Accidentarse Present Tense in Spanish
accidentarse means "to have an accident" 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 accidentarse, 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 accidento en la carretera por la noche. — "Every day, I have an accident on the road at night." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of accidentarse: full table
Every person of accidentarse in the present tense. The gerund is accidentándose and the past participle is accidentado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me accidento |
| tú | te accidentas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se accidenta |
| nosotros/as | nos accidentamos |
| vosotros/as | os accidentáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se accidentan |
The gerund of accidentarse is accidentándose and the past participle is accidentado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy accidentándose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he accidentado). Because accidentarse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of accidentarse is formed
The present tense of accidentarse is built from the stem accident- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo me accidento, tú te accidentas, él se accidenta, nosotros nos accidentamos, vosotros os accidentáis and ellos se accidentan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me accidento |
| tú | -as | te accidentas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se accidenta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos accidentamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os accidentáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se accidentan |
accidentarse is completely regular in the present tense: the stem never changes and every ending is the standard -ar ending. The only thing to watch is the accent on the vosotros form accidentáis.
accidentarse 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 accidentándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is accidentado.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is accidentándose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy accidentándose. The past participle is accidentado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he accidentado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with accidentarse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me accidento en la carretera por la noche. — "Every day, I have an accident on the road at night." The complement in this sentence is about the road at night, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear accidentarse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te accidentas en el trabajo con la máquina. — "Now, you have an accident at work with the machine." The complement in this sentence is about work with the machine, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear accidentarse 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 accidenta en la moto en la ciudad. — "Normally, he/she has an accident on the motorbike in the city." The complement in this sentence is about the motorbike in the city, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear accidentarse 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 accidentamos en la escalera de la casa. — "Tomorrow, we have an accident on the stairs at home." The complement in this sentence is about the stairs at home, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear accidentarse 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 accidentan en la carretera por la noche. — "Always, they have an accident on the road at night." The complement in this sentence is about the road at night, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear accidentarse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: accidentarse
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 accidentarse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me accidento en la carretera por la noche. — "Every day, I have an accident on the road at night."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me accidenté en la carretera por la noche. — "Yesterday, I had an accident on the road at night."
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 accidentas en el trabajo con la máquina. — "Every day, you have an accident at work with the machine."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te accidentaste en el trabajo con la máquina. — "Yesterday, you had an accident at work with the machine."
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 accidenta en la moto en la ciudad. — "Every day, he/she has an accident on the motorbike in the city."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se accidentó en la moto en la ciudad. — "Yesterday, he/she had an accident on the motorbike in the city."
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: accidentarse in the present tense
These eight sentences show accidentarse 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 accidento en la carretera por la noche. — "I have an accident on the road at night."
- Tú te accidentas en el trabajo con la máquina. — "you have an accident at work with the machine."
- Él se accidenta en la moto en la ciudad. — "he/she has an accident on the motorbike in the city."
- Nosotros nos accidentamos en la escalera de la casa. — "we have an accident on the stairs at home."
- Vosotros os accidentáis en la carretera por la noche. — "you (plural) have an accident on the road at night."
- Ellos se accidentan en el trabajo con la máquina. — "they have an accident at work with the machine."
- Yo me accidento en la moto en la ciudad. — "I have an accident on the motorbike in the city."
- Tú te accidentas en la escalera de la casa. — "you have an accident on the stairs at home."
Common mistakes with accidentarse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo accidento en la carretera por la noche.
- Right: Yo me accidento en la carretera por la noche.
- Why: accidentarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me accidento en la carretera por la noche.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os accidentais en la carretera por la noche.
- Right: Vosotros os accidentáis en la carretera por la noche.
- Why: The vosotros form accidentáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me accidento en el trabajo con la máquina.
- Right: Ayer, yo me accidenté en el trabajo con la máquina.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me accidenté en el trabajo con la máquina. — "Yesterday, I had an accident at work with the machine." 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 accidento en la moto en la ciudad.
- Right: Antes, yo me accidentaba en la moto en la ciudad.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me accidentaba en la moto en la ciudad. — "In the past, I used to have an accident on the motorbike in the city." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos accidenta en la carretera por la noche.
- Right: Nosotros nos accidentamos en la carretera por la noche.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes accidentamos, while accidenta belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of accidentarse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of accidentarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of accidentarse in the present tense?
- (a) accidentamos
- (b) accidento
- (c) accidentas
- (d) accidenta
Answer: (b) accidento. The yo form is accidento. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of accidentarse in the present tense?
- (a) accidentas
- (b) accidento
- (c) accidenta
- (d) accidentamos
Answer: (a) accidentas. The tú form is accidentas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of accidentarse in the present tense?
- (a) accidento
- (b) accidentas
- (c) accidentamos
- (d) accidenta
Answer: (d) accidenta. The él/ella form is accidenta. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of accidentarse in the present tense?
- (a) accidentas
- (b) accidenta
- (c) accidentamos
- (d) accidento
Answer: (c) accidentamos. The nosotros form is accidentamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of accidentarse in the present tense?
- (a) accidenta
- (b) accidentan
- (c) accidento
- (d) accidentas
Answer: (b) accidentan. The ellos/ellas form is accidentan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ en la carretera por la noche.
- (a) accidento
- (b) accidentas
- (c) accidenta
- (d) accidentamos
Answer: (a) accidento. The sentence needs the yo form accidento (Every day, I have an accident on the road at night.)
7. What is the gerund of accidentarse?
- (a) accidentando
- (b) accidentado
- (c) accidento
- (d) accidentarse
Answer: (a) accidentando. The gerund is accidentando, used for the progressive: me estoy accidentando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Antes, yo me accidentaba en el trabajo con la máquina.
- (b) Ayer, yo me accidenté en el trabajo con la máquina.
- (c) Mañana, yo me accidentaré en el trabajo con la máquina.
- (d) Cada día, yo me accidento en el trabajo con la máquina.
Answer: (d) Cada día, yo me accidento en el trabajo con la máquina.. Cada día, yo me accidento en el trabajo con la máquina. (Every day, I have an accident at work with the machine.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me accidenté en el trabajo con la máquina. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me accidentaré en el trabajo con la máquina. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of accidentarse
Is accidentarse regular in the present tense?
Yes. accidentarse is a regular -ar verb: accidento, accidentas, accidenta, accidentamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'have an accident' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me accidento en la carretera por la noche. — "Every day, I have an accident on the road at night." 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 accidentarse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me accidento en el trabajo con la máquina. — "Every day, I have an accident at work with the machine." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me accidenté en el trabajo con la máquina. — "Yesterday, I had an accident at work with the machine." 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 accidentarse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos accidentamos en la escalera de la casa. — "Tomorrow, we have an accident on the stairs at home." 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.