Alegrarse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of alegrarse — "to be glad" 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 alegrarse 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. Alegrarse means "to be glad" or "to rejoice" — you are glad about good news, glad to see someone, glad something happened. It is the reflexive partner of alegrar (to make someone glad): la noticia me alegra (the news makes me glad) versus me alegro de la noticia (I am glad about the news). Alegrarse de + noun or infinitive names the cause of the joy, and alegrarse por alguien means to be happy for someone. It is a regular -ar verb: me alegro, te alegras, se alegra, nos alegramos, os alegráis, se alegran. To see it in a real sentence: Yo me alegro de la noticia. — "I am glad about the news.".
Present tense conjugation table: alegrarse
Every person of alegrarse in the present tense. The gerund is alegrándose and the past participle is alegrado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me alegro |
| tú | te alegras |
| él/ella/Ud. | se alegra |
| nosotros/as | nos alegramos |
| vosotros/as | os alegráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se alegran |
How the present indicative of alegrarse is formed
The present indicative of alegrarse is built from the stem alegr- plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, 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 alegro |
| tú | -as | te alegras |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se alegra |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos alegramos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os alegráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se alegran |
alegrarse is a reflexive verb, so every form carries a reflexive pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se. The verb itself is a regular -ar verb built on the stem alegr-, so the only extra work is matching the pronoun to the person — me alegro for yo, te alegras for tú, se alegra for él/ella, nos alegramos for nosotros, os alegráis for vosotros and se alegran for ellos/ellas. The pronoun always goes before the conjugated verb in the present tense. The gerund is alegrándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is alegrado.
The gerund of alegrarse is alegrándose and the past participle is alegrado. 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 alegrarse
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and alegrarse 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.
Being glad about news
Alegrarse de + noun names the good news.
"Yo me alegro de la noticia." — "I am glad about the news."
Being happy for someone
Alegrarse por alguien means to be happy for them.
"Nosotros nos alegramos por ti." — "We are happy for you."
Being glad to see someone
Alegrarse de ver a alguien is the warm greeting phrase.
"Mi madre se alegra de verte." — "My mother is glad to see you."
Being glad in general
The present states a general feeling of joy.
"Tú te alegras con poco." — "You are happy with little."
Rejoicing at success
The present describes joy at someone's achievement.
"Ellos se alegran de tu éxito." — "They rejoice at your success."
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: Yo me alegro mucho de verte. — "I am very glad to see you."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo me alegré mucho de verte. — 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: Tú te alegras de la buena noticia. — "You are glad about the good news."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú te alegrabas de la buena noticia. — 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: Ella se alegra por su hermana. — "She is happy for her sister."
- Future — what will happen: Ella se alegrará por su hermana. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: alegrarse in the present tense
Seven sentences that show alegrarse in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo me alegro mucho de verte. — "I am very glad to see you."
- Tú te alegras de la buena noticia. — "You are glad about the good news."
- Ella se alegra por su hermana. — "She is happy for her sister."
- Nosotros nos alegramos de estar aquí. — "We are glad to be here."
- Vosotros os alegráis de la victoria. — "You rejoice at the victory."
- Ellos se alegran con el regalo. — "They are delighted with the present."
- Mi abuelo se alegra de tu visita. — "My grandfather is glad about your visit."
Common mistakes with alegrarse in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with alegrarse in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo alegro de la noticia (dropping the pronoun).
✓ Correct: Yo me alegro de la noticia.
Alegrarse is reflexive: me alegro. Yo alegro means "I make (someone) glad".
✗ *Nosotros alegramos por ti (missing nos).
✓ Correct: Nosotros nos alegramos por ti.
The pronoun is obligatory: nos alegramos, not alegramos.
✗ *Tú alegras de la buena noticia (missing te).
✓ Correct: Tú te alegras de la buena noticia.
Again, the pronoun is part of the verb: te alegras.
✗ *Vosotros alegráis de la victoria (missing os).
✓ Correct: Vosotros os alegráis de la victoria.
Vosotros needs os: os alegráis. And alegráis carries the written accent on the á.
Quiz: alegrarse in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of alegrarse. 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 alegrarse for tú?
- a) se alegra
- b) me alegro
- c) te alegras
- d) se alegran
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ mucho de verte. — "I am very glad to see you."
- a) me alegro
- b) te alegras
- c) me alegré
- d) se alegran
3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ por ti. — "We are happy for you."
- a) os alegráis
- b) nos alegramos
- c) se alegra
- d) nos alegramos
4. Which is the correct present tense form of alegrarse for nosotros?
- a) nos alegramos
- b) se alegran
- c) te alegras
- d) me alegro
5. Which sentence uses alegrarse correctly in the present tense?
- a) Ella se alegró por su hermana.
- b) Ella te alegras por su hermana.
- c) Ella se alegra por su hermana.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of alegrarse for yo, including the reflexive pronoun?
- a) se alegra
- b) te alegras
- c) alegro
- d) me alegro
7. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ con poco. — "You are happy with little."
- a) te alegraste
- b) se alegran
- c) me alegro
- d) te alegras
8. What is the gerund of alegrarse?
- a) alegrandose
- b) alegrado
- c) alegramos
- d) alegrándose
Answer key
c) te alegras — The tú form is te alegras. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; me alegro is yo, se alegra is él/ella and se alegran is ellos/ellas.
a) me alegro — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: me alegro. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
b) nos alegramos — The subject is nosotros/as, so the present form is nos alegramos.
a) nos alegramos — Nosotros takes nos alegramos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem alegr-.
c) Ella se alegra por su hermana. — Ella se alegra por su hermana. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) me alegro — Reflexive verbs need the pronoun: me alegro. Without me the verb means something else, and the other options belong to different persons.
d) te alegras — The subject is tú, so the present form is te alegras.
d) alegrándose — The gerund is alegrándose. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle alegrado.
Frequently asked questions
Is alegrarse regular in the present tense?
The verb itself is regular — it is a normal -ar verb — but it is reflexive, so every form carries a pronoun: me alegro, te alegras, se alegra, nos alegramos, os alegráis and se alegran. The pronoun is part of the verb, not an optional extra.
What is the gerund and the past participle of alegrarse?
The gerund is alegrándose and the past participle is alegrado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to be glad" in Spanish?
Say me alegro. For example: Yo me alegro mucho de verte. — "I am very glad to see you.".
What is the difference between alegrarse and enojarse?
alegrarse means "to be glad", while enojarse means "to get angry". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use alegrarse when you mean "to be glad" and enojarse when you mean "to get angry". The full conjugation of enojarse is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of alegrarse — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- alegrarse 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.