
yo: rodaría
Hypotheticals ('would'), polite requests: 'rodaría' (I would roll).
Present Subjunctive
yo: rode
Present subjunctive for wishes, doubts, or emotions like 'espero que ruede' (I hope it rolls).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: rodara
Past subjunctive for hypotheticals like 'if it would roll' (si rodara).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: roda
Commands like 'roda!' (roll!) or 'roden!' (they roll! - command).
Negative Imperative
yo: no rodas
Negative commands like 'no ruedes!' (don't roll!) or 'no rueden!' (don't they roll! - command).