Apartarse Present Tense in Spanish
apartarse means "to move away" 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 apartarse, 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 aparto del camino del coche. — "Every day, I move away from the car's path." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of apartarse: full table
Every person of apartarse in the present tense. The gerund is apartándose and the past participle is apartado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me aparto |
| tú | te apartas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se aparta |
| nosotros/as | nos apartamos |
| vosotros/as | os apartáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se apartan |
The gerund of apartarse is apartándose and the past participle is apartado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy apartándose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he apartado). Because apartarse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of apartarse is formed
The present tense of apartarse is built from the stem apart- 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 aparto, tú te apartas, él se aparta, nosotros nos apartamos, vosotros os apartáis and ellos se apartan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me aparto |
| tú | -as | te apartas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se aparta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos apartamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os apartáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se apartan |
apartarse 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 apartáis.
apartarse 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 apartándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is apartado.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is apartándose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy apartándose. The past participle is apartado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he apartado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with apartarse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me aparto del camino del coche. — "Every day, I move away from the car's path." The complement in this sentence is about the car's path, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear apartarse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te apartas de la ventana por el frío. — "Now, you move away from the window because of the cold." The complement in this sentence is about the window because of the cold, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear apartarse 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 aparta del grupo durante el recreo. — "Normally, he/she moves away from the group during break." The complement in this sentence is about the group during break, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear apartarse 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 apartamos de su amigo tras la pelea. — "Tomorrow, we move away from his friend after the fight." The complement in this sentence is about his friend after the fight, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear apartarse 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 apartan del camino del coche. — "Always, they move away from the car's path." The complement in this sentence is about the car's path, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear apartarse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: apartarse
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 apartarse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me aparto del camino del coche. — "Every day, I move away from the car's path."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me aparté del camino del coche. — "Yesterday, I moved away from the car's path."
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 apartas de la ventana por el frío. — "Every day, you move away from the window because of the cold."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te apartaste de la ventana por el frío. — "Yesterday, you moved away from the window because of the cold."
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 aparta del grupo durante el recreo. — "Every day, he/she moves away from the group during break."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se apartó del grupo durante el recreo. — "Yesterday, he/she moved away from the group during break."
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: apartarse in the present tense
These eight sentences show apartarse 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 aparto del camino del coche. — "I move away from the car's path."
- Tú te apartas de la ventana por el frío. — "you move away from the window because of the cold."
- Él se aparta del grupo durante el recreo. — "he/she moves away from the group during break."
- Nosotros nos apartamos de su amigo tras la pelea. — "we move away from his friend after the fight."
- Vosotros os apartáis del camino del coche. — "you (plural) move away from the car's path."
- Ellos se apartan de la ventana por el frío. — "they move away from the window because of the cold."
- Yo me aparto del grupo durante el recreo. — "I move away from the group during break."
- Tú te apartas de su amigo tras la pelea. — "you move away from his friend after the fight."
Common mistakes with apartarse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo aparto del camino del coche.
- Right: Yo me aparto del camino del coche.
- Why: apartarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me aparto del camino del coche.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os apartais del camino del coche.
- Right: Vosotros os apartáis del camino del coche.
- Why: The vosotros form apartáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me aparto de la ventana por el frío.
- Right: Ayer, yo me aparté de la ventana por el frío.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me aparté de la ventana por el frío. — "Yesterday, I moved away from the window because of the cold." 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 aparto del grupo durante el recreo.
- Right: Antes, yo me apartaba del grupo durante el recreo.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me apartaba del grupo durante el recreo. — "In the past, I used to move away from the group during break." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos aparta del camino del coche.
- Right: Nosotros nos apartamos del camino del coche.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes apartamos, while aparta belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of apartarse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of apartarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of apartarse in the present tense?
- (a) apartamos
- (b) aparto
- (c) apartas
- (d) aparta
Answer: (b) aparto. The yo form is aparto. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of apartarse in the present tense?
- (a) apartas
- (b) aparto
- (c) aparta
- (d) apartamos
Answer: (a) apartas. The tú form is apartas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of apartarse in the present tense?
- (a) aparto
- (b) apartas
- (c) apartamos
- (d) aparta
Answer: (d) aparta. The él/ella form is aparta. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of apartarse in the present tense?
- (a) apartas
- (b) aparta
- (c) apartamos
- (d) aparto
Answer: (c) apartamos. The nosotros form is apartamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of apartarse in the present tense?
- (a) aparta
- (b) apartan
- (c) aparto
- (d) apartas
Answer: (b) apartan. The ellos/ellas form is apartan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ del camino del coche.
- (a) aparto
- (b) apartas
- (c) aparta
- (d) apartamos
Answer: (a) aparto. The sentence needs the yo form aparto (Every day, I move away from the car's path.)
7. What is the gerund of apartarse?
- (a) apartando
- (b) apartado
- (c) aparto
- (d) apartarse
Answer: (a) apartando. The gerund is apartando, used for the progressive: me estoy apartando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Antes, yo me apartaba de la ventana por el frío.
- (b) Ayer, yo me aparté de la ventana por el frío.
- (c) Mañana, yo me apartaré de la ventana por el frío.
- (d) Cada día, yo me aparto de la ventana por el frío.
Answer: (d) Cada día, yo me aparto de la ventana por el frío.. Cada día, yo me aparto de la ventana por el frío. (Every day, I move away from the window because of the cold.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me aparté de la ventana por el frío. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me apartaré de la ventana por el frío. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of apartarse
Is apartarse regular in the present tense?
Yes. apartarse is a regular -ar verb: aparto, apartas, aparta, apartamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'move away' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me aparto del camino del coche. — "Every day, I move away from the car's path." 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 apartarse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me aparto de la ventana por el frío. — "Every day, I move away from the window because of the cold." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me aparté de la ventana por el frío. — "Yesterday, I moved away from the window because of the cold." 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 apartarse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos apartamos de su amigo tras la pelea. — "Tomorrow, we move away from his friend after the fight." 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.