Apearse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of apearse — “to get off, to alight” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for apearse with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Apearse means to get off or to alight, to step down from a horse, a bus or a train. It is a reflexive verb, slightly formal or old-fashioned in tone, and it is fully regular. It is reflexive, so every form takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. To see it in a real sentence: Me apeo del autobús en la plaza. — “I get off from the bus in the square.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of apearse will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: apearse
Every person of apearse in the present tense. The gerund is apeando and the past participle is apeado.
Present indicative
| Person | Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | me | apeo |
| tú | te | apeas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se | apea |
| nosotros/as | nos | apeamos |
| vosotros/as | os | apeáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | apean |
How the present indicative of apearse is formed
The present indicative of apearse is built from the stem plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Pronoun | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | me | -o | apeo |
| tú | te | -as | apeas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se | -a | apea |
| nosotros/as | nos | -amos | apeamos |
| vosotros/as | os | -áis | apeáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | -an | apean |
Apearse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of every form: me apeo, te apeas, se apea. The pronoun always comes before the conjugated verb, and it changes with the person. Without it, the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
The gerund of apearse is apeando and the past participle is apeado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of apearse
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and apearse appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and apearse fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo me apeo del autobús en la plaza todos los días.” — “I get off from the bus in the square every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él se apea del caballo en el patio.” — “He/she gets off from the horse in the yard.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so me apeo can mean both “I get off” and “I am get offing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo me apeo del tren en la estación.” — “Right now, I get off from the train at the station.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo me apeo de la moto en la puerta.” — “Tomorrow, I will get off from the motorbike at the door.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú te apeas del autobús en la plaza?” — “Do you get off from the bus in the square?”
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Se apea del caballo en el patio. — “He/she gets off from the horse in the yard.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Se apeó del caballo en el patio. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add “used to” in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Se apean del tren en la estación. — “They get off from the train at the station.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Se apeaban del tren en la estación. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Te apeas de la moto en la puerta. — “You get off from the motorbike at the door.”
- Future — what will happen: Te apearás de la moto en la puerta. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: apearse in the present tense
Seven sentences that show apearse in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo me apeo del autobús en la plaza. — “I get off from the bus in the square.”
- Tú te apeas del caballo en el patio. — “You get off from the horse in the yard.”
- Él se apea del tren en la estación. — “He gets off from the train at the station.”
- Nosotros nos apeamos de la moto en la puerta. — “We get off from the motorbike at the door.”
- Vosotros os apeáis del autobús en la plaza. — “You (plural) get off from the bus in the square.”
- Ellos se apean del caballo en el patio. — “They get off from the horse in the yard.”
- ¿Tú te apeas del tren en la estación? — “Do you get off from the train at the station?”
Common mistakes with apearse in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with apearse in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo apearse del autobús en la plaza. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo me apeo del autobús en la plaza.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of apearse is me apeo, not the infinitive apearse.
✗ Vosotros apeais del autobús en la plaza. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros apeáis del autobús en la plaza.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: apeáis, not apeais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Yo apeo del autobús en la plaza. (leaving out the reflexive pronoun).
✓ Correct: Yo me apeo del autobús en la plaza.
Apearse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
✗ Treating apearse and bajar as identical in every context. (confusing apearse with bajar).
✓ Correct: Apearse means to get off, to alight, while bajar means to get off, in general.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: apearse fits sentences such as Me apeo del autobús en la plaza, while bajar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: apearse in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of apearse. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of apearse for tú?
- a) apeas
- b) apeo
- c) apea
- d) apean
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ del autobús en la plaza. — “I get off from the bus in the square.”
- a) apea
- b) apeamos
- c) apeas
- d) apeo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ del caballo en el patio. — “He/she gets off from the horse in the yard.” (present tense)
- a) apeaba
- b) apeará
- c) apea
- d) apeó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of apearse for nosotros?
- a) apean
- b) apeamos
- c) apeo
- d) apea
5. Which sentence uses apearse correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él se apeó del caballo en el patio.
- b) Él se apea del caballo en el patio.
- c) Él se apeará del caballo en el patio.
- d) Ellos se apea del caballo en el patio.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ del tren en la estación. — “They get off from the train at the station.”
- a) apeo
- b) apea
- c) apeamos
- d) apean
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ de la moto en la puerta? — “Do you get off from the motorbike at the door?”
- a) apea
- b) apearás
- c) apeas
- d) apeo
8. What is the gerund of apearse?
- a) apeé
- b) apeando
- c) apeado
- d) apeo
Answer key
a) apeas — The tú form is apeas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; apeo is yo, apea is él/ella and apean is ellos/ellas.
d) apeo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: apeo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) apea — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: apea. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) apeamos — Nosotros takes apeamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él se apea del caballo en el patio. — Él se apea del caballo en el patio. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) apean — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is apean.
c) apeas — The question needs the tú form in the present: apeas.
b) apeando — The gerund is apeando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle apeado.
Frequently asked questions
Is apearse regular in the present tense?
Yes, the forms are regular — the only thing to watch is the reflexive pronoun. Apearse takes me, te, se, nos, os or se before every form: me apeo, te apeas, se apea. Without the pronoun, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.
What is the gerund and the past participle of apearse?
The gerund is apeando and the past participle is apeado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I get off” in Spanish?
Say me apeo. For example: Me apeo del autobús en la plaza. — “I get off from the bus in the square.”
What is the difference between apearse and bajar?
Apearse means “to get off, to alight”, while bajar means “to get off, in general”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use apearse when you mean “to get off, to alight” and bajar when you mean “to get off, in general”. The full conjugation of apearse is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of apearse — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- apearse examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Anticiparse conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with apearse.
- Asentarse conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with apearse.
- Alzarse conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with apearse.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.