Apoderarse Present Tense in Spanish
apoderarse means "to seize, to take over" 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 apoderarse, 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 apodero de la casa de su tío. — "Every day, I seize of his uncle's house." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of apoderarse: full table
Every person of apoderarse in the present tense. The gerund is apoderándose and the past participle is apoderado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me apodero |
| tú | te apoderas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se apodera |
| nosotros/as | nos apoderamos |
| vosotros/as | os apoderáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se apoderan |
The gerund of apoderarse is apoderándose and the past participle is apoderado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy apoderándose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he apoderado). Because apoderarse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of apoderarse is formed
The present tense of apoderarse is built from the stem apoder- 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 apodero, tú te apoderas, él se apodera, nosotros nos apoderamos, vosotros os apoderáis and ellos se apoderan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me apodero |
| tú | -as | te apoderas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se apodera |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos apoderamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os apoderáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se apoderan |
apoderarse 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 apoderáis.
apoderarse 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 apoderándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is apoderado.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is apoderándose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy apoderándose. The past participle is apoderado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he apoderado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with apoderarse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me apodero de la casa de su tío. — "Every day, I seize of his uncle's house." The complement in this sentence is about his uncle's house, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear apoderarse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te apoderas del balón en el partido. — "Now, you seize of the ball in the match." The complement in this sentence is about the ball in the match, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear apoderarse 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 apodera del poder en el país. — "Normally, he/she seizes of power in the country." The complement in this sentence is about power in the country, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear apoderarse 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 apoderamos de la llave del almacén. — "Tomorrow, we seize of the store-room key." The complement in this sentence is about the store-room key, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear apoderarse 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 apoderan de la casa de su tío. — "Always, they seize of his uncle's house." The complement in this sentence is about his uncle's house, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear apoderarse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: apoderarse
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 apoderarse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me apodero de la casa de su tío. — "Every day, I seize of his uncle's house."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me apoderé de la casa de su tío. — "Yesterday, I seized of his uncle's house."
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 apoderas del balón en el partido. — "Every day, you seize of the ball in the match."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te apoderaste del balón en el partido. — "Yesterday, you seized of the ball in the match."
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 apodera del poder en el país. — "Every day, he/she seizes of power in the country."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se apoderó del poder en el país. — "Yesterday, he/she seized of power in the country."
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: apoderarse in the present tense
These eight sentences show apoderarse 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 apodero de la casa de su tío. — "I seize of his uncle's house."
- Tú te apoderas del balón en el partido. — "you seize of the ball in the match."
- Él se apodera del poder en el país. — "he/she seizes of power in the country."
- Nosotros nos apoderamos de la llave del almacén. — "we seize of the store-room key."
- Vosotros os apoderáis de la casa de su tío. — "you (plural) seize of his uncle's house."
- Ellos se apoderan del balón en el partido. — "they seize of the ball in the match."
- Yo me apodero del poder en el país. — "I seize of power in the country."
- Tú te apoderas de la llave del almacén. — "you seize of the store-room key."
Common mistakes with apoderarse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo apodero de la casa de su tío.
- Right: Yo me apodero de la casa de su tío.
- Why: apoderarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me apodero de la casa de su tío.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os apoderais de la casa de su tío.
- Right: Vosotros os apoderáis de la casa de su tío.
- Why: The vosotros form apoderáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me apodero del balón en el partido.
- Right: Ayer, yo me apoderé del balón en el partido.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me apoderé del balón en el partido. — "Yesterday, I seized of the ball in the match." 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 apodero del poder en el país.
- Right: Antes, yo me apoderaba del poder en el país.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me apoderaba del poder en el país. — "In the past, I used to seize of power in the country." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos apodera de la casa de su tío.
- Right: Nosotros nos apoderamos de la casa de su tío.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes apoderamos, while apodera belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of apoderarse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of apoderarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of apoderarse in the present tense?
- (a) apoderas
- (b) apodera
- (c) apoderamos
- (d) apodero
Answer: (d) apodero. The yo form is apodero. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of apoderarse in the present tense?
- (a) apodera
- (b) apoderamos
- (c) apoderas
- (d) apodero
Answer: (c) apoderas. The tú form is apoderas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of apoderarse in the present tense?
- (a) apoderamos
- (b) apodera
- (c) apodero
- (d) apoderas
Answer: (b) apodera. The él/ella form is apodera. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of apoderarse in the present tense?
- (a) apoderamos
- (b) apodero
- (c) apoderas
- (d) apodera
Answer: (a) apoderamos. The nosotros form is apoderamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of apoderarse in the present tense?
- (a) apodero
- (b) apoderas
- (c) apodera
- (d) apoderan
Answer: (d) apoderan. The ellos/ellas form is apoderan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ de la casa de su tío.
- (a) apodera
- (b) apoderamos
- (c) apodero
- (d) apoderas
Answer: (c) apodero. The sentence needs the yo form apodero (Every day, I seize of his uncle's house.)
7. What is the gerund of apoderarse?
- (a) apodero
- (b) apoderarse
- (c) apoderando
- (d) apoderado
Answer: (c) apoderando. The gerund is apoderando, used for the progressive: me estoy apoderando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Mañana, yo me apoderaré del balón en el partido.
- (b) Cada día, yo me apodero del balón en el partido.
- (c) Antes, yo me apoderaba del balón en el partido.
- (d) Ayer, yo me apoderé del balón en el partido.
Answer: (b) Cada día, yo me apodero del balón en el partido.. Cada día, yo me apodero del balón en el partido. (Every day, I seize of the ball in the match.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me apoderé del balón en el partido. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me apoderaré del balón en el partido. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of apoderarse
Is apoderarse regular in the present tense?
Yes. apoderarse is a regular -ar verb: apodero, apoderas, apodera, apoderamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'seize' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me apodero de la casa de su tío. — "Every day, I seize of his uncle's house." 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 apoderarse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me apodero del balón en el partido. — "Every day, I seize of the ball in the match." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me apoderé del balón en el partido. — "Yesterday, I seized of the ball in the match." 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 apoderarse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos apoderamos de la llave del almacén. — "Tomorrow, we seize of the store-room key." 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.