Acogerse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

acogerse means “to take refuge, to avail oneself of” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Acogerse means to take refuge, to shelter under something, and also to avail oneself of a law, a right or an offer. It is the reflexive partner of acoger, and it is a spelling-change verb: g becomes j before o and a. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of acogerse; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the acogerse present tense page.

acogerse in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo me acojo a la ley de amnistía. — “I take refuge the amnesty law.”
  2. Él se acoge al plan de ayudas del gobierno. — “He takes refuge the government's aid plan.”
  3. Nosotros nos acogemos bajo el techo durante la tormenta. — “We take refuge under the roof during the storm.”
  4. Ellos se acogen a su derecho de silencio. — “They take refuge my right to silence.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo me acogí al plan de ayudas del gobierno. — “Yesterday, I took refuge the government's aid plan.”
  2. Antes, nosotros nos acogíamos bajo el techo durante la tormenta. — “Before, we used to take refuge under the roof during the storm.”
  3. Él se acogió a su derecho de silencio. — “He took refuge my right to silence.”
  4. Yo ya me había acogido a la ley de amnistía antes de salir. — “I had already taken refuge the amnesty law before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú te acogerás a la ley de amnistía. — “Tomorrow, you will take refuge the amnesty law.”
  2. Yo me acogería al plan de ayudas del gobierno si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would take refuge the government's aid plan if I had more time.”
  3. Él se ha acogido bajo el techo durante la tormenta. — “He has taken refuge under the roof during the storm.”
  4. Espero que él se acoja a su derecho de silencio. — “I hope he takes refuge my right to silence.”

acogerse in conversation

Two short dialogues that use acogerse the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo me acojo a la ley de amnistía. — “I take refuge the amnesty law.”
  • Bea: Él se acoge al plan de ayudas del gobierno. — “He takes refuge the government's aid plan.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo me acogí al plan de ayudas del gobierno. — “Yesterday, I took refuge the government's aid plan.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú te acogerás a la ley de amnistía. — “Tomorrow, you will take refuge the amnesty law.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros nos acogemos bajo el techo durante la tormenta. — “We take refuge under the roof during the storm.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros nos acogíamos bajo el techo durante la tormenta. — “Before, we used to take refuge under the roof during the storm.”
  • Luis: Yo me acogería al plan de ayudas del gobierno si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would take refuge the government's aid plan if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él se acoja a su derecho de silencio. — “I hope he takes refuge my right to silence.”

A short scene with acogerse

A short scene shows how acogerse works across the day. In the morning: Me acojo a la ley de amnistía. In the afternoon: Se acoge al plan de ayudas del gobierno. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, me acogí bajo el techo durante la tormenta. And tomorrow: Mañana, me acogeré a su derecho de silencio. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how acogerse sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with acogerse

The errors learners actually make with acogerse, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo acojo a la ley de amnistía.

✓ Correct: Yo me acojo a la ley de amnistía.

Acogerse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.

✗ Espero que yo acoge al plan de ayudas del gobierno.

✓ Correct: Espero que yo acoja al plan de ayudas del gobierno.

Spelling change: g becomes j before e, so the present subjunctive is acoja, never acoge.

✗ Treating acogerse and refugiarse as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Acogerse means to take refuge, to avail oneself of, while refugiarse means to take shelter.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: acogerse fits sentences such as Me acojo a la ley de amnistía, while refugiarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy acogido al plan de ayudas del gobierno.

✓ Correct: Yo he acogido al plan de ayudas del gobierno.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he acogido, has acogido, ha acogido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo acogí bajo el techo durante la tormenta todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo acogía bajo el techo durante la tormenta todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (acogía), not the preterite. The preterite (acogí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: acogerse in use

Ten questions on acogerse — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al plan de ayudas del gobierno. — “He/she takes refuge the government's aid plan.”

  • a) se acoge
  • b) me acojo
  • c) te acoges
  • d) nos acogemos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ bajo el techo durante la tormenta. — “Yesterday, I took refuge under the roof during the storm.”

  • a) te acogiste
  • b) se acogió
  • c) se acogieron
  • d) me acogí

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ a su derecho de silencio cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to take refuge my right to silence when they were young.”

  • a) te acogías
  • b) nos acogíamos
  • c) se acogían
  • d) me acogía

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ a la ley de amnistía. — “Tomorrow, we will take refuge the amnesty law.”

  • a) se acogerán
  • b) nos acogeremos
  • c) me acogeré
  • d) te acogerás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al plan de ayudas del gobierno si pudiera. — “He would take refuge the government's aid plan if he could.”

  • a) se acogería
  • b) me acogería
  • c) te acogerías
  • d) nos acogeríamos

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ bajo el techo durante la tormenta. — “I have taken refuge under the roof during the storm.”

  • a) te has acogido
  • b) se ha acogido
  • c) se han acogido
  • d) me he acogido

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ a su derecho de silencio. — “I hope you take refuge my right to silence.”

  • a) se acoja
  • b) nos acojamos
  • c) te acojas
  • d) me acoja

8. Which is the past participle of acogerse, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) acogí
  • b) acogido
  • c) acogiendo
  • d) acojo

9. What does acogerse mean in English?

  • a) to take refuge, to avail oneself of
  • b) to take shelter
  • c) to attack, to undertake
  • d) to condition, to fit out

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él acoge al plan de ayudas del gobierno.
  • b) Él acojo al plan de ayudas del gobierno.
  • c) Nosotros acoge bajo el techo durante la tormenta.
  • d) Yo acoge a la ley de amnistía.

Answer key

  1. a) se acoge — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: se acoge.

  2. d) me acogí — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: me acogí, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) se acogían — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: se acogían, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) nos acogeremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: nos acogeremos.

  5. a) se acogería — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: se acogería.

  6. d) me he acogido — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: me he acogido, haber + acogido.

  7. c) te acojas — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is te acojas.

  8. b) acogido — The past participle is acogido: he acogido, has acogido, ha acogido. The gerund acogiendo is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to take refuge, to avail oneself of — acogerse means to take refuge, to avail oneself of. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él acoge al plan de ayudas del gobierno. — Él acoge al plan de ayudas del gobierno. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use acogerse in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Me acojo a la ley de amnistía and Se acoge al plan de ayudas del gobierno. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between acogerse and refugiarse?

Acogerse means “to take refuge, to avail oneself of”, while refugiarse means “to take shelter”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use acogerse when you mean “to take refuge, to avail oneself of” and refugiarse when you mean “to take shelter”.

Which tense do I need most with acogerse?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use acogerse most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is acogerse formal or informal?

Acogerse is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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