Alegrarse Conjugation in Spanish
alegrarse means "to be glad" in English, and it is one of the Spanish verbs you will use again and again in everyday conversation. It is used for talking about being glad — at good news, at a friend's success, and at happy surprises, which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of alegrarse in every tense and mood — present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, the four perfect tenses, both subjunctive tenses and the imperative — with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. Alegrarse is a reflexive -ar verb verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: Yo me alegro de la noticia. — "I am glad about the news.". Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: alegrarse
- English: to be glad
- Verb type: Reflexive -ar verb
- Gerund: alegrando
- Past participle: alegrado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all compound tenses use haber + alegrado)
- Reflexive: yes — always use it with the reflexive pronouns me, te, se, nos, os, se.
Full conjugation table
Every tense of alegrarse with all six persons. The gerund is alegrando and the past participle is alegrado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alegro |
| tú | alegras |
| él/ella/Ud. | alegra |
| nosotros/as | alegramos |
| vosotros/as | alegráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alegran |
Preterite (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alegré |
| tú | alegraste |
| él/ella/Ud. | alegró |
| nosotros/as | alegramos |
| vosotros/as | alegrasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alegraron |
Imperfect (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alegraba |
| tú | alegrabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | alegraba |
| nosotros/as | alegrábamos |
| vosotros/as | alegrabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alegraban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alegraré |
| tú | alegrarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | alegrará |
| nosotros/as | alegraremos |
| vosotros/as | alegraréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alegrarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alegraría |
| tú | alegrarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | alegraría |
| nosotros/as | alegraríamos |
| vosotros/as | alegraríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alegrarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he alegrado |
| tú | has alegrado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha alegrado |
| nosotros/as | hemos alegrado |
| vosotros/as | habéis alegrado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han alegrado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había alegrado |
| tú | habías alegrado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había alegrado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos alegrado |
| vosotros/as | habíais alegrado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían alegrado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré alegrado |
| tú | habrás alegrado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá alegrado |
| nosotros/as | habremos alegrado |
| vosotros/as | habréis alegrado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán alegrado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría alegrado |
| tú | habrías alegrado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría alegrado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos alegrado |
| vosotros/as | habríais alegrado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían alegrado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alegre |
| tú | alegres |
| él/ella/Ud. | alegre |
| nosotros/as | alegremos |
| vosotros/as | alegréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alegren |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alegrara |
| tú | alegraras |
| él/ella/Ud. | alegrara |
| nosotros/as | alegráramos |
| vosotros/as | alegrarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alegraran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | alegra |
| él/ella/Ud. | alegre |
| nosotros/as | alegremos |
| vosotros/as | alegrad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alegren |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | alegres |
| él/ella/Ud. | alegre |
| nosotros/as | alegremos |
| vosotros/as | alegréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alegren |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Gerund | alegrando |
| Past participle | alegrado |
How to use each tense
Each tense below explains when to use it with alegrarse, with one example sentence. The example forms are taken from the tables above.
Present indicative
The present tense talks about what happens now, habits, routines and general truths. It is the first tense every learner needs, because it covers daily life: what you do, what you like, where you live. For most verbs the present is also the base for the present subjunctive, so learning it well pays off twice.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Yo me alegro de la noticia.
Preterite (past)
The preterite talks about finished actions in the past — things that started and ended at a specific moment. Use it for events, for what happened yesterday, last year, or at a particular time. It answers the question "what happened?" and it is the tense of stories told as a sequence of events.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Ayer yo me alegré de la noticia.
Imperfect (past)
The imperfect talks about the past as background: habits, repeated actions, descriptions, and things that were in progress when something else happened. Use it for "used to", for setting a scene, and for age, time and weather in the past. It answers "what was going on?" rather than "what happened?".
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: En aquella época, yo me alegraba de la noticia.
Future
The future tense talks about what will happen: plans, predictions and promises. In everyday speech Spanish speakers often use "ir a + infinitive" instead, but the future tense is essential for formal writing, for promises, and for guessing about the present ("¿Dónde estará?").
