Aplicarse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of aplicarse — “to apply oneself” 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 aplicarse 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. Aplicarse means to apply oneself, and it is the reflexive verb for working hard at something: you apply yourself to your studies, to your work, to learning a language. It takes a or en for the task, as in aplicarse a los estudios, and it is a classic school and work verb. Aplicarse is a reflexive spelling-changing verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Me aplico a los estudios este trimestre.
Present tense conjugation table: aplicarse
Every person of aplicarse in the present tense, with the reflexive pronoun. The gerund is aplicándose with the pronoun attached, and the past participle is aplicado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me aplico |
| tú | te aplicas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se aplica |
| nosotros/as | nos aplicamos |
| vosotros/as | os aplicáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se aplican |
How the present of aplicarse is formed
The present of aplicarse is built from the stem aplic- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending and the reflexive -se, 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 | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me aplico |
| tú | -as | te aplicas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se aplica |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos aplicamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os aplicáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se aplican |
For aplicarse there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem aplic- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.
Because aplicarse is reflexive, the pronoun goes before the verb in every form: me, te, se, nos, os, se. In the gerund the pronoun attaches to the end: aplicándose.
When to use the present tense with aplicarse
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo me aplico a los estudios este trimestre. — I apply oneself to my studies this term.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella se aplica en el trabajo con más ganas. — He applies oneself at work with more enthusiasm.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as nos aplicamos a aprender español. — Right now, We apply oneself to learning Spanish.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú te aplicas en el proyecto desde el lunes. — Tomorrow, You apply oneself to the project since Monday.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella se aplica a los estudios este trimestre. — He applies oneself to my studies this term.
The present vs the preterite
The present and the preterite answer different questions: the present says what happens regularly or right now, while the preterite says what happened once and finished. Compare the same idea in both tenses with aplicarse.
- Yo me aplico a los estudios este trimestre. — I apply oneself to my studies this term. / Ayer, Yo me apliqué a los estudios este trimestre. — Yesterday, I applied oneself to my studies this term.
- Yo me aplico en el trabajo con más ganas. — I apply oneself at work with more enthusiasm. / Ayer, Yo me apliqué en el trabajo con más ganas. — Yesterday, I applied oneself at work with more enthusiasm.
- Yo me aplico a aprender español. — I apply oneself to learning Spanish. / Ayer, Yo me apliqué a aprender español. — Yesterday, I applied oneself to learning Spanish.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with aplicarse in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo me aplico a los estudios este trimestre. — I apply oneself to my studies this term.
- Tú te aplicas en el trabajo con más ganas. — You apply oneself at work with more enthusiasm.
- Él/Ella se aplica a aprender español. — He applies oneself to learning Spanish.
- Nosotros/as nos aplicamos en el proyecto desde el lunes. — We apply oneself to the project since Monday.
- Vosotros/as os aplicáis a los estudios este trimestre. — You apply oneself to my studies this term.
- Ellos/as se aplican en el trabajo con más ganas. — They apply oneself at work with more enthusiasm.
- Yo me aplico a aprender español. — I apply oneself to learning Spanish.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo aplica a los estudios este trimestre. — Right: Yo aplico a los estudios este trimestre. — The person matters: aplica is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aplico.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo aplico en el trabajo con más ganas. — Right: Ayer, yo apliqué en el trabajo con más ganas. — With ayer, use the preterite (apliqué), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Yo aplico a los estudios este trimestre. — Right: Yo me aplico a los estudios este trimestre. — Aplicarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required in the present tense too.
- Wrong: Espero que él aplica en el trabajo con más ganas. — Right: Espero que él aplique en el trabajo con más ganas. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: aplique, not the present indicative aplica.
Quiz: the present tense of aplicarse
Eight questions on the present tense of aplicarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a los estudios este trimestre. (present tense, yo) A. me aplico B. te aplicas C. se aplica D. nos aplicamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ en el trabajo con más ganas. (present tense, tú) A. me aplico B. se aplica C. nos aplicamos D. te aplicas
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ a aprender español. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. te aplicas B. nos aplicamos C. se aplica D. me aplico
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ en el proyecto desde el lunes. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. se aplica B. nos aplicamos C. me aplico D. te aplicas
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ a los estudios este trimestre. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. os aplicáis B. me aplico C. te aplicas D. se aplica
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ en el trabajo con más ganas. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. me aplico B. te aplicas C. se aplica D. se aplican
Which is the gerund of aplicarse? A. aplico B. apliqué C. aplicando D. aplicado
Which is the past participle of aplicarse, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. apliqué B. aplicado C. aplicando D. aplico
Answer key
- me aplico — The yo present form of aplicarse is me aplico.
- te aplicas — The tú present form of aplicarse is te aplicas.
- se aplica — The él/ella/Ud. present form of aplicarse is se aplica.
- nos aplicamos — The nosotros/as present form of aplicarse is nos aplicamos.
- os aplicáis — The vosotros/as present form of aplicarse is os aplicáis.
- se aplican — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of aplicarse is se aplican.
- aplicando — The gerund of aplicarse is aplicando: estoy aplicando.
- aplicado — The past participle of aplicarse is aplicado: he aplicado, has aplicado, ha aplicado.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of aplicarse formed?
Take the infinitive aplicarse, drop the -ar ending and the reflexive -se to get the stem aplic-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of aplicarse is fully regular: the stem aplic- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of aplicarse?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Me aplico a los estudios este trimestre.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of aplicarse?
The present (aplico) and the preterite (apliqué) answer different questions: the present is for habits and for right now, while the preterite is for one finished action. Compare them in the contrast section above.
How do I practise the present of aplicarse?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of aplicarse to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the aplicarse examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Aplicarse conjugation — the full conjugation tables for aplicarse.
- Aplicarse examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for aplicarse.
- Spanish present tense guide — when and how to use the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Reflexive Verb Conjugator — practise reflexive verbs with the right pronoun for every person.
- Present-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.