Acogerse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of acogerse — “to take refuge, to avail oneself of” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for acogerse with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. It is a spelling-change verb (g becomes j before e), but the present tense itself is regular — the spelling change shows up in the subjunctive and the preterite. To see it in a real sentence: Me acojo a la ley de amnistía. — “I take refuge the amnesty law.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of acogerse will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: acogerse
Every person of acogerse in the present tense. The gerund is acogiendo and the past participle is acogido.
Present indicative
| Person | Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | me | acojo |
| tú | te | acoges |
| él/ella/Ud. | se | acoge |
| nosotros/as | nos | acogemos |
| vosotros/as | os | acogéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | acogen |
How the present indicative of acogerse is formed
The present indicative of acogerse is built from the stem plus the present indicative endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The stem in the present is acoj-, not acog-, so the first-person form is acojo. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Pronoun | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | me | -o | acojo |
| tú | te | -es | acoges |
| él/ella/Ud. | se | -e | acoge |
| nosotros/as | nos | -emos | acogemos |
| vosotros/as | os | -éis | acogéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | -en | acogen |
Acogerse is a spelling-change verb. In the present tense the forms are regular, so the table above follows the normal -er endings. The spelling change appears when the ending starts with e: the present subjunctive is acoja and the preterite first person is acogí. The sound stays the same; only the spelling changes to keep it.
The gerund of acogerse is acogiendo and the past participle is acogido. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of acogerse
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and acogerse appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and acogerse fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo me acojo a la ley de amnistía todos los días.” — “I take refuge the amnesty law every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él se acoge al plan de ayudas del gobierno.” — “He/she takes refuge the government's aid plan.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so me acojo can mean both “I take refuge” and “I am take refugeing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo me acojo bajo el techo durante la tormenta.” — “Right now, I take refuge under the roof during the storm.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo me acojo a su derecho de silencio.” — “Tomorrow, I will take refuge my right to silence.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú te acoges a la ley de amnistía?” — “Do you take refuge the amnesty law?”
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Se acoge al plan de ayudas del gobierno. — “He/she takes refuge the government's aid plan.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Se acogió al plan de ayudas del gobierno. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add “used to” in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Se acogen bajo el techo durante la tormenta. — “They take refuge under the roof during the storm.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Se acogían bajo el techo durante la tormenta. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Te acoges a su derecho de silencio. — “You take refuge my right to silence.”
- Future — what will happen: Te acogerás a su derecho de silencio. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: acogerse in the present tense
Seven sentences that show acogerse in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo me acojo a la ley de amnistía. — “I take refuge the amnesty law.”
- Tú te acoges al plan de ayudas del gobierno. — “You take refuge the government's aid plan.”
- Él se acoge bajo el techo durante la tormenta. — “He takes refuge under the roof during the storm.”
- Nosotros nos acogemos a su derecho de silencio. — “We take refuge my right to silence.”
- Vosotros os acogéis a la ley de amnistía. — “You (plural) take refuge the amnesty law.”
- Ellos se acogen al plan de ayudas del gobierno. — “They take refuge the government's aid plan.”
- ¿Tú te acoges bajo el techo durante la tormenta? — “Do you take refuge under the roof during the storm?”
Common mistakes with acogerse in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with acogerse in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo acogerse a la ley de amnistía. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo me acojo a la ley de amnistía.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of acogerse is me acojo, not the infinitive acogerse.
✗ Vosotros acogeis a la ley de amnistía. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros acogéis a la ley de amnistía.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: acogéis, not acogeis. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Yo acojo a la ley de amnistía. (leaving out the reflexive pronoun).
✓ 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.
✗ Treating acogerse and refugiarse as identical in every context. (confusing acogerse with refugiarse).
✓ 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.
Quiz: acogerse in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of acogerse. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of acogerse for tú?
- a) acoges
- b) acojo
- c) acoge
- d) acogen
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a la ley de amnistía. — “I take refuge the amnesty law.”
- a) acoge
- b) acogemos
- c) acoges
- d) acojo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al plan de ayudas del gobierno. — “He/she takes refuge the government's aid plan.” (present tense)
- a) acogía
- b) acogerá
- c) acoge
- d) acogió
4. Which is the correct present tense form of acogerse for nosotros?
- a) acogen
- b) acogemos
- c) acojo
- d) acoge
5. Which sentence uses acogerse correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él se acogió al plan de ayudas del gobierno.
- b) Él se acoge al plan de ayudas del gobierno.
- c) Él se acogerá al plan de ayudas del gobierno.
- d) Ellos se acoge al plan de ayudas del gobierno.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ bajo el techo durante la tormenta. — “They take refuge under the roof during the storm.”
- a) acojo
- b) acoge
- c) acogemos
- d) acogen
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ a su derecho de silencio? — “Do you take refuge my right to silence?”
- a) acoge
- b) acogerás
- c) acoges
- d) acojo
8. What is the gerund of acogerse?
- a) acogí
- b) acogiendo
- c) acogido
- d) acojo
Answer key
a) acoges — The tú form is acoges. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; acojo is yo, acoge is él/ella and acogen is ellos/ellas.
d) acojo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: acojo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) acoge — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: acoge. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) acogemos — Nosotros takes acogemos. In the present the nosotros ending for -er verbs is -emos, attached to the stem.
b) Él se acoge al plan de ayudas del gobierno. — Él se acoge al plan de ayudas del gobierno. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) acogen — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is acogen.
c) acoges — The question needs the tú form in the present: acoges.
b) acogiendo — The gerund is acogiendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle acogido.
Frequently asked questions
Is acogerse regular in the present tense?
Yes, the forms are regular — the only thing to watch is the reflexive pronoun. Acogerse takes me, te, se, nos, os or se before every form: me acojo, te acoges, se acoge. Without the pronoun, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.
What is the gerund and the past participle of acogerse?
The gerund is acogiendo and the past participle is acogido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I take refuge” in Spanish?
Say me acojo. For example: Me acojo a la ley de amnistía. — “I take refuge the amnesty law.”
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”. The full conjugation of acogerse is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of acogerse — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- acogerse examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Desprenderse conjugation — another -er verb to compare with acogerse.
- Absorber conjugation — another -er verb to compare with acogerse.
- Acoger conjugation — another -er verb to compare with acogerse.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.