The Present Tense of matar is used to describe actions that are happening right now or that occur habitually, for example, Ella mata las cucarachas. (She kills the cockroaches.)

Matar is a regular -ar verb, which means its conjugations follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Matar (to kill) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

Matar generally means to kill or slay, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

Literal meaning: To end the life of a living being, for example, Yo mato una cucaracha. (I kill a cockroach.)

Figurative meaning: To exhaust or tire someone out, for example, Este trabajo me mata. (This job is killing me.)

Slang meaning: To do something extremely well or with great intensity, for example, ¡La estás matando en el escenario! (You’re killing it on stage!)

Idiomatic meaning: To stop or interrupt something abruptly, for example, Matas la conversación con tus comentarios inapropiados. (You’re killing the conversation with your inappropriate comments.)

Rude meaning: To bother or annoy someone excessively (informal/rude), for example, ¡Me matas con tus quejas! (You’re killing me with your complaints!)

Examples

Examples of Matar in the Present Tense

Cada mañana, mi vecino mata las malas hierbas en su jardín. (Every morning, my neighbor kills the weeds in his garden.)

Los cazadores furtivos matan animales en peligro de extinción por diversión. (Poachers kill endangered animals for fun.)

¿Por qué matas tanto tiempo jugando videojuegos? (Why do you waste so much time playing video games?)

Nosotros matamos el tiempo viendo películas mientras esperamos. (We kill time watching movies while we wait.)

Ustedes matan mis esperanzas con sus comentarios negativos. (You kill my hopes with your negative comments.)

Ella mata dos pájaros de un tiro al estudiar y trabajar al mismo tiempo. (She kills two birds with one stone by studying and working at the same time.)

El equipo mata la moral con su mal desempeño. (The team kills morale with their poor performance.)

Yo mato las plantas por accidente porque se me olvida regarlas. (I accidentally kill plants because I forget to water them.)

Tú matas la diversión con tus bromas pesadas. (You kill the fun with your lame jokes.)

Ellos matan el tiempo libre haciendo ejercicio. (They kill free time by exercising.)

¿Por qué ustedes matan las esperanzas de los jóvenes con su pesimismo? (Why do you kill the hopes of young people with your pessimism?)

Nosotros matamos dos pájaros de un tiro al combinar trabajo y placer. (We kill two birds with one stone by combining work and pleasure.)

Ella mata la curiosidad leyendo libros sobre diferentes temas. (She kills curiosity by reading books on different topics.)

Tú matas el ambiente con tus chistes inapropiados. (You kill the vibe with your inappropriate jokes.)

Ellos matan el aburrimiento saliendo con amigos. (They kill boredom by going out with friends.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Matar (to kill) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American 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.