Abrirse Present Tense in Spanish
abrirse means "to open up" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for abrirse, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo me abro al mundo con los viajes. — "Every day, I open up to the world through travel." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of abrirse: full table
Every person of abrirse in the present tense. The gerund is abriéndose and the past participle is abierto.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me abro |
| tú | te abres |
| él/ella/Ud. | se abre |
| nosotros/as | nos abrimos |
| vosotros/as | os abrís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se abren |
The gerund of abrirse is abriéndose and the past participle is abierto. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy abriéndose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he abierto). Because abrirse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of abrirse is formed
The present tense of abrirse is built from the stem abr- plus the regular -ir endings: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en. Take the infinitive, remove the -ir ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo me abro, tú te abres, él se abre, nosotros nos abrimos, vosotros os abrís and ellos se abren. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ir verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me abro |
| tú | -es | te abres |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | se abre |
| nosotros/as | -imos | nos abrimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | os abrís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | se abren |
abrirse is completely regular in the present tense: the stem never changes and every ending is the standard -ir ending. The only thing to watch is the accent on the vosotros form abrís.
abrirse is a reflexive verb, so every form carries a reflexive pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se. The pronoun always goes before the conjugated verb in the present tense. The gerund is abriéndose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is abierto.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is abriéndose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy abriéndose. The past participle is abierto, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he abierto. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with abrirse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me abro al mundo con los viajes. — "Every day, I open up to the world through travel." The complement in this sentence is about the world through travel, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abrirse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te abres a nuevas ideas en la universidad. — "Now, you open up to new ideas at university." The complement in this sentence is about new ideas at university, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abrirse in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él se abre la puerta con el viento. — "Normally, he/she opens up the door in the wind." The complement in this sentence is about the door in the wind, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abrirse in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros nos abrimos el cielo después de la tormenta. — "Tomorrow, we open up the sky after the storm." The complement in this sentence is about the sky after the storm, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abrirse in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos se abren al mundo con los viajes. — "Always, they open up to the world through travel." The complement in this sentence is about the world through travel, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abrirse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: abrirse
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with abrirse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me abro al mundo con los viajes. — "Every day, I open up to the world through travel."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me abrí al mundo con los viajes. — "Yesterday, I opened up to the world through travel."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú te abres a nuevas ideas en la universidad. — "Every day, you open up to new ideas at university."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te abriste a nuevas ideas en la universidad. — "Yesterday, you opened up to new ideas at university."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él se abre la puerta con el viento. — "Every day, he/she opens up the door in the wind."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se abrió la puerta con el viento. — "Yesterday, he/she opened up the door in the wind."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: abrirse in the present tense
These eight sentences show abrirse in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo me abro al mundo con los viajes. — "I open up to the world through travel."
- Tú te abres a nuevas ideas en la universidad. — "you open up to new ideas at university."
- Él se abre la puerta con el viento. — "he/she opens up the door in the wind."
- Nosotros nos abrimos el cielo después de la tormenta. — "we open up the sky after the storm."
- Vosotros os abrís al mundo con los viajes. — "you (plural) open up to the world through travel."
- Ellos se abren a nuevas ideas en la universidad. — "they open up to new ideas at university."
- Yo me abro la puerta con el viento. — "I open up the door in the wind."
- Tú te abres el cielo después de la tormenta. — "you open up the sky after the storm."
Common mistakes with abrirse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo abro al mundo con los viajes.
- Right: Yo me abro al mundo con los viajes.
- Why: abrirse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me abro al mundo con los viajes.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os abris al mundo con los viajes.
- Right: Vosotros os abrís al mundo con los viajes.
- Why: The vosotros form abrís carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me abro a nuevas ideas en la universidad.
- Right: Ayer, yo me abrí a nuevas ideas en la universidad.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me abrí a nuevas ideas en la universidad. — "Yesterday, I opened up to new ideas at university." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo me abro la puerta con el viento.
- Right: Antes, yo me abría la puerta con el viento.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me abría la puerta con el viento. — "In the past, I used to open up the door in the wind." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos abre al mundo con los viajes.
- Right: Nosotros nos abrimos al mundo con los viajes.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes abrimos, while abre belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of abrirse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of abrirse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of abrirse in the present tense?
- (a) abre
- (b) abrimos
- (c) abro
- (d) abres
Answer: (c) abro. The yo form is abro. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of abrirse in the present tense?
- (a) abrimos
- (b) abres
- (c) abro
- (d) abre
Answer: (b) abres. The tú form is abres. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of abrirse in the present tense?
- (a) abre
- (b) abro
- (c) abres
- (d) abrimos
Answer: (a) abre. The él/ella form is abre. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of abrirse in the present tense?
- (a) abro
- (b) abres
- (c) abre
- (d) abrimos
Answer: (d) abrimos. The nosotros form is abrimos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of abrirse in the present tense?
- (a) abres
- (b) abre
- (c) abren
- (d) abro
Answer: (c) abren. The ellos/ellas form is abren. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ al mundo con los viajes.
- (a) abrimos
- (b) abro
- (c) abres
- (d) abre
Answer: (b) abro. The sentence needs the yo form abro (Every day, I open up to the world through travel.)
7. What is the gerund of abrirse?
- (a) abrirse
- (b) abriendo
- (c) abierto
- (d) abro
Answer: (b) abriendo. The gerund is abriendo, used for the progressive: me estoy abriendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, yo me abro a nuevas ideas en la universidad.
- (b) Antes, yo me abría a nuevas ideas en la universidad.
- (c) Ayer, yo me abrí a nuevas ideas en la universidad.
- (d) Mañana, yo me abriré a nuevas ideas en la universidad.
Answer: (a) Cada día, yo me abro a nuevas ideas en la universidad.. Cada día, yo me abro a nuevas ideas en la universidad. (Every day, I open up to new ideas at university.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me abrí a nuevas ideas en la universidad. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me abriré a nuevas ideas en la universidad. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of abrirse
Is abrirse regular in the present tense?
Almost. abrirse is a irregular in past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect -ir verb, so its endings are regular, but watch the spelling: Some forms change their spelling, so learn them from the table above rather than guessing.
How do you say 'open up' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me abro al mundo con los viajes. — "Every day, I open up to the world through travel." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with abrirse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me abro a nuevas ideas en la universidad. — "Every day, I open up to new ideas at university." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me abrí a nuevas ideas en la universidad. — "Yesterday, I opened up to new ideas at university." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with abrirse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos abrimos el cielo después de la tormenta. — "Tomorrow, we open up the sky after the storm." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.