The Present Tense of encender is used to describe actions that are happening right now or that occur habitually. For example, Enciendo la estufa para cocinar la cena. (I turn on the stove to cook dinner.)

Encender is a stem-changing verb, meaning the vowel in the stem changes in certain conjugations. In the present tense, the e changes to ie in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Encender (to turn on) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

Encender generally means to light, turn on or ignite something, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To light or ignite: for example, Yo enciendo la vela (I light the candle).

To turn on: for example, Ella enciende la televisión (She turns on the TV).

To start a fire: for example, Ellos encienden la chimenea (They start a fire in the fireplace).

To excite or arouse (colloquial): for example, Las películas románticas lo encienden (Romantic movies turn him on).

To get angry or upset (colloquial): for example, Tú me enciendes con tus mentiras (Your lies piss me off).

Examples

Examples of Encender in the Present Tense

Cada mañana enciendo la computadora para revisar mi correo electrónico. (Every morning I turn on the computer to check my email.)

¿Puedes encender las luces por favor? Está muy oscuro aquí. (Can you turn on the lights please? It’s very dark in here.)

Mi hijo enciende la televisión en cuanto llega a casa de la escuela. (My son turns on the TV as soon as he gets home from school.)

Cuando hace frío, encendemos la chimenea para calentar la sala. (When it’s cold, we light the fireplace to warm up the living room.)

Los vecinos encienden las luces navideñas todas las noches durante diciembre. (The neighbors turn on the Christmas lights every night during December.)

En el restaurante, el mesero enciende una vela en nuestra mesa. (At the restaurant, the waiter lights a candle on our table.)

Antes de salir de viaje, enciendo las alarmas de seguridad en la casa. (Before leaving on a trip, I turn on the home security alarms.)

Mi mamá enciende el horno para preparar el pan casero que tanto me gusta. (My mom turns on the oven to prepare the homemade bread that I love.)

En la fiesta, los jóvenes encienden los fuegos artificiales cuando se hace de noche. (At the party, the young people light fireworks when it gets dark.)

Cuando hace calor, encendemos el aire acondicionado para refrescarnos. (When it’s hot, we turn on the air conditioning to cool off.)

El instructor enciende la pantalla para comenzar su presentación. (The instructor turns on the screen to begin his presentation.)

Los manifestantes encienden antorchas durante la marcha nocturna. (The protesters light torches during the night march.)

Después de un largo día, enciendo unas velas aromáticas y me relajo. (After a long day, I light some scented candles and relax.)

En el concierto, los fans encienden sus encendedores durante las baladas románticas. (At the concert, fans light their lighters during romantic ballads.)

Cuando vamos de camping, encendemos una fogata para asar malvaviscos. (When we go camping, we light a campfire to roast marshmallows.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Encender (to turn on) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.