Alterarse Present Tense in Spanish
alterarse means "to get upset" 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 alterarse, 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, yo me altero por el ruido de la calle. — "Every day, I get upset at the street noise." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of alterarse: full table
Every person of alterarse in the present tense. The gerund is alterándose and the past participle is alterado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me altero |
| tú | te alteras |
| él/ella/Ud. | se altera |
| nosotros/as | nos alteramos |
| vosotros/as | os alteráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se alteran |
The gerund of alterarse is alterándose and the past participle is alterado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy alterándose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he alterado). Because alterarse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of alterarse is formed
The present tense of alterarse is built from the stem alter- 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 me altero, tú te alteras, él se altera, nosotros nos alteramos, vosotros os alteráis and ellos se alteran. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me altero |
| tú | -as | te alteras |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se altera |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos alteramos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os alteráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se alteran |
alterarse is completely regular in the present tense: the stem never changes and every ending is the standard -ar ending. The only thing to watch is the accent on the vosotros form alteráis.
alterarse is a reflexive verb, so every form carries a reflexive pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se. The pronoun always goes before the conjugated verb in the present tense. The gerund is alterándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is alterado.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is alterándose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy alterándose. The past participle is alterado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he alterado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with alterarse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me altero por el ruido de la calle. — "Every day, I get upset at the street noise." The complement in this sentence is about the street noise, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear alterarse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te alteras con la noticia del examen. — "Now, you get upset at the exam news." The complement in this sentence is about the exam news, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear alterarse in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él se altera por el retraso del autobús. — "Normally, he/she gets upset over the bus delay." The complement in this sentence is about the bus delay, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear alterarse in the present tense.
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: Mañana, nosotros nos alteramos durante la discusión en casa. — "Tomorrow, we get upset during the argument at home." The complement in this sentence is about the argument at home, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear alterarse in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos se alteran por el ruido de la calle. — "Always, they get upset at the street noise." The complement in this sentence is about the street noise, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear alterarse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: alterarse
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 alterarse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me altero por el ruido de la calle. — "Every day, I get upset at the street noise."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me alteré por el ruido de la calle. — "Yesterday, I got upset at the street noise."
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, tú te alteras con la noticia del examen. — "Every day, you get upset at the exam news."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te alteraste con la noticia del examen. — "Yesterday, you got upset at the exam news."
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, él se altera por el retraso del autobús. — "Every day, he/she gets upset over the bus delay."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se alteró por el retraso del autobús. — "Yesterday, he/she got upset over the bus delay."
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: alterarse in the present tense
These eight sentences show alterarse 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.
- Yo me altero por el ruido de la calle. — "I get upset at the street noise."
- Tú te alteras con la noticia del examen. — "you get upset at the exam news."
- Él se altera por el retraso del autobús. — "he/she gets upset over the bus delay."
- Nosotros nos alteramos durante la discusión en casa. — "we get upset during the argument at home."
- Vosotros os alteráis por el ruido de la calle. — "you (plural) get upset at the street noise."
- Ellos se alteran con la noticia del examen. — "they get upset at the exam news."
- Yo me altero por el retraso del autobús. — "I get upset over the bus delay."
- Tú te alteras durante la discusión en casa. — "you get upset during the argument at home."
Common mistakes with alterarse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo altero por el ruido de la calle.
- Right: Yo me altero por el ruido de la calle.
- Why: alterarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me altero por el ruido de la calle.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os alterais por el ruido de la calle.
- Right: Vosotros os alteráis por el ruido de la calle.
- Why: The vosotros form alteráis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me altero con la noticia del examen.
- Right: Ayer, yo me alteré con la noticia del examen.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me alteré con la noticia del examen. — "Yesterday, I got upset at the exam news." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo me altero por el retraso del autobús.
- Right: Antes, yo me alteraba por el retraso del autobús.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me alteraba por el retraso del autobús. — "In the past, I used to get upset over the bus delay." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos altera por el ruido de la calle.
- Right: Nosotros nos alteramos por el ruido de la calle.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes alteramos, while altera belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of alterarse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of alterarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of alterarse in the present tense?
- (a) altera
- (b) alteramos
- (c) altero
- (d) alteras
Answer: (c) altero. The yo form is altero. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of alterarse in the present tense?
- (a) alteramos
- (b) alteras
- (c) altero
- (d) altera
Answer: (b) alteras. The tú form is alteras. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of alterarse in the present tense?
- (a) altera
- (b) altero
- (c) alteras
- (d) alteramos
Answer: (a) altera. The él/ella form is altera. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of alterarse in the present tense?
- (a) altero
- (b) alteras
- (c) altera
- (d) alteramos
Answer: (d) alteramos. The nosotros form is alteramos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of alterarse in the present tense?
- (a) alteras
- (b) altera
- (c) alteran
- (d) altero
Answer: (c) alteran. The ellos/ellas form is alteran. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ por el ruido de la calle.
- (a) alteramos
- (b) altero
- (c) alteras
- (d) altera
Answer: (b) altero. The sentence needs the yo form altero (Every day, I get upset at the street noise.)
7. What is the gerund of alterarse?
- (a) alterarse
- (b) alterando
- (c) alterado
- (d) altero
Answer: (b) alterando. The gerund is alterando, used for the progressive: me estoy alterando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, yo me altero con la noticia del examen.
- (b) Antes, yo me alteraba con la noticia del examen.
- (c) Ayer, yo me alteré con la noticia del examen.
- (d) Mañana, yo me alteraré con la noticia del examen.
Answer: (a) Cada día, yo me altero con la noticia del examen.. Cada día, yo me altero con la noticia del examen. (Every day, I get upset at the exam news.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me alteré con la noticia del examen. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me alteraré con la noticia del examen. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of alterarse
Is alterarse regular in the present tense?
Yes. alterarse is a regular -ar verb: altero, alteras, altera, alteramos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'get upset' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me altero por el ruido de la calle. — "Every day, I get upset at the street noise." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with alterarse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me altero con la noticia del examen. — "Every day, I get upset at the exam news." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me alteré con la noticia del examen. — "Yesterday, I got upset at the exam news." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with alterarse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos alteramos durante la discusión en casa. — "Tomorrow, we get upset during the argument at home." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.