Acostumbrarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb acostumbrarse means to get used to, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Acostumbrarse means to get used to something, and it is the verb for adapting to a new schedule, a new climate, a new job or a new country. It is always used with a, as in acostumbrarse a madrugar, and it describes a slow change in what feels normal. Like every Spanish verb, acostumbrarse changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say me acostumbro al horario nuevo poco a poco, and in the preterite you say me acostumbré a madrugar sin falta. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: acostumbrarse
  • English: to get used to
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: acostumbrando
  • Past participle: acostumbrado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + acostumbrado)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for acostumbrarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Acostumbrarse always takes a: me acostumbro a madrugar. The infinitive after a never changes its form.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for acostumbrarse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Pronoun Form
yo me acostumbro
tú te acostumbras
él/ella/Ud. se acostumbra
nosotros/as nos acostumbramos
vosotros/as os acostumbráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se acostumbran

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me acostumbré
tú te acostumbraste
él/ella/Ud. se acostumbró
nosotros/as nos acostumbramos
vosotros/as os acostumbrasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se acostumbraron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me acostumbraba
tú te acostumbrabas
él/ella/Ud. se acostumbraba
nosotros/as nos acostumbrábamos
vosotros/as os acostumbrabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se acostumbraban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me acostumbraré
tú te acostumbrarás
él/ella/Ud. se acostumbrará
nosotros/as nos acostumbraremos
vosotros/as os acostumbraréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se acostumbrarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me acostumbraría
tú te acostumbrarías
él/ella/Ud. se acostumbraría
nosotros/as nos acostumbraríamos
vosotros/as os acostumbraríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se acostumbrarían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he acostumbrado
tú te has acostumbrado
él/ella/Ud. se ha acostumbrado
nosotros/as nos hemos acostumbrado
vosotros/as os habéis acostumbrado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han acostumbrado

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había acostumbrado
tú te habías acostumbrado
él/ella/Ud. se había acostumbrado
nosotros/as nos habíamos acostumbrado
vosotros/as os habíais acostumbrado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían acostumbrado

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré acostumbrado
tú te habrás acostumbrado
él/ella/Ud. se habrá acostumbrado
nosotros/as nos habremos acostumbrado
vosotros/as os habréis acostumbrado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán acostumbrado

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría acostumbrado
tú te habrías acostumbrado
él/ella/Ud. se habría acostumbrado
nosotros/as nos habríamos acostumbrado
vosotros/as os habríais acostumbrado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían acostumbrado

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me acostumbre
tú te acostumbres
él/ella/Ud. se acostumbre
nosotros/as nos acostumbremos
vosotros/as os acostumbréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se acostumbren

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me acostumbrara
tú te acostumbraras
él/ella/Ud. se acostumbrara
nosotros/as nos acostumbráramos
vosotros/as os acostumbrarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se acostumbraran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te acostumbra
él/ella/Ud. se acostumbre
nosotros/as nos acostumbremos
vosotros/as os acostumbrad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se acostumbren

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te acostumbres
él/ella/Ud. se acostumbre
nosotros/as nos acostumbremos
vosotros/as os acostumbréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se acostumbren

