Animarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb animarse means to cheer up, to feel like, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Animarse means to cheer up or to feel like, and it is reflexive: you cheer up after bad news, you feel like going out, you pluck up the courage to do something. It takes a before an infinitive for feeling like doing something, as in animarse a salir. Like every Spanish verb, animarse changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say me animo con la buena noticia, and in the preterite you say me animé a estudiar español. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: animarse
  • English: to cheer up, to feel like
  • Verb type: reflexive regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: animando
  • Past participle: animado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + animado)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for animarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Animarse is reflexive: me animo, te animas. With a plus an infinitive it means to feel like doing it: me animo a salir.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for animarse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Pronoun Form
yo me animo
tú te animas
él/ella/Ud. se anima
nosotros/as nos animamos
vosotros/as os animáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se animan

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me animé
tú te animaste
él/ella/Ud. se animó
nosotros/as nos animamos
vosotros/as os animasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se animaron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me animaba
tú te animabas
él/ella/Ud. se animaba
nosotros/as nos animábamos
vosotros/as os animabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se animaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me animaré
tú te animarás
él/ella/Ud. se animará
nosotros/as nos animaremos
vosotros/as os animaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se animarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me animaría
tú te animarías
él/ella/Ud. se animaría
nosotros/as nos animaríamos
vosotros/as os animaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se animarían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he animado
tú te has animado
él/ella/Ud. se ha animado
nosotros/as nos hemos animado
vosotros/as os habéis animado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han animado

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había animado
tú te habías animado
él/ella/Ud. se había animado
nosotros/as nos habíamos animado
vosotros/as os habíais animado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían animado

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré animado
tú te habrás animado
él/ella/Ud. se habrá animado
nosotros/as nos habremos animado
vosotros/as os habréis animado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán animado

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría animado
tú te habrías animado
él/ella/Ud. se habría animado
nosotros/as nos habríamos animado
vosotros/as os habríais animado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían animado

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me anime
tú te animes
él/ella/Ud. se anime
nosotros/as nos animemos
vosotros/as os animéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se animen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me animara
tú te animaras
él/ella/Ud. se animara
nosotros/as nos animáramos
vosotros/as os animarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se animaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te anima
él/ella/Ud. se anime
nosotros/as nos animemos
vosotros/as os animad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se animen

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te animes
él/ella/Ud. se anime
nosotros/as nos animemos
vosotros/as os animéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se animen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund animando with estar for the progressive: estoy animando (with the pronoun attached: animándose)
Past participle animado with haber for the perfect tenses: he animado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For animarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me animo con la buena noticia. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For animarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me animé a salir con amigos. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For animarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me animaba a estudiar español. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For animarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me animaré cuando llega el verano. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For animarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me animaría con la buena noticia si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For animarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he animado a salir con amigos. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For animarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había animado a estudiar español antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For animarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré animado cuando llega el verano. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For animarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría animado con la buena noticia con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For animarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se anime a salir con amigos. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For animarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se animara a estudiar español, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For animarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se anime cuando llega el verano. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For animarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te animes con la buena noticia. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with animarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me animo con la buena noticia. — I cheer up with the good news.
  2. Se anima a salir con amigos. — He/she cheers up to go out with friends.
  3. Ayer, me animé a estudiar español. — Yesterday, I cheered up to study Spanish.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos animábamos cuando llega el verano. — Before, we used to cheer up when summer arrives.
  5. Mañana, tú te animarás con la buena noticia. — Tomorrow, you will cheer up with the good news.
  6. Yo me animaría a salir con amigos si tuviera más tiempo. — I would cheer up to go out with friends if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha animado a estudiar español. — He has cheered up to study Spanish.
  8. Espero que él se anime cuando llega el verano. — I hope he cheers up when summer arrives.
  9. Yo ya me había animado con la buena noticia antes de salir. — I had already cheered up with the good news before leaving.
  10. Ellos se animaban a salir con amigos cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to cheer up to go out with friends when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo animo con la buena noticia. — Right: Yo me animo con la buena noticia. — Animarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Treating animarse and alegrarse as identical in every context. — Right: Animarse means to cheer up, to feel like, while alegrarse means to be glad about something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: animarse fits sentences such as Me animo con la buena noticia, while alegrarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy animado a salir con amigos. — Right: Yo he animado a salir con amigos. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he animado, has animado, ha animado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo animé a estudiar español todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo animaba a estudiar español todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (animaba), not the preterite. The preterite (animé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on animarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con la buena noticia. (present tense) A. me animo B. te animas C. se anima D. nos animamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a salir con amigos. (preterite) A. me animé B. te animaste C. se animaron D. se animó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a estudiar español. (imperfect) A. te animabas B. se animaban C. nos animábamos D. me animaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ cuando llega el verano. (future) A. nos animaremos B. te animarás C. me animaré D. se animará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con la buena noticia si pudiera. (conditional) A. me animaría B. te animarías C. se animaría D. se animarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a salir con amigos. (present subjunctive) A. me anime B. te animes C. nos animemos D. se anime

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a estudiar español, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se animara B. nos animáramos C. me animara D. te animaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ cuando llega el verano. (present perfect) A. se han animado B. nos hemos animado C. me he animado D. te has animado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ con la buena noticia. (negative imperative, tú) A. te animes B. se anime C. nos animemos D. os animéis

  10. Which is the gerund of animarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. animado B. animo C. animé D. animando

Answer key

  1. me animo — The first-person present of animarse is me animo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se animó — The third-person preterite of animarse is se animó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos animábamos — The nosotros imperfect of animarse is nos animábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te animarás — The second-person future of animarse is te animarás.
  5. me animaría — The first-person conditional of animarse is me animaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se anime — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of animarse is se anime.
  7. me animara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of animarse is me animara.
  8. nos hemos animado — The nosotros present perfect of animarse is nos hemos animado: hemos + animado.
  9. te animes — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te animes.
  10. animando — The gerund of animarse is animando: estoy animando. The participle animado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does animarse mean in English?

Animarse means to cheer up, to feel like. It is used in everyday situations such as Me animo con la buena noticia. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is animarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Animarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me animo con la buena noticia and él se anima a salir con amigos. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between animarse and alegrarse?

Animarse means to cheer up, to feel like, while alegrarse means to be glad about something. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use animarse when you mean to cheer up, to feel like, as in Me animo con la buena noticia, and use alegrarse for to be glad about something. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I cheer up” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me animé a salir con amigos. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me animaba a estudiar español. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he animado a salir con amigos.

How do I practise animarse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the animarse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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