Arrepentirse Present Tense in Spanish
Introduction
arrepentirse means "to regret" 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 arrepentirse, 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 arrepiento de no haber llamado antes. — "Every day, I regret not having called earlier." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of arrepentirse: full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| Yo | me arrepiento |
| Tú | te arrepientes |
| Él / Ella | se arrepiente |
| Nosotros | nos arrepentimos |
| Vosotros | os arrepentís |
| Ellos | se arrepienten |
The gerund of arrepentirse is arrepintiendo and the past participle is arrepentido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy arrepintiendo), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he arrepentido).
How the present tense of arrepentirse is formed
The present tense of arrepentirse is built from the stem arrepent- plus the -ir endings: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en — but the stem vowel changes e → ie in the stressed persons: yo arrepiento, tú arrepientes, él arrepiente, nosotros arrepentimos, vosotros arrepentís and ellos arrepienten. Nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem; the other four persons take the changed stem. Add the reflexive pronoun in front: me arrepiento, te arrepientes, se arrepiente, nos arrepentimos, os arrepentís, se arrepienten.
Arrepentirse is a reflexive verb, so the pronouns me, te, se, nos, os and se go with the verb in every tense. The table above shows the verb forms themselves; add the pronoun in front: me arrepiento, te arrepientes, se arrepiente, and so on. In affirmative commands the pronoun attaches to the end of the verb instead.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is arrepintiendo, used for the progressive with estar: estoy arrepintiendo. The past participle is arrepentido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he arrepentido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with arrepentirse
1. Regretting harsh words
Me arrepiento de mis palabras duras is the most human use of this verb. It means you wish you had not said what you said, and it is a sentence that carries real remorse. For example: Yo me arrepiento de no haber llamado antes. — "I regret not having called earlier."
2. Regretting not calling
Me arrepiento de no haber llamado antes shows the verb with an infinitive after de. It means you regret an omission, something you failed to do, and it is a very common sentence. For example: Tú te arrepientes de mis palabras duras. — "You regret my harsh words."
3. Regretting a decision
Me arrepiento de la decisión is the short, direct use: it means you wish you had decided differently. It is the verb of second thoughts. For example: Él / Ella se arrepiente de la decisión. — "He / She regrets the decision."
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, to talk about tomorrow's plan you can use the future — Mañana, yo me arrepentiré de haber gastado tanto dinero. — "Tomorrow, I will regret having spent so much money." — but in conversation you will also hear the present used the same way.
5. General truths and routines
Finally, the present tense states general truths and routines: what usually happens, what is always true, what people normally do. It is the tense of habits and of facts that do not belong to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él / ella se arrepiente de no haber llamado antes. — "Normally, he / she regrets not having called earlier."
Present vs preterite: arrepentirse
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 arrepentirse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me arrepiento de no haber llamado antes. — "Every day, I regret not having called earlier."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me arrepentí de no haber llamado antes. — "Yesterday, I regretted not having called earlier."
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, yo me arrepiento de mis palabras duras. — "Every day, I regret my harsh words."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me arrepentí de mis palabras duras. — "Yesterday, I regretted my harsh words."
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, yo me arrepiento de la decisión. — "Every day, I regret the decision."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me arrepentí de la decisión. — "Yesterday, I regretted the decision."
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: arrepentirse in the present tense
These six sentences show arrepentirse 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 arrepiento de no haber llamado antes. — "I regret not having called earlier."
- Tú te arrepientes de mis palabras duras. — "You regret my harsh words."
- Él / Ella se arrepiente de la decisión. — "He / She regrets the decision."
- Nosotros nos arrepentimos de haber gastado tanto dinero. — "We regret having spent so much money."
- Vosotros os arrepentís de no haber llamado antes. — "You regret not having called earlier."
- Ellos se arrepienten de mis palabras duras. — "They regret my harsh words."
Common mistakes with arrepentirse in the present tense
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: Ayer, yo me arrepiento de no haber llamado antes.
- Right: Ayer, yo me arrepentí de no haber llamado antes.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite. The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo arrepentis de no haber llamado antes.
- Right: Yo arrepentís de no haber llamado antes.
- Why: The form is arrepentís, with a written accent. The accent is part of the spelling, and without it the word is misspelled.
Quiz: the present tense of arrepentirse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of arrepentirse. 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) arrepiento
- (b) arrepientes
- (c) arrepiente
- (d) arrepentimos
Answer: (a) arrepiento. The i form is arrepiento. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the you form of arrepentirse in the present tense?
- (a) arrepiento
- (b) arrepiente
- (c) arrepentimos
- (d) arrepientes
Answer: (d) arrepientes. The you form is arrepientes. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the he / she form of arrepentirse in the present tense?
- (a) arrepientes
- (b) arrepentimos
- (c) arrepiente
- (d) arrepiento
Answer: (c) arrepiente. The he / she form is arrepiente. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the we form of arrepentirse in the present tense?
- (a) arrepiente
- (b) arrepentimos
- (c) arrepiento
- (d) arrepientes
Answer: (b) arrepentimos. The we form is arrepentimos. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the they form of arrepentirse in the present tense?
- (a) arrepienten
- (b) arrepiento
- (c) arrepientes
- (d) arrepiente
Answer: (a) arrepienten. The they form is arrepienten. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ de no haber llamado antes.
- (a) arrepiente
- (b) arrepentimos
- (c) arrepiento
- (d) arrepientes
Answer: (c) arrepiento. The sentence needs the yo form arrepiento (Every day, I regret not having called earlier.)
7. What is the gerund of arrepentirse?
- (a) arrepentido
- (b) arrepentirse
- (c) arrepiente
- (d) arrepintiendo
Answer: (d) arrepintiendo. The gerund is arrepintiendo, used for the progressive: estoy arrepintiendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, yo me arrepiento de mis palabras duras.
- (b) Antes, yo me arrepentía de mis palabras duras.
- (c) Ayer, yo me arrepentí de mis palabras duras.
- (d) Mañana, yo me arrepentiré de mis palabras duras.
Answer: (a) Cada día, yo me arrepiento de mis palabras duras.. Cada día, yo me arrepiento de mis palabras duras. (Every day, I regret my harsh words.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me arrepentí de mis palabras duras. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me arrepentiré de mis palabras duras. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of 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.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with arrepentirse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me arrepiento de no haber llamado antes. — "Every day, I regret not having called earlier." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me arrepentí de no haber llamado antes. — "Yesterday, I regretted not having called earlier." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.