Adelantarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb adelantarse means to go ahead, to be early, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, adelantarse 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 adelanto a los demás en la carrera, and in the preterite you say me adelanté a los acontecimientos. 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: adelantarse
  • English: to go ahead, to be early
  • Verb type: reflexive regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: adelantando
  • Past participle: adelantado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + adelantado)
  • 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 adelantarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Adelantarse is reflexive: me adelanto, te adelantas. Without the pronoun, adelantar means to overtake or to bring something forward.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for adelantarse. 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 adelanto
tú te adelantas
él/ella/Ud. se adelanta
nosotros/as nos adelantamos
vosotros/as os adelantáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se adelantan

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me adelanté
tú te adelantaste
él/ella/Ud. se adelantó
nosotros/as nos adelantamos
vosotros/as os adelantasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se adelantaron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me adelantaba
tú te adelantabas
él/ella/Ud. se adelantaba
nosotros/as nos adelantábamos
vosotros/as os adelantabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se adelantaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me adelantaré
tú te adelantarás
él/ella/Ud. se adelantará
nosotros/as nos adelantaremos
vosotros/as os adelantaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se adelantarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me adelantaría
tú te adelantarías
él/ella/Ud. se adelantaría
nosotros/as nos adelantaríamos
vosotros/as os adelantaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se adelantarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me adelante
tú te adelantes
él/ella/Ud. se adelante
nosotros/as nos adelantemos
vosotros/as os adelantéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se adelanten

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me adelantara
tú te adelantaras
él/ella/Ud. se adelantara
nosotros/as nos adelantáramos
vosotros/as os adelantarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se adelantaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te adelanta
él/ella/Ud. se adelante
nosotros/as nos adelantemos
vosotros/as os adelantad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se adelanten

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te adelantes
él/ella/Ud. se adelante
nosotros/as nos adelantemos
vosotros/as os adelantéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se adelanten

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund adelantando with estar for the progressive: estoy adelantando (with the pronoun attached: adelantándose)
Past participle adelantado with haber for the perfect tenses: he adelantado

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 adelantarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me adelanto a los demás en la carrera. 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 adelantarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me adelanté a la reunión diez minutos. 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 adelantarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me adelantaba a los acontecimientos. 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 adelantarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me adelantaré en el camino hacia el pueblo. 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 adelantarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me adelantaría a los demás en la carrera 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 adelantarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he adelantado a la reunión diez minutos. 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 adelantarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había adelantado a los acontecimientos 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 adelantarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré adelantado en el camino hacia el pueblo. 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 adelantarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría adelantado a los demás en la carrera 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 adelantarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se adelante a la reunión diez minutos. 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 adelantarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se adelantara a los acontecimientos, 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 adelantarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se adelante en el camino hacia el pueblo. 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 adelantarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te adelantes a los demás en la carrera. 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 adelantarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me adelanto a los demás en la carrera. — I go ahead of the others in the race.
  2. Se adelanta a la reunión diez minutos. — He/she goes ahead to the meeting by ten minutes.
  3. Ayer, me adelanté a los acontecimientos. — Yesterday, I went ahead of events.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos adelantábamos en el camino hacia el pueblo. — Before, we used to go ahead on the road to the village.
  5. Mañana, tú te adelantarás a los demás en la carrera. — Tomorrow, you will go ahead of the others in the race.
  6. Yo me adelantaría a la reunión diez minutos si tuviera más tiempo. — I would go ahead to the meeting by ten minutes if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha adelantado a los acontecimientos. — He has gone ahead of events.
  8. Espero que él se adelante en el camino hacia el pueblo. — I hope he goes ahead on the road to the village.
  9. Yo ya me había adelantado a los demás en la carrera antes de salir. — I had already gone ahead of the others in the race before leaving.
  10. Ellos se adelantaban a la reunión diez minutos cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to go ahead to the meeting by ten minutes when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. 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: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Treating adelantarse and anticiparse as identical in every context. — Right: Adelantarse means to go ahead, to be early, while anticiparse means to anticipate something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: adelantarse fits sentences such as Me adelanto a los demás en la carrera, while anticiparse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy adelantado a la reunión diez minutos. — Right: Yo he adelantado a la reunión diez minutos. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he adelantado, has adelantado, ha adelantado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo adelanté a los acontecimientos todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo adelantaba a los acontecimientos todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (adelantaba), not the preterite. The preterite (adelanté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a los demás en la carrera. (present tense) A. me adelanto B. te adelantas C. se adelanta D. nos adelantamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a la reunión diez minutos. (preterite) A. me adelanté B. te adelantaste C. se adelantaron D. se adelantó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a los acontecimientos. (imperfect) A. te adelantabas B. se adelantaban C. nos adelantábamos D. me adelantaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ en el camino hacia el pueblo. (future) A. nos adelantaremos B. te adelantarás C. me adelantaré D. se adelantará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a los demás en la carrera si pudiera. (conditional) A. me adelantaría B. te adelantarías C. se adelantaría D. se adelantarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a la reunión diez minutos. (present subjunctive) A. me adelante B. te adelantes C. nos adelantemos D. se adelante

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a los acontecimientos, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se adelantara B. nos adelantáramos C. me adelantara D. te adelantaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en el camino hacia el pueblo. (present perfect) A. se han adelantado B. nos hemos adelantado C. me he adelantado D. te has adelantado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ a los demás en la carrera. (negative imperative, tú) A. te adelantes B. se adelante C. nos adelantemos D. os adelantéis

  10. Which is the gerund of adelantarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. adelantado B. adelanto C. adelanté D. adelantando

Answer key

  1. me adelanto — The first-person present of adelantarse is me adelanto. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se adelantó — The third-person preterite of adelantarse is se adelantó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos adelantábamos — The nosotros imperfect of adelantarse is nos adelantábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te adelantarás — The second-person future of adelantarse is te adelantarás.
  5. me adelantaría — The first-person conditional of adelantarse is me adelantaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se adelante — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of adelantarse is se adelante.
  7. me adelantara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of adelantarse is me adelantara.
  8. nos hemos adelantado — The nosotros present perfect of adelantarse is nos hemos adelantado: hemos + adelantado.
  9. te adelantes — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te adelantes.
  10. adelantando — The gerund of adelantarse is adelantando: estoy adelantando. The participle adelantado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does adelantarse mean in English?

Adelantarse means to go ahead, to be early. It is used in everyday situations such as Me adelanto a los demás en la carrera. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is adelantarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Adelantarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me adelanto a los demás en la carrera and él se adelanta a la reunión diez minutos. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between adelantarse and anticiparse?

Adelantarse means to go ahead, to be early, while anticiparse means to anticipate something. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use adelantarse when you mean to go ahead, to be early, as in Me adelanto a los demás en la carrera, and use anticiparse for to anticipate something. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I go ahead” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me adelanté a la reunión diez minutos. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me adelantaba a los acontecimientos. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he adelantado a la reunión diez minutos.

How do I practise adelantarse?

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

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