Amarse Present Tense in Spanish
amarse means "to love each other" 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 amarse, 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 amo desde el primer día. — "Every day, I love each other from the first day." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of amarse: full table
Every person of amarse in the present tense. The gerund is amándose and the past participle is amado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me amo |
| tú | te amas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se ama |
| nosotros/as | nos amamos |
| vosotros/as | os amáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se aman |
The gerund of amarse is amándose and the past participle is amado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy amándose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he amado). Because amarse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of amarse is formed
The present tense of amarse is built from the stem am- 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 amo, tú te amas, él se ama, nosotros nos amamos, vosotros os amáis and ellos se aman. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me amo |
| tú | -as | te amas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se ama |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos amamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os amáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se aman |
amarse 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 amáis.
amarse 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 amándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is amado.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is amándose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy amándose. The past participle is amado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he amado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with amarse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me amo desde el primer día. — "Every day, I love each other from the first day." The complement in this sentence is about the first day, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear amarse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te amas en secreto durante años. — "Now, you love each other in secret for years." The complement in this sentence is about secret for years, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear amarse 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 ama con locura en la juventud. — "Normally, he/she loves each other madly in their youth." The complement in this sentence is about madly in their youth, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear amarse 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 amamos a pesar de la distancia. — "Tomorrow, we love each other in spite of the distance." The complement in this sentence is about spite of the distance, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear amarse 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 aman desde el primer día. — "Always, they love each other from the first day." The complement in this sentence is about the first day, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear amarse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: amarse
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 amarse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me amo desde el primer día. — "Every day, I love each other from the first day."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me amé desde el primer día. — "Yesterday, I loved each other from the first day."
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 amas en secreto durante años. — "Every day, you love each other in secret for years."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te amaste en secreto durante años. — "Yesterday, you loved each other in secret for years."
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 ama con locura en la juventud. — "Every day, he/she loves each other madly in their youth."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se amó con locura en la juventud. — "Yesterday, he/she loved each other madly in their youth."
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: amarse in the present tense
These eight sentences show amarse 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 amo desde el primer día. — "I love each other from the first day."
- Tú te amas en secreto durante años. — "you love each other in secret for years."
- Él se ama con locura en la juventud. — "he/she loves each other madly in their youth."
- Nosotros nos amamos a pesar de la distancia. — "we love each other in spite of the distance."
- Vosotros os amáis desde el primer día. — "you (plural) love each other from the first day."
- Ellos se aman en secreto durante años. — "they love each other in secret for years."
- Yo me amo con locura en la juventud. — "I love each other madly in their youth."
- Tú te amas a pesar de la distancia. — "you love each other in spite of the distance."
Common mistakes with amarse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo amo desde el primer día.
- Right: Yo me amo desde el primer día.
- Why: amarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me amo desde el primer día.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os amais desde el primer día.
- Right: Vosotros os amáis desde el primer día.
- Why: The vosotros form amáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me amo en secreto durante años.
- Right: Ayer, yo me amé en secreto durante años.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me amé en secreto durante años. — "Yesterday, I loved each other in secret for years." 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 amo con locura en la juventud.
- Right: Antes, yo me amaba con locura en la juventud.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me amaba con locura en la juventud. — "In the past, I used to love each other madly in their youth." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos ama desde el primer día.
- Right: Nosotros nos amamos desde el primer día.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes amamos, while ama belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of amarse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of amarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of amarse in the present tense?
- (a) amas
- (b) ama
- (c) amamos
- (d) amo
Answer: (d) amo. The yo form is amo. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of amarse in the present tense?
- (a) ama
- (b) amamos
- (c) amas
- (d) amo
Answer: (c) amas. The tú form is amas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of amarse in the present tense?
- (a) amamos
- (b) ama
- (c) amo
- (d) amas
Answer: (b) ama. The él/ella form is ama. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of amarse in the present tense?
- (a) amamos
- (b) amo
- (c) amas
- (d) ama
Answer: (a) amamos. The nosotros form is amamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of amarse in the present tense?
- (a) amo
- (b) amas
- (c) ama
- (d) aman
Answer: (d) aman. The ellos/ellas form is aman. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ desde el primer día.
- (a) ama
- (b) amamos
- (c) amo
- (d) amas
Answer: (c) amo. The sentence needs the yo form amo (Every day, I love each other from the first day.)
7. What is the gerund of amarse?
- (a) amo
- (b) amarse
- (c) amando
- (d) amado
Answer: (c) amando. The gerund is amando, used for the progressive: me estoy amando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Mañana, yo me amaré en secreto durante años.
- (b) Cada día, yo me amo en secreto durante años.
- (c) Antes, yo me amaba en secreto durante años.
- (d) Ayer, yo me amé en secreto durante años.
Answer: (b) Cada día, yo me amo en secreto durante años.. Cada día, yo me amo en secreto durante años. (Every day, I love each other in secret for years.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me amé en secreto durante años. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me amaré en secreto durante años. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of amarse
Is amarse regular in the present tense?
Yes. amarse is a regular -ar verb: amo, amas, ama, amamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'love each other' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me amo desde el primer día. — "Every day, I love each other from the first day." 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 amarse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me amo en secreto durante años. — "Every day, I love each other in secret for years." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me amé en secreto durante años. — "Yesterday, I loved each other in secret for years." 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 amarse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos amamos a pesar de la distancia. — "Tomorrow, we love each other in spite of the distance." 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.