Apoyarse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of apoyarse — “to lean on” 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 apoyarse 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. Apoyarse means to lean on, and it is reflexive: you lean on a wall, on a friend's shoulder, on your elbows, and figuratively you lean on someone for support. It takes en for the support, as in apoyarse en un amigo, and it is a verb of rest and of trust. Apoyarse is a reflexive regular -ar 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 apoyo en la pared del pasillo.

Present tense conjugation table: apoyarse

Every person of apoyarse in the present tense, with the reflexive pronoun. The gerund is apoyándose with the pronoun attached, and the past participle is apoyado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo me apoyo
tú te apoyas
él/ella/Ud. se apoya
nosotros/as nos apoyamos
vosotros/as os apoyáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se apoyan

How the present of apoyarse is formed

The present of apoyarse is built from the stem apoy- 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 apoyo
tú -as te apoyas
él/ella/Ud. -a se apoya
nosotros/as -amos nos apoyamos
vosotros/as -áis os apoyáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an se apoyan

For apoyarse there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem apoy- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.

Because apoyarse 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: apoyándose.

When to use the present tense with apoyarse

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo me apoyo en la pared del pasillo. — I lean on on the corridor wall.

General facts

Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.

Él/Ella se apoya en el hombro de mi amigo. — He leans on on my friend's shoulder.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as nos apoyamos en mis codos en la mesa. — Right now, We lean on on my elbows on the table.

Near-future plans

Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.

Mañana, Tú te apoyas en mi familia en los malos momentos. — Tomorrow, You lean on on my family in bad times.

Instructions and timeless statements

Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.

Él/Ella se apoya en la pared del pasillo. — He leans on on the corridor wall.

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 apoyarse.

  1. Yo me apoyo en la pared del pasillo. — I lean on on the corridor wall. / Ayer, Yo me apoyé en la pared del pasillo. — Yesterday, I leaned on on the corridor wall.
  2. Yo me apoyo en el hombro de mi amigo. — I lean on on my friend's shoulder. / Ayer, Yo me apoyé en el hombro de mi amigo. — Yesterday, I leaned on on my friend's shoulder.
  3. Yo me apoyo en mis codos en la mesa. — I lean on on my elbows on the table. / Ayer, Yo me apoyé en mis codos en la mesa. — Yesterday, I leaned on on my elbows on the table.

Example sentences in the present tense

Seven sentences with apoyarse in the present tense only, covering all six persons.

  1. Yo me apoyo en la pared del pasillo. — I lean on on the corridor wall.
  2. Tú te apoyas en el hombro de mi amigo. — You lean on on my friend's shoulder.
  3. Él/Ella se apoya en mis codos en la mesa. — He leans on on my elbows on the table.
  4. Nosotros/as nos apoyamos en mi familia en los malos momentos. — We lean on on my family in bad times.
  5. Vosotros/as os apoyáis en la pared del pasillo. — You lean on on the corridor wall.
  6. Ellos/as se apoyan en el hombro de mi amigo. — They lean on on my friend's shoulder.
  7. Yo me apoyo en mis codos en la mesa. — I lean on on my elbows on the table.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo apoya en la pared del pasillo. — Right: Yo apoyo en la pared del pasillo. — The person matters: apoya is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is apoyo.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo apoyo en el hombro de mi amigo. — Right: Ayer, yo apoyé en el hombro de mi amigo. — With ayer, use the preterite (apoyé), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Yo apoyo en la pared del pasillo. — Right: Yo me apoyo en la pared del pasillo. — Apoyarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required in the present tense too.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él apoya en el hombro de mi amigo. — Right: Espero que él apoye en el hombro de mi amigo. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: apoye, not the present indicative apoya.

Quiz: the present tense of apoyarse

Eight questions on the present tense of apoyarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en la pared del pasillo. (present tense, yo) A. me apoyo B. te apoyas C. se apoya D. nos apoyamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ en el hombro de mi amigo. (present tense, tú) A. me apoyo B. se apoya C. nos apoyamos D. te apoyas

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ en mis codos en la mesa. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. te apoyas B. nos apoyamos C. se apoya D. me apoyo

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ en mi familia en los malos momentos. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. se apoya B. nos apoyamos C. me apoyo D. te apoyas

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ en la pared del pasillo. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. os apoyáis B. me apoyo C. te apoyas D. se apoya

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ en el hombro de mi amigo. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. me apoyo B. te apoyas C. se apoya D. se apoyan

  7. Which is the gerund of apoyarse? A. apoyo B. apoyé C. apoyando D. apoyado

  8. Which is the past participle of apoyarse, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. apoyé B. apoyado C. apoyando D. apoyo

Answer key

  1. me apoyo — The yo present form of apoyarse is me apoyo.
  2. te apoyas — The tú present form of apoyarse is te apoyas.
  3. se apoya — The él/ella/Ud. present form of apoyarse is se apoya.
  4. nos apoyamos — The nosotros/as present form of apoyarse is nos apoyamos.
  5. os apoyáis — The vosotros/as present form of apoyarse is os apoyáis.
  6. se apoyan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of apoyarse is se apoyan.
  7. apoyando — The gerund of apoyarse is apoyando: estoy apoyando.
  8. apoyado — The past participle of apoyarse is apoyado: he apoyado, has apoyado, ha apoyado.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of apoyarse formed?

Take the infinitive apoyarse, drop the -ar ending and the reflexive -se to get the stem apoy-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of apoyarse is fully regular: the stem apoy- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.

When do I use the present tense of apoyarse?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Me apoyo en la pared del pasillo.

What is the difference between the present and the preterite of apoyarse?

The present (apoyo) and the preterite (apoyé) 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 apoyarse?

Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of apoyarse to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the apoyarse examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.

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