The Present Tense of secar is used to describe actions that are happening right now or that occur habitually. For example, Seco la ropa después de lavarla. (I dry the clothes after washing them.)

Secar is a regular -ar verb, which means its conjugations follow the typical pattern for verbs ending in -ar in the present tense.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Secar (to dry) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

Secar generally means to dry or to make something dry, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To dry (something): This is the most common meaning, referring to removing moisture or liquid from something, for example, Yo seco la ropa después de lavarla (I dry the clothes after washing them).

To dry up: Used when a liquid dries up or evaporates completely, for example, El charco se seca con el calor del sol (The puddle dries up in the sun’s heat).

To wither: Referring to plants or vegetation drying out and losing moisture, for example, Las plantas se secan sin agua (The plants wither without water).

To drain: In some contexts, it can mean to drain or remove liquid from something, for example, Secamos el estanque para limpiarlo (We drain the pond to clean it).

Colloquial usage: In some Latin American vernacular, it can be used in a slang way to mean “to ignore someone” or “to leave someone hanging”, for example, Me seca y no me contesta los mensajes (They’re ignoring me and not responding to my messages).

Examples

Examples of Secar in the Present Tense

Yo seco la ropa después de lavarla. (I dry the clothes after washing them.)

¿Puedes secar los platos cuando termines de lavarlos? (Can you dry the dishes when you finish washing them?)

El sol seca la ropa muy rápido en verano. (The sun dries the clothes very quickly in summer.)

Nosotros secamos el piso después de limpiar. (We dry the floor after cleaning.)

Ellos secan la pintura con un ventilador. (They dry the paint with a fan.)

Después de bañarme, seco mi cabello con una toalla. (After bathing, I dry my hair with a towel.)

¿Puedes secar tus lágrimas? Todo va a estar bien. (Can you dry your tears? Everything will be alright.)

La secadora seca la ropa automáticamente. (The dryer dries the clothes automatically.)

En el taller, secamos las piezas antes de pintarlas. (In the workshop, we dry the pieces before painting them.)

Los niños secan sus manos con una toalla después de lavárselas. (The children dry their hands with a towel after washing them.)

Después de nadar, seco mi cuerpo con una toalla de playa. (After swimming, I dry my body with a beach towel.)

¿Puedes secar el auto después de lavarlo? (Can you dry the car after washing it?)

Nosotros secamos las frutas al sol para conservarlas. (We dry the fruits in the sun to preserve them.)

Ellos secan la madera antes de trabajarla. (They dry the wood before working on it.)

Después de lavar los platos, seco mis manos con un paño de cocina. (After washing the dishes, I dry my hands with a kitchen towel.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Secar (to dry) 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.