Alegrar Present Tense in Spanish
Introduction
alegrar means "to make happy" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for alegrar, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, me alegra la noticia de su aprobado. — "Every day, the news that he passed makes me happy." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of alegrar: full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| Yo | alegro |
| Tú | alegras |
| Él / Ella | alegra |
| Nosotros | alegramos |
| Vosotros | alegráis |
| Ellos | alegran |
The gerund of alegrar is alegrando and the past participle is alegrado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy alegrando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he alegrado).
How the present tense of alegrar is formed
The present tense of alegrar is built from the stem alegr- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo alegro, tú alegras, él alegra, nosotros alegramos, vosotros alegráis and ellos alegran. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
In everyday use, alegrar usually works like gustar: the thing that produces the feeling is the subject of the sentence, and you are the indirect object. So you say me alegra la noticia de su aprobado — literally, the thing is the subject and you are the person it affects — rather than starting with yo. The verb agrees with the thing, not with you: one thing takes the singular form alegra, and several things take the plural form alegran. The full table above still matters, because the transitive use (for example, alegrar a alguien) uses the ordinary persons.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is alegrando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy alegrando. The past participle is alegrado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he alegrado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with alegrar
1. Good news
Me alegra la noticia de su aprobado is the warmest use of this verb. The news is the subject, and you are the person it makes happy, which is why Spanish says me alegra and not yo alegro. For example: Me alegra la noticia de su aprobado. — "The news that he passed makes me happy."
2. Small pleasures
Me alegran las flores de mi jardín shows the plural agreement. Las flores is plural, so the verb is alegran. It is the standard way to talk about small things that bring joy. For example: Te alegran las flores de mi jardín. — "The flowers in my garden make you happy."
3. Cheering someone up
Quiero alegrar a mi abuela con una visita shows the transitive use. Here you are the subject, your grandmother is the object, and the verb means to bring her happiness deliberately. For example: Le alegra tu visita sorpresa. — "Your surprise visit makes him happy."
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example, to talk about tomorrow's plan you can use the future — Mañana, me alegrarán los mensajes de mis amigos. — "Tomorrow, my friends' messages will make happy me." — but in conversation you will also hear the present used the same way.
5. General truths and routines
Finally, the present tense states general truths and routines: what usually happens, what is always true, what people normally do. It is the tense of habits and of facts that do not belong to one moment. For example: Normalmente, le alegra la noticia de su aprobado. — "Normally, the news that he passed makes him happy."
Present vs preterite: alegrar
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with alegrar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, me alegra la noticia de su aprobado. — "Every day, the news that he passed makes me happy."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, me alegró la noticia de su aprobado. — "Yesterday, the news that he passed made happy me."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, me alegran las flores de mi jardín. — "Every day, the flowers in my garden make me happy."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, me alegraron las flores de mi jardín. — "Yesterday, the flowers in my garden made happy me."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, me alegra tu visita sorpresa. — "Every day, your surprise visit makes me happy."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, me alegró tu visita sorpresa. — "Yesterday, your surprise visit made happy me."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: alegrar in the present tense
These six sentences show alegrar in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Me alegra la noticia de su aprobado. — "The news that he passed makes me happy."
- Te alegran las flores de mi jardín. — "The flowers in my garden make you happy."
- Le alegra tu visita sorpresa. — "Your surprise visit makes him happy."
- Nos alegran los mensajes de mis amigos. — "My friends' messages make us happy."
- Os alegra la noticia de su aprobado. — "The news that he passed makes you happy."
- Les alegran las flores de mi jardín. — "The flowers in my garden make them happy."
Common mistakes with alegrar in the present tense
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo alegro la noticia.
- Right: Me alegra la noticia.
- Why: When something makes you happy, alegrar works like gustar: me alegra la noticia. Yo alegro would mean I make someone happy.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Me alegra las flores.
- Right: Me alegran las flores.
- Why: The verb agrees with the subject. Las flores is plural, so the verb must be alegran.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Alegrar es lo mismo que alegrarse.
- Right: Me alegra means something makes me happy; me alegro means I am glad.
- Why: Me alegro de verte means I am glad to see you. It is reflexive, and the person feeling glad is the subject.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Ayer, me alegra la noticia de su aprobado.
- Right: Ayer, me alegró la noticia de su aprobado.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite. The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Me alegrais la noticia de su aprobado.
- Right: Me alegráis la noticia de su aprobado.
- Why: The form is alegráis, with a written accent. The accent is part of the spelling, and without it the word is misspelled.
Quiz: the present tense of alegrar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of alegrar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of alegrar in the present tense?
- (a) alegro
- (b) alegras
- (c) alegra
- (d) alegramos
Answer: (a) alegro. The i form is alegro. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the you form of alegrar in the present tense?
- (a) alegro
- (b) alegra
- (c) alegramos
- (d) alegras
Answer: (d) alegras. The you form is alegras. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the he / she form of alegrar in the present tense?
- (a) alegras
- (b) alegramos
- (c) alegra
- (d) alegro
Answer: (c) alegra. The he / she form is alegra. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the we form of alegrar in the present tense?
- (a) alegra
- (b) alegramos
- (c) alegro
- (d) alegras
Answer: (b) alegramos. The we form is alegramos. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the they form of alegrar in the present tense?
- (a) alegran
- (b) alegro
- (c) alegras
- (d) alegra
Answer: (a) alegran. The they form is alegran. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, me ___ la noticia de su aprobado.
- (a) alegró
- (b) alegraba
- (c) alegra
- (d) alegran
Answer: (c) alegra. The sentence needs the third-person form alegra (Every day, the news that he passed makes me happy.)
7. What is the gerund of alegrar?
- (a) alegrado
- (b) alegrar
- (c) alegra
- (d) alegrando
Answer: (d) alegrando. The gerund is alegrando, used for the progressive: estoy alegrando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, me alegran las flores de mi jardín.
- (b) Antes, me alegraban las flores de mi jardín.
- (c) Ayer, me alegraron las flores de mi jardín.
- (d) Mañana, me alegrarán las flores de mi jardín.
Answer: (a) Cada día, me alegran las flores de mi jardín.. Cada día, me alegran las flores de mi jardín. (Every day, the flowers in my garden make me happy.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, me alegraron las flores de mi jardín. is a single completed action, and Mañana, me alegrarán las flores de mi jardín. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of alegrar
Why is it 'me alegra' and not 'yo alegro'?
Because alegrar usually works like gustar. The thing that makes you happy is the subject and you are the indirect object: me alegra la noticia.
What is the difference between alegrar and alegrarse?
Me alegra la noticia means the news makes me happy. Me alegro means I am glad, and it takes de: me alegro de la noticia.
Is alegrar regular?
Yes. Alegrar is a regular -ar verb: alegro, alegraste, alegraba, alegraré. The challenge is the sentence structure, not the conjugation.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with alegrar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, me alegra la noticia de su aprobado. — "Every day, the news that he passed makes me happy." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, me alegró la noticia de su aprobado. — "Yesterday, the news that he passed made happy me." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.