Arrepentirse Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
arrepentirse means "to regret" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows arrepentirse in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of arrepentirse, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with arrepentirse
Feeling remorse for an action
Arrepentirse de algo means to feel remorse for something you did: me arrepiento de mis palabras. It is a personal, emotional verb, and it always takes de.
- Cada día, yo me arrepiento de no haber llamado antes. — "Every day, I regret not having called earlier."
- Hoy, él / ella se arrepiente de mis palabras duras. — "Today, he / she regrets my harsh words."
- Ayer, yo me arrepentí de la decisión. — "Yesterday, I regretted the decision."
- Antes, yo me arrepentía de haber gastado tanto dinero. — "Before, I used to regret having spent so much money."
- Mañana, yo me arrepentiré de no haber llamado antes. — "Tomorrow, I will regret not having called earlier."
- Hoy, yo me he arrepentido de mis palabras duras. — "Today, I have regretted my harsh words."
Regretting a decision
Arrepentirse de una decisión means you wish you had chosen differently. It is the verb of second thoughts, and it appears in stories about mistakes and their consequences.
- Cada día, yo me arrepiento de la decisión. — "Every day, I regret the decision."
- Hoy, él / ella se arrepiente de haber gastado tanto dinero. — "Today, he / she regrets having spent so much money."
- Ayer, yo me arrepentí de no haber llamado antes. — "Yesterday, I regretted not having called earlier."
- Antes, yo me arrepentía de mis palabras duras. — "Before, I used to regret my harsh words."
- Mañana, yo me arrepentiré de la decisión. — "Tomorrow, I will regret the decision."
- Hoy, yo me he arrepentido de haber gastado tanto dinero. — "Today, I have regretted having spent so much money."
Arrepentirse in conversation
The two dialogues below show arrepentirse in natural conversation. The first is about feeling remorse for an action, and the second is about regretting a decision. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Tú te arrepientes de no haber llamado antes? — "Do you regret not having called earlier?"
- Sí, yo me arrepiento de no haber llamado antes cada día. — "Yes, I regret not having called earlier every day."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú te arrepentiste de mis palabras duras? — "And yesterday? Did you regret my harsh words?"
- Sí, ayer yo me arrepentí de mis palabras duras. — "Yes, yesterday I regretted my harsh words."
- Mañana yo me arrepentiré de la decisión también. — "Tomorrow I will regret the decision too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Vosotros os arrepentís de la decisión? — "Do you regret the decision?"
- Sí, nosotros nos arrepentimos de la decisión los fines de semana. — "Yes, we regret the decision at the weekends."
- ¿Y ellos? ¿Ellos se arrepienten de haber gastado tanto dinero? — "And them? Do they regret having spent so much money?"
- Sí, ellos se arrepienten de haber gastado tanto dinero también. — "Yes, they regret having spent so much money too."
- Mañana nosotros nos arrepentiremos de la decisión otra vez. — "Tomorrow we will regret the decision again."
Common mistakes with arrepentirse in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo arrepiento de mis palabras.
- Right: Yo me arrepiento de mis palabras.
- Why: Arrepentirse is reflexive: the pronoun me is required. Without it the sentence is wrong: me arrepiento, te arrepientes, se arrepiente.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Me arrepiento mis palabras.
- Right: Me arrepiento de mis palabras.
- Why: Arrepentirse takes de before the thing you regret. Without de the sentence is incomplete: me arrepiento de mis palabras.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Arrepentirse es lo mismo que lamentar.
- Right: Arrepentirse means to feel remorse; lamentar means to regret a fact.
- Why: Arrepentirse is about your own guilt. Lamentar is about wishing a fact were different. You arrepentirse de lo que hiciste; you lamentar lo que pasó.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, yo me arrepentí de no haber llamado antes.
- Right: Cada día, yo me arrepiento de no haber llamado antes.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo arrepiento de no haber llamado antes.
- Right: Yo me arrepiento de no haber llamado antes.
- Why: Arrepentirse is reflexive: the pronoun me is required. Without it the sentence means something else, or nothing at all.
Quiz: arrepentirse in use
Ten questions on arrepentirse across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of arrepentirse in the present tense?
- (a) se arrepiente
- (b) nos arrepentimos
- (c) me arrepiento
- (d) te arrepientes
Answer: (c) me arrepiento. The i form in the present is me arrepiento.
2. What is the he / she form of arrepentirse in the present tense?
- (a) nos arrepentimos
- (b) se arrepiente
- (c) me arrepiento
- (d) te arrepientes
Answer: (b) se arrepiente. The he / she form in the present is se arrepiente.
3. What is the he / she form of arrepentirse in the preterite tense?
- (a) se arrepintió
- (b) me arrepentí
- (c) te arrepentiste
- (d) nos arrepentimos
Answer: (a) se arrepintió. The he / she form in the preterite is se arrepintió.
4. What is the i form of arrepentirse in the imperfect tense?
- (a) me arrepiento
- (b) me arrepentí
- (c) me arrepentiré
- (d) me arrepentía
Answer: (d) me arrepentía. The i form in the imperfect is me arrepentía. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of arrepentirse in the future tense?
- (a) se arrepentirá
- (b) nos arrepentiremos
- (c) me arrepentiré
- (d) te arrepentirás
Answer: (c) me arrepentiré. The i form in the future is me arrepentiré.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) arrepentí
- (b) arrepentía
- (c) arrepiento
- (d) he arrepentido
Answer: (d) he arrepentido. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he arrepentido.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él se ___ de no haber llamado antes.
- (a) arrepentía
- (b) arrepienta
- (c) arrepiente
- (d) arrepintió
Answer: (b) arrepienta. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: se arrepienta. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of arrepentirse in the present tense?
- (a) me arrepiento
- (b) te arrepientes
- (c) se arrepiente
- (d) nos arrepentimos
Answer: (d) nos arrepentimos. The we form in the present is nos arrepentimos.
9. What is the i form of arrepentirse in the preterite tense?
- (a) se arrepintió
- (b) nos arrepentimos
- (c) me arrepentí
- (d) te arrepentiste
Answer: (c) me arrepentí. The i form in the preterite is me arrepentí.
10. What is the they form of arrepentirse in the present tense?
- (a) se arrepiente
- (b) se arrepienten
- (c) me arrepiento
- (d) te arrepientes
Answer: (b) se arrepienten. The they form in the present is se arrepienten.
Frequently asked questions about arrepentirse
Is arrepentirse reflexive?
Yes. The pronouns me, te, se, nos, os, se go with the verb in every tense: me arrepiento, te arrepientes, se arrepiente. The tables show the verb forms; add the pronoun in front.
Does arrepentirse take de?
Yes: me arrepiento de mis palabras, me arrepiento de la decisión. The de introduces the thing you regret, whether it is a noun or an infinitive.
What is the difference between arrepentirse and lamentar?
Arrepentirse is remorse for your own action. Lamentar is regret about a fact. You arrepentirse de haberlo hecho; you lamentar que pasara.
How can I practise arrepentirse?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.