Learn notar conjugation in Presente step by step with detailed explanations

notar means: to detect, to notice, to remark

In this lesson we will see how to conjugate the verb notar in the Presente tense of the Indicativo mood. It means we will see step by step how to get the following conjugation:

yo	noto	I detect
tú	notas	you detect
él/ella/usted	nota	he/she/it detects
nosotros/nosotras	notamos	we detect
vosotros/vosotras	notáis	you detect
ellos/ellas/ustedes	notan	they detect

This lesson is specifically about the notar verb conjugation. For an overview of Simple Tenses conjugation have a look at our Simple Tenses Conjugation Chart.

We also have a Video Presentation on how to conjugate verbs in Presente. It’s embedded on the right, but using the above link you can get additional information on conjugation in this tense and explanation of special cases and exceptions.

How to translate Presente to English

Notice that the phrases in English in the third column of the above conjugation chart are not direct translations from Spanish to English. They are usually the closest general equivalents. The example differences are:

In Spanish, there is the form usted in the third person singular. But this person does not translate to the English third person singular. It translates to the so called formal you and uses the inflected form which is most often represented as he/she/it in English conjugation charts.
Similar situation happens in the third person plural, where ustedes translates to the English plural formal you but uses the form which corresponds to the they form in English.
Tenses are used differently in Spanish and English, so the actual translation should always take into account the context and focus on translating the meaning, not just words.
In both languages each verb may have multiple meanings and not every meaning translates directly to the other language. Here also, the context and focusing on the particular meaning helps to create the most accurate translation.

The Spanish Presente de Indicativo tense translates to one of the following:

The English Present tense, for example:
ustedes notan
(formal, plural) you detect
The English Present Progressive (also called Present Continuous) tense, for example:
ahora mismo tú notas
you are detecting right now

Notice though, that the Spanish equivalent of the Present Progressive also exists and is in common use – that’s Presente Progresivo (also called Presente Continuo).

Note the timeline

The ability to correctly locate the intended position on the timeline is a crucial skill for the right choice of tenses. So note the timeline in our lessons and visualize it while speaking, listening, writing and reading. After some practice you’ll be capable of selecting the right tense to use much easier. timeline presente how to conjugate spanish verbs

timeline presente how to conjugate spanish verbs

Step by step instructions

Presente belongs to the simple tenses group, which means that all of its conjugated forms are one word long. There are also compound (compuesto) tenses in the Spanish language, where each inflected form consists of two words.

The verb notar has regular conjugation in the Presente tense of the Indicativo mood. It means that this verb just follows the general rules for its group (-ar) without any exceptions or spelling corrections.

The basis for this conjugation is the stem of the verb, so we need to begin by splitting the infinitive into a stem and an ending. It’s very easy to do. Just remove two letters from the end of the infinitive form to get the ending — one of -ar, -er or -ir. What’s left is the stem.

So in case of our verb:

the stem is: not-
and the ending is: -ar

Use the stem not- in each person as the basis for conjugation, the common prefix or root that each of the forms begins with.

endings presente ar how to conjugate spanish verbs

Next, add to this regular stem the endings specific to each person. See the image on the side showing all the six endings. Note the colors and shapes of the letters. They are arranged to help you find patterns and make it easier to remember these endings.

Each grammatical person has a specific ending in each of the three conjugation groups -ar, -er, -ir.

Add the regular ending -o for the first person singular to create noto:

yo noto

Like previously add the regular ending -as for the second person singular to create notas:

tú notas

Like previously add the regular ending -a for the third person singular to create nota:

él nota
ella nota
usted nota

And similarly add the regular ending -amos for the first person plural to create notamos:

nosotros notamos
nosotras notamos

Similarly add the regular ending -áis for the second person plural to create notáis:

vosotros notáis
vosotras notáis

And again add the regular ending -an for the third person plural to create notan:

ellos notan
ellas notan
ustedes notan

Hurray! The conjugation is now done. But don’t end your session yet – it is very important to repeat and practice the material in order to retain it. Check below for next steps.

Next Steps

To practice this conjugation and test your knowledge check this Conjugation Exercise or the Memory Game
To see other conjugation lessons for this verb choose another tense:
For exercises and examples related to notar visit our Exercise section
To see conjugation charts in all tenses for notar visit the Conjugator
To explore other learning materials visit the Study section