Alejarse in the Present Tense

Alejarse means “to move away”, and this page covers exactly one thing: alejarse in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about routines, facts and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for alejarse, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about alejarse in the present. For example: “Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco.” — I move away from the city little by little. Everything on this page uses the forms of alejarse exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Alejarse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me alejo
tú te alejas
él/ella/Ud. se aleja
nosotros/as nos alejamos
vosotros/as os alejáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se alejan

Gerund: alejando · Past participle: alejado

The gerund is alejando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy alejando” means the action of alejarse is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is alejado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he alejado” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how alejarse is used.

How the present of alejarse is formed

Alejarse is regular in the present tense. Take the stem alej and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving alejo, alejas, aleja, alejamos, alejáis, alejan. Watch the accents: the yo form is alejo and the él/ella/Ud. form is aleja. Because alejarse is reflexive, put the pronoun before each form: me alejo, te alejas, se aleja, nos alejamos, os alejáis, se alejan.

When to use the present of alejarse

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use alejarse in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Routines and habits

The present tense is the tense of what you do regularly. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the right choice, and alejarse is no exception. Example: “Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco todos los días.” — I move away from the city little by little every day.

2. Facts and general truths

The present states facts that are true in general, not just right now. Use it to say what alejarse means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Se aleja del peligro sin hacer ruido.” — He/she moves away from danger without making a noise.

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes actions in progress at this very moment. When something is happening as you speak, the present tense says so directly. Example: “Yo me alejo de la ventana para no ver ahora.” — I move away from the window so as not to see now.

4. Scheduled events in the near future

Spanish often uses the present for things that are already arranged, such as plans for tomorrow or next week. The present sounds more certain than the future in these cases. Example: “Nosotros nos alejamos de sus amigos tras la pelea.” — We move away from his friends after the argument.

5. Instructions and everyday speech

In everyday speech the present gives instructions, makes offers and states what someone does. It is the tense you will hear most often in conversation. Example: “Tú te alejas de la ciudad poco a poco.” — You move away from the city little by little.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present describes routines, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is a habit or a finished event. Time words help: todos los días and cada semana point to the present, while ayer and la semana pasada point to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco todos los días.” — I move away from the city little by little every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo me alejé de la ciudad poco a poco.” — Yesterday, I moved away from the city little by little.

  • The present sentence describes a habit; the preterite sentence reports one finished action. Todos los días points to the present, ayer points to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Él se aleja del peligro sin hacer ruido cada semana.” — He/she moves away from danger without making a noise every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él se alejó del peligro sin hacer ruido.” — Last week, he moved away from danger without making a noise.

  • Cada semana describes a routine, so the present is right; la semana pasada names one finished week, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Nosotros nos alejamos de la ventana para no ver a menudo.” — We move away from the window so as not to see often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros nos alejamos de la ventana para no ver.” — Yesterday, we moved away from the window so as not to see.

  • The present sentence counts no single event; the preterite sentence counts one finished action. That difference — habit versus finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: alejarse in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco.” — I move away from the city little by little.

  2. “Te alejas del peligro sin hacer ruido.” — You move away from danger without making a noise.

  3. “Se aleja de la ventana para no ver.” — He/she moves away from the window so as not to see.

  4. “Nos alejamos de sus amigos tras la pelea.” — We move away from his friends after the argument.

  5. “Os alejáis de la ciudad poco a poco.” — You move away from the city little by little.

  6. “Se alejan del peligro sin hacer ruido.” — They move away from danger without making a noise.

  7. “Me alejo de la ventana para no ver.” — I move away from the window so as not to see.

  8. “Se aleja de sus amigos tras la pelea.” — He/she moves away from his friends after the argument.

Common mistakes with alejarse in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Yo alejo de la ciudad poco a poco.” Right: “Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco.” Why: Alejarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required before every form. Without it the sentence is incomplete.

  • Wrong: “Yo alejo del peligro sin hacer ruido ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo alejé del peligro sin hacer ruido.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to alejé.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros alejas de la ventana para no ver.” Right: “Nosotros nos alejamos de la ventana para no ver.” Why: Nosotros needs nos alejamos. The tú form alejas belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos alejo de sus amigos tras la pelea todos los días.” Right: “Ellos se alejan de sus amigos tras la pelea todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form se alejan, not the yo form alejo. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.

Quiz: alejarse in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ de la ciudad poco a poco.” (From the city little by little.)

  • (a) me alejo
  • (b) te alejas
  • (c) se aleja

Answer: me alejo — The yo form of alejarse in the present is me alejo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ del peligro sin hacer ruido?” (From danger without making a noise.)

  • (a) me alejo
  • (b) se aleja
  • (c) te alejas

Answer: te alejas — The tú form of alejarse in the present is te alejas. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ de la ventana para no ver.” (From the window so as not to see.)

  • (a) te alejas
  • (b) se aleja
  • (c) me alejo

Answer: se aleja — The él/ella/Ud. form of alejarse in the present is se aleja. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ de sus amigos tras la pelea.” (From his friends after the argument.)

  • (a) nos alejamos
  • (b) me alejo
  • (c) te alejas

Answer: nos alejamos — The nosotros/as form of alejarse in the present is nos alejamos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of alejarse in the present?

  • (a) me alejo
  • (b) te alejas
  • (c) os alejáis

Answer: os alejáis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes os alejáis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros os alejáis de la ciudad poco a poco.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ del peligro sin hacer ruido.” (From danger without making a noise.)

  • (a) te alejas
  • (b) se alejan
  • (c) me alejo

Answer: se alejan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of alejarse in the present is se alejan. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

7. Which is the correct yo form of alejarse in the present?

  • (a) me alejo
  • (b) te alejas
  • (c) se aleja

Answer: me alejo — The yo form is me alejo. The other two options are the forms for other persons.

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo me alejé de la ciudad poco a poco todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros nos alejaremos de la ciudad poco a poco mañana.
  • (c) Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco todos los días.

Answer: Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco todos los días. — “Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco todos los días.” describes a habit, so it takes the present. The second option reports a finished action in the past, and the third looks to the future.

Frequently asked questions

Is alejarse regular in the present?

Yes. Alejarse is regular in the present: alejo, alejas, aleja, alejamos, alejáis, alejan. Watch the accents on the yo and él forms, and remember that only context tells the nosotros form apart from the present-tense nosotros form when they are identical.

What is the past participle of alejarse?

The past participle is alejado: 'He alejado' means 'I have moved away'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is alejando.

Does alejarse take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Alejarse takes de for what you move away from: me alejo de la ciudad. Acercarse, its opposite, takes a. In the examples on this page, alejarse appears with complements such as de la ciudad poco a poco and del peligro sin hacer ruido, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of alejarse?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo me alejo, tú te alejas, él/ella/Ud. se aleja, nosotros/as nos alejamos, vosotros/as os alejáis, ellos/ellas/Uds. se alejan. Then write three of your own sentences with alejarse in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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