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Mañana yo me alegraré de la noticia.
Conditional
The conditional talks about what would happen: hypothetical situations, polite requests, and advice. It pairs with the imperfect subjunctive in "if" sentences ("Si pudiera, lo haría"). It is also the polite way to ask for things and to soften opinions.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Yo me alegraría de la noticia si pudiera.
Present perfect
The present perfect (haber + past participle) talks about the recent past and about experience: what you have done, what has just happened, what you have never tried. It connects the past to the present moment, so it often appears with "hoy", "esta semana", "ya" and "todavía no".
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Yo ya me he alegrado de la noticia.
Pluperfect
The pluperfect (había + past participle) talks about the past before the past: what had already happened when something else happened. Use it to order two past events — the pluperfect one comes first in time. It appears constantly in stories and explanations.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Yo ya me había alegrado de la noticia antes.
Future perfect
The future perfect (habré + past participle) talks about something that will already be finished by a future moment: "Para mañana ya habré terminado". It is also used to guess about the past: "¿Dónde habrá ido?". It is less common in speech but regular in writing.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Para mañana yo ya me habré alegrado de la noticia.
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect (habría + past participle) talks about what would have happened: the past of the conditional. It appears in "if" sentences about a past that did not happen ("Si hubiera sabido, habría venido") and in polite regrets and reproaches.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Yo me habría alegrado de la noticia si hubiera podido.
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is the mood of wishes, doubts, emotions and influence: what you want, hope, doubt or demand. It appears after "quiero que", "espero que", "es posible que", "ojalá" and after verbs of emotion and doubt. It never stands alone — a trigger in the main clause calls for it.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Espero que él se alegre de la noticia.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
The imperfect subjunctive is the past of the subjunctive: it follows past-tense triggers ("Quería que vinieras") and it is the tense of "if" clauses about unlikely or impossible situations ("Si tuviera dinero, viajaría"). The -ra forms shown here are the standard ones; -se forms exist too but -ra is far more common in speech.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Si él se alegrara de la noticia, sería perfecto.
Imperative (affirmative)
Affirmative commands tell someone to do something: "¡Ven aquí!", "¡Siéntate!". The tú and vosotros forms are the ones you will use most, and they are also the ones that break the regular pattern most often — the tú affirmative command comes from the él/ella present form, not from the infinitive.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
In affirmative commands the reflexive pronoun attaches to the end of the verb. The table above gives the verb part of the command; add the pronoun (te, se, nos, os) after it.
Imperative (negative)
Negative commands tell someone not to do something: "¡No hables!", "¡No te vayas!". Unlike affirmative commands, negative commands always use the subjunctive forms, for every person. If you know the present subjunctive, you already know the negative imperative.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: No te alegres de la noticia.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with alegrarse, covering different tenses and persons. Read the Spanish first, then check the English.
- Yo me alegro de la noticia. — "I am glad about the news."
- ¿Tú te alegras de la noticia? — "Are you glad about the news?"
- Ayer me alegré de la noticia. — "Yesterday I was glad about the news."
- Ella se alegraba de la noticia cada vez. — "She used to be glad about the news every time."
- Mañana yo me alegraré de la noticia. — "Tomorrow I will be glad about the news."
- Yo me alegraría de la noticia si fuera verdad. — "I would be glad about the news if it were true."
- Ya me he alegrado de la noticia. — "I have already been glad about the news."
- Espero que te alegres de la noticia. — "I hope you are glad about the news."
Common mistakes
The errors learners actually make with alegrarse — and how to fix them.
- Wrong: *Yo alegro de la noticia — the pronoun is often forgotten. → Right: Yo me alegro de la noticia.. Alegrarse is reflexive: me alegro, te alegras, se alegra. Without the pronoun, alegrar means to make someone glad: La noticia me alegra.
- Wrong: *Me alegro de la noticia — learners sometimes write me alegro as me alegro correctly but use por instead of de; both exist, but de is standard for the cause. → Right: Me alegro de la noticia.. Alegrarse takes de for the cause: Me alegro de la noticia, Me alegro de verte. Por is also heard (Me alegro por ti, for someone else's good fortune), so learn both uses.