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund acostumbrando with estar for the progressive: estoy acostumbrando (or me estoy acostumbrando for this reflexive verb)
Past participle acostumbrado with haber for the perfect tenses: he acostumbrado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acostumbrarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me acostumbro al horario nuevo poco a poco. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acostumbrarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me acostumbré al frío del invierno. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acostumbrarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me acostumbraba a madrugar sin falta. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acostumbrarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me acostumbraré a la comida del país. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acostumbrarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me acostumbraría al horario nuevo poco a poco si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acostumbrarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he acostumbrado al frío del invierno. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acostumbrarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había acostumbrado a madrugar sin falta antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acostumbrarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré acostumbrado a la comida del país. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acostumbrarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría acostumbrado al horario nuevo poco a poco con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acostumbrarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se acostumbre al frío del invierno. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acostumbrarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se acostumbrara a madrugar sin falta, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acostumbrarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se acostumbre a la comida del país. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acostumbrarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te acostumbres al horario nuevo poco a poco. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with acostumbrarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me acostumbro al horario nuevo poco a poco. — I get used to to the new timetable little by little.
  2. Se acostumbra al frío del invierno. — He/she gets used to to the cold of winter.
  3. Ayer, me acostumbré a madrugar sin falta. — Yesterday, I got used to to getting up early without fail.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos acostumbrábamos a la comida del país. — Before, we used to get used to to the food of the country.
  5. Mañana, tú te acostumbrarás al horario nuevo poco a poco. — Tomorrow, you will get used to to the new timetable little by little.
  6. Yo me acostumbraría al frío del invierno si tuviera más tiempo. — I would get used to to the cold of winter if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha acostumbrado a madrugar sin falta. — He has got used to to getting up early without fail.
  8. Espero que él se acostumbre a la comida del país. — I hope he gets used to to the food of the country.
  9. Yo ya me había acostumbrado al horario nuevo poco a poco antes de salir. — I had already got used to to the new timetable little by little before leaving.
  10. Ellos se acostumbraban al frío del invierno cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to get used to to the cold of winter when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo acostumbro al horario nuevo poco a poco. — Right: Yo me acostumbro al horario nuevo poco a poco. — Acostumbrarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo acostumbro al frío del invierno. — Right: Ayer yo acostumbré al frío del invierno. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: acostumbro is happening now, while acostumbré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating acostumbrarse and adaptarse as identical in every context. — Right: Acostumbrarse means to get used to, while adaptarse means to adapt. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: acostumbrarse fits sentences such as Me acostumbro al horario nuevo poco a poco, while adaptarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy acostumbrado al frío del invierno. — Right: Yo he acostumbrado al frío del invierno. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he acostumbrado, has acostumbrado, ha acostumbrado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo acostumbré a madrugar sin falta todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo acostumbraba a madrugar sin falta todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (acostumbraba), not the preterite. The preterite (acostumbré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on acostumbrarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al horario nuevo poco a poco. (present tense) A. me acostumbro B. te acostumbras C. se acostumbra D. nos acostumbramos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ al frío del invierno. (preterite) A. me acostumbré B. te acostumbraste C. se acostumbraron D. se acostumbró

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a madrugar sin falta. (imperfect) A. te acostumbrabas B. se acostumbraban C. nos acostumbrábamos D. me acostumbraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a la comida del país. (future) A. nos acostumbraremos B. te acostumbrarás C. me acostumbraré D. se acostumbrará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al horario nuevo poco a poco si pudiera. (conditional) A. me acostumbraría B. te acostumbrarías C. se acostumbraría D. se acostumbrarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ al frío del invierno. (present subjunctive) A. me acostumbre B. te acostumbres C. nos acostumbremos D. se acostumbre

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a madrugar sin falta, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se acostumbrara B. nos acostumbráramos C. me acostumbrara D. te acostumbraras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a la comida del país. (present perfect) A. se han acostumbrado B. nos hemos acostumbrado C. me he acostumbrado D. te has acostumbrado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ al horario nuevo poco a poco. (negative imperative, tú) A. te acostumbres B. se acostumbre C. nos acostumbremos D. os acostumbréis

  10. Which is the gerund of acostumbrarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. acostumbrado B. acostumbro C. acostumbré D. acostumbrando

Answer key

  1. me acostumbro — The first-person present of acostumbrarse is me acostumbro. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se acostumbró — The third-person preterite of acostumbrarse is se acostumbró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos acostumbrábamos — The nosotros imperfect of acostumbrarse is nos acostumbrábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te acostumbrarás — The second-person future of acostumbrarse is te acostumbrarás.
  5. me acostumbraría — The first-person conditional of acostumbrarse is me acostumbraría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se acostumbre — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of acostumbrarse is se acostumbre.
  7. me acostumbrara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of acostumbrarse is me acostumbrara.
  8. nos hemos acostumbrado — The nosotros present perfect of acostumbrarse is nos hemos acostumbrado: hemos + acostumbrado.
  9. te acostumbres — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te acostumbres.
  10. acostumbrando — The gerund of acostumbrarse is acostumbrando: estoy acostumbrando. The participle acostumbrado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does acostumbrarse mean in English?

Acostumbrarse means to get used to. It is used in everyday situations such as Me acostumbro al horario nuevo poco a poco. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is acostumbrarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Acostumbrarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me acostumbro al horario nuevo poco a poco and él se acostumbra al frío del invierno. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between acostumbrarse and adaptarse?

Acostumbrarse means to get used to, while adaptarse means to adapt. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use acostumbrarse when you mean to get used to, as in Me acostumbro al horario nuevo poco a poco, and use adaptarse for to adapt. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I get used to” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me acostumbré al frío del invierno. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me acostumbraba a madrugar sin falta. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he acostumbrado al frío del invierno.

How do I practise acostumbrarse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the acostumbrarse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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