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Learn Dar in the Spanish present tense

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Dar

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Present special form

Dar in the Spanish present tense

Dar means to give. The yo form doy is special; the remaining forms are close to the regular -AR pattern.

Learn dar with useful structures such as dar algo a alguien and common everyday expressions.

darto give
Present forms of dar

Learn doy, das, da, damos, dais and dan. Doy never has a written accent.

Subject or verbPatternExample
yolearn as a complete formdoy
túlearn as a complete formdas
él, ella, ustedlearn as a complete formda
nosotros, nosotraslearn as a complete formdamos
vosotros, vosotraslearn as a complete formdais
ellos, ellas, ustedeslearn as a complete formdan
1. Giving something

Dar can introduce the thing that is given.

Doy una clase.I teach a class.
Damos instrucciones.We give instructions.
2. Dar something to someone

A frequent pattern is dar + thing + a + recipient. The thing is what is given; the person is the recipient.

Doy el libro a Ana.I give the book to Ana.
Damos una copia a cada estudiante.We give each student a copy.
3. Indirect object pronouns

Spanish often adds an indirect object pronoun: le doy, nos da, les damos. In these exercises, only the conjugated form of dar belongs in the blank.

Le doy el libro a Ana.I give Ana the book.
Nos da cinco minutos.He or she gives us five minutes.
4. Common expressions

Useful combinations include dar las gracias, dar un consejo, dar una respuesta, dar permiso, dar una clase, dar un paseo, dar un abrazo, dar tiempo, dar apoyo and dar información.

Doy las gracias al camarero.I thank the waiter.
Ellos dan un paseo.They take a walk.
5. Dar versus regalar

Dar is the general verb to give. Regalar means to give something as a gift.

Doy un documento al cliente.I give a document to the client.
Regalo un libro a mi hermana.I give my sister a book as a gift.
6. Common mistakes
Yo do una clase.Yo doy una clase.

The yo form is doy.

Tú da información.Tú das información.

Tú requires das.

Nosotros dan consejos.Nosotros damos consejos.

Nosotros requires damos.

Doy el libro Ana.Doy el libro a Ana.

Use a before the recipient.

7. A reliable method
  1. Identify the subject.
  2. Choose doy, das, da, damos, dais or dan.
  3. Identify what is given.
  4. Use a before an expressed recipient and check the complete expression.

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