- Wrong: *Me alegré de la noticia — the accent is often dropped: me alegre. → Right: Me alegré de la noticia.. The preterite yo form is me alegré, with an accent on the final e. The pronoun goes before the verb: me alegré, te alegraste, se alegró.
- Wrong: *Espero que te alegras de la noticia. → Right: Espero que te alegres de la noticia.. After espero que, use the subjunctive alegres, not the indicative alegras: Espero que te alegres de la noticia.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on alegrarse. Answers are at the end, with a short explanation for each.
What is the yo form of alegrarse in the present indicative?
- a) alegra
- b) alegramos
- c) alegro
- d) alegras
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of alegrarse in the preterite (past)?
- a) alegró
- b) alegré
- c) alegramos
- d) alegraste
What is the nosotros/as form of alegrarse in the imperfect (past)?
- a) alegraba
- b) alegrábamos
- c) alegrabas
- d) alegraba
What is the tú form of alegrarse in the future?
- a) alegraremos
- b) alegraré
- c) alegrarás
- d) alegrará
What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of alegrarse in the conditional?
- a) alegraría
- b) alegrarían
- c) alegrarías
- d) alegraría
What is the yo form of alegrarse in the present subjunctive?
- a) alegre
- b) alegres
- c) alegre
- d) alegremos
What is the gerund of alegrarse?
- a) alegrado
- b) alegrando
- c) alegra
- d) alegrarse
What is the past participle of alegrarse?
- a) alegro
- b) alegrado
- c) he alegrado
- d) alegrando
What does alegrarse mean in English?
- a) to spend (money)
- b) to be glad
- c) to relax
- d) to try, to taste
The form alegré belongs to which tense?
- a) Imperfect
- b) Preterite
- c) Present
- d) Future
Answer key
- alegro — The yo form in the present indicative is alegro — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- alegró — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite (past) is alegró — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- alegrábamos — The nosotros/as form in the imperfect (past) is alegrábamos — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- alegrarás — The tú form in the future is alegrarás — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- alegrarían — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the conditional is alegrarían — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- alegre — The yo form in the present subjunctive is alegre — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- alegrando — The gerund is alegrando — it is the form used with estar for the progressive (estoy alegrando). The past participle is alegrado.
- alegrado — The past participle is alegrado — it is the form used after haber in the perfect tenses (he alegrado).
- to be glad — alegrarse means "to be glad".
- Preterite — alegré is the yo form of the preterite of alegrarse — a finished past action. The imperfect yo form is alegraba.
Frequently asked questions
Is alegrarse reflexive?
Yes. Alegrarse always takes a reflexive pronoun: me alegro, te alegras, se alegra, nos alegramos, os alegráis, se alegran. The non-reflexive alegrar means to make someone glad: La noticia me alegra.
What is the difference between alegrarse and estar alegre?
Alegrarse describes becoming glad (Me alegro de la noticia), while estar alegre describes the state of being cheerful (Estoy alegre hoy). The adjective alegre means happy or cheerful in general.
How do you say "I'm glad" in Spanish?
Me alegro — literally "I gladden myself", the standard way to say "I'm glad". Add de + the cause: Me alegro de la noticia. Or say simply ¡Me alegro mucho!
Does alegrarse take a preposition?
Yes, de for the cause (Me alegro de la noticia, Me alegro de verte) and por for someone else's fortune (Me alegro por ti). Both are correct; de is the more common one.
Related pages
- Alegrarse in the present tense — the present tense of alegrarse in depth, with its own examples and quiz.
- Alegrarse examples and quiz — more everyday sentences with alegrarse and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub: every verb, every tense guide and every tool in one place.
- Divertirse conjugation — another verb in the same family as alegrarse.
- Entristecer conjugation — another verb in the same family as alegrarse.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise alegrarse with this tool.
- Reflexive Verb Conjugator — practise alegrarse with this tool.
- Present tense guide — how the present tense works for regular and irregular verbs.