secar Present Conjugation
secar — to dry
The present tense of secar is completely regular: seco, secas, seca, secamos, secáis, secan.
secar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use this for habits (how you dry things) or what is happening right now.
Notes on secar in the Present
Secar is a completely regular -ar verb in the present tense.
Example Sentences
Siempre seco los platos a mano.
I always dry the dishes by hand.
yo
Ella seca a su perro con una toalla.
She is drying her dog with a towel.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros secamos la ropa en la secadora.
We dry the clothes in the dryer.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Confusing 'seco' (I dry) with 'seco' (dry - the adjective).
Correct: Context determines the meaning.
Why: While they look the same, the verb 'seco' usually follows a subject or pronoun, whereas the adjective follows a noun.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: sequé
Secar is regular except for the 'yo' form, which changes to 'sequé' to preserve the pronunciation.
Imperfect
yo: secaba
The imperfect of secar is regular: secaba, secabas, secaba, secábamos, secabais, secaban.
Future
yo: secaré
The future tense is regular; just add the endings to the infinitive: secaré, secarás, secará, secaremos, secaréis, secarán.
Conditional
yo: secaría
The conditional is regular: add -ía endings to the infinitive (secaría, secarías, secaría, secaríamos, secaríais, secarían).
Present Subjunctive
yo: seque
The present subjunctive of secar features a spelling change (c to qu) in all forms: seque, seques, seque, sequemos, sequéis, sequen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: secara
The imperfect subjunctive is regular based on the preterite stem: secara, secaras, secara, secáramos, secarais, secaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: seca
The imperative uses 'seca' (tú) and 'seque' (usted), with the 'c' to 'qu' change in formal and plural commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no seques
The negative imperative always uses the present subjunctive forms: no seques, no seque, no sequemos, no sequéis, no sequen.