Adelantarse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of adelantarse — “to go ahead, to be early” 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 adelantarse 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. Adelantarse means to go ahead or to be early, and it is reflexive: you go ahead of others on the road, you arrive early for a meeting, you anticipate an event. It is used with a for the person or thing you go ahead of, as in adelantarse a los demás. Adelantarse is a reflexive regular -ar verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Me adelanto a los demás en la carrera.
Present tense conjugation table: adelantarse
Every person of adelantarse in the present tense, with the reflexive pronoun. The gerund is adelantándose with the pronoun attached, and the past participle is adelantado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me adelanto |
| tú | te adelantas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se adelanta |
| nosotros/as | nos adelantamos |
| vosotros/as | os adelantáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se adelantan |
How the present of adelantarse is formed
The present of adelantarse is built from the stem adelant- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending and the reflexive -se, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me adelanto |
| tú | -as | te adelantas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se adelanta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos adelantamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os adelantáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se adelantan |
For adelantarse there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem adelant- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.
Because adelantarse is reflexive, the pronoun goes before the verb in every form: me, te, se, nos, os, se. In the gerund the pronoun attaches to the end: adelantándose.
When to use the present tense with adelantarse
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo me adelanto a los demás en la carrera. — I go ahead of the others in the race.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella se adelanta a la reunión diez minutos. — He goes ahead to the meeting by ten minutes.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as nos adelantamos a los acontecimientos. — Right now, We go ahead of events.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú te adelantas en el camino hacia el pueblo. — Tomorrow, You go ahead on the road to the village.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella se adelanta a los demás en la carrera. — He goes ahead of the others in the race.
The present vs the preterite
The present and the preterite answer different questions: the present says what happens regularly or right now, while the preterite says what happened once and finished. Compare the same idea in both tenses with adelantarse.
- Yo me adelanto a los demás en la carrera. — I go ahead of the others in the race. / Ayer, Yo me adelanté a los demás en la carrera. — Yesterday, I went ahead of the others in the race.
- Yo me adelanto a la reunión diez minutos. — I go ahead to the meeting by ten minutes. / Ayer, Yo me adelanté a la reunión diez minutos. — Yesterday, I went ahead to the meeting by ten minutes.
- Yo me adelanto a los acontecimientos. — I go ahead of events. / Ayer, Yo me adelanté a los acontecimientos. — Yesterday, I went ahead of events.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with adelantarse in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo me adelanto a los demás en la carrera. — I go ahead of the others in the race.
- Tú te adelantas a la reunión diez minutos. — You go ahead to the meeting by ten minutes.
- Él/Ella se adelanta a los acontecimientos. — He goes ahead of events.
- Nosotros/as nos adelantamos en el camino hacia el pueblo. — We go ahead on the road to the village.
- Vosotros/as os adelantáis a los demás en la carrera. — You go ahead of the others in the race.
- Ellos/as se adelantan a la reunión diez minutos. — They go ahead to the meeting by ten minutes.
- Yo me adelanto a los acontecimientos. — I go ahead of events.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo adelanta a los demás en la carrera. — Right: Yo adelanto a los demás en la carrera. — The person matters: adelanta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is adelanto.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo adelanto a la reunión diez minutos. — Right: Ayer, yo adelanté a la reunión diez minutos. — With ayer, use the preterite (adelanté), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Yo adelanto a los demás en la carrera. — Right: Yo me adelanto a los demás en la carrera. — Adelantarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required in the present tense too.
- Wrong: Espero que él adelanta a la reunión diez minutos. — Right: Espero que él adelante a la reunión diez minutos. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: adelante, not the present indicative adelanta.
Quiz: the present tense of adelantarse
Eight questions on the present tense of adelantarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a los demás en la carrera. (present tense, yo) A. me adelanto B. te adelantas C. se adelanta D. nos adelantamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ a la reunión diez minutos. (present tense, tú) A. me adelanto B. se adelanta C. nos adelantamos D. te adelantas
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ a los acontecimientos. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. te adelantas B. nos adelantamos C. se adelanta D. me adelanto
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ en el camino hacia el pueblo. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. se adelanta B. nos adelantamos C. me adelanto D. te adelantas
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ a los demás en la carrera. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. os adelantáis B. me adelanto C. te adelantas D. se adelanta
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ a la reunión diez minutos. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. me adelanto B. te adelantas C. se adelanta D. se adelantan
Which is the gerund of adelantarse? A. adelanto B. adelanté C. adelantando D. adelantado
Which is the past participle of adelantarse, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. adelanté B. adelantado C. adelantando D. adelanto
Answer key
- me adelanto — The yo present form of adelantarse is me adelanto.
- te adelantas — The tú present form of adelantarse is te adelantas.
- se adelanta — The él/ella/Ud. present form of adelantarse is se adelanta.
- nos adelantamos — The nosotros/as present form of adelantarse is nos adelantamos.
- os adelantáis — The vosotros/as present form of adelantarse is os adelantáis.
- se adelantan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of adelantarse is se adelantan.
- adelantando — The gerund of adelantarse is adelantando: estoy adelantando.
- adelantado — The past participle of adelantarse is adelantado: he adelantado, has adelantado, ha adelantado.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of adelantarse formed?
Take the infinitive adelantarse, drop the -ar ending and the reflexive -se to get the stem adelant-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of adelantarse is fully regular: the stem adelant- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of adelantarse?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Me adelanto a los demás en la carrera.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of adelantarse?
The present (adelanto) and the preterite (adelanté) answer different questions: the present is for habits and for right now, while the preterite is for one finished action. Compare them in the contrast section above.
How do I practise the present of adelantarse?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of adelantarse to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the adelantarse examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Adelantarse conjugation — the full conjugation tables for adelantarse.
- Adelantarse examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for adelantarse.
- Spanish present tense guide — when and how to use the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Reflexive Verb Conjugator — practise reflexive verbs with the right pronoun for every person.
- Present-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.