Arriesgarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb arriesgarse means to take a risk, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Arriesgarse means to take a risk, and it is used for risking money, time, your health or your reputation on something uncertain. It is always used with a plus an infinitive, as in arriesgarse a perder, and it is a spelling-change verb, so the subjunctive needs care. Like every Spanish verb, arriesgarse changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say me arriesgo a perder el dinero, and in the preterite you say me arriesgué a hablar sin preparar nada. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: arriesgarse
  • English: to take a risk
  • Verb type: irregular verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: arriesgando
  • Past participle: arriesgado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + arriesgado)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for arriesgarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Arriesgarse takes a, and the g becomes gu before e: the subjunctive is arriesgue, never arriesge.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for arriesgarse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Pronoun Form
yo me arriesgo
tú te arriesgas
él/ella/Ud. se arriesga
nosotros/as nos arriesgamos
vosotros/as os arriesgáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se arriesgan

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me arriesgué
tú te arriesgaste
él/ella/Ud. se arriesgó
nosotros/as nos arriesgamos
vosotros/as os arriesgasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se arriesgaron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me arriesgaba
tú te arriesgabas
él/ella/Ud. se arriesgaba
nosotros/as nos arriesgábamos
vosotros/as os arriesgabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se arriesgaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me arriesgaré
tú te arriesgarás
él/ella/Ud. se arriesgará
nosotros/as nos arriesgaremos
vosotros/as os arriesgaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se arriesgarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me arriesgaría
tú te arriesgarías
él/ella/Ud. se arriesgaría
nosotros/as nos arriesgaríamos
vosotros/as os arriesgaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se arriesgarían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he arriesgado
tú te has arriesgado
él/ella/Ud. se ha arriesgado
nosotros/as nos hemos arriesgado
vosotros/as os habéis arriesgado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han arriesgado

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había arriesgado
tú te habías arriesgado
él/ella/Ud. se había arriesgado
nosotros/as nos habíamos arriesgado
vosotros/as os habíais arriesgado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían arriesgado

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré arriesgado
tú te habrás arriesgado
él/ella/Ud. se habrá arriesgado
nosotros/as nos habremos arriesgado
vosotros/as os habréis arriesgado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán arriesgado

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría arriesgado
tú te habrías arriesgado
él/ella/Ud. se habría arriesgado
nosotros/as nos habríamos arriesgado
vosotros/as os habríais arriesgado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían arriesgado

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me arriesgue
tú te arriesgues
él/ella/Ud. se arriesgue
nosotros/as nos arriesguemos
vosotros/as os arriesguéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se arriesguen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me arriesgara
tú te arriesgaras
él/ella/Ud. se arriesgara
nosotros/as nos arriesgáramos
vosotros/as os arriesgarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se arriesgaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te arriesga
él/ella/Ud. se arriesgue
nosotros/as nos arriesguemos
vosotros/as os arriesgad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se arriesguen

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te arriesgues
él/ella/Ud. se arriesgue
nosotros/as nos arriesguemos
vosotros/as os arriesguéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se arriesguen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund arriesgando with estar for the progressive: estoy arriesgando (or me estoy arriesgando for this reflexive verb)
Past participle arriesgado with haber for the perfect tenses: he arriesgado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For arriesgarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me arriesgo a perder el dinero. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For arriesgarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me arriesgué a viajar sin seguro. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For arriesgarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me arriesgaba a hablar sin preparar nada. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For arriesgarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me arriesgaré a llegar tarde a la reunión. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For arriesgarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me arriesgaría a perder el dinero si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For arriesgarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he arriesgado a viajar sin seguro. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For arriesgarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había arriesgado a hablar sin preparar nada antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For arriesgarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré arriesgado a llegar tarde a la reunión. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For arriesgarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría arriesgado a perder el dinero con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. Note the spelling change here: the final consonant of the stem changes before e to keep the same sound, so learn these forms from the table rather than copying the infinitive stem. For arriesgarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se arriesgue a viajar sin seguro. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For arriesgarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se arriesgara a hablar sin preparar nada, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. Note the spelling change here: the final consonant of the stem changes before e to keep the same sound, so learn these forms from the table rather than copying the infinitive stem. For arriesgarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se arriesgue a llegar tarde a la reunión. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. Note the spelling change here: the final consonant of the stem changes before e to keep the same sound, so learn these forms from the table rather than copying the infinitive stem. For arriesgarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te arriesgues a perder el dinero. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with arriesgarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me arriesgo a perder el dinero. — I take a risk to lose the money.
  2. Se arriesga a viajar sin seguro. — He/she takes a risk to travel without insurance.
  3. Ayer, me arriesgué a hablar sin preparar nada. — Yesterday, I took a risk to speak without preparing anything.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos arriesgábamos a llegar tarde a la reunión. — Before, we used to take a risk to arrive late for the meeting.
  5. Mañana, tú te arriesgarás a perder el dinero. — Tomorrow, you will take a risk to lose the money.
  6. Yo me arriesgaría a viajar sin seguro si tuviera más tiempo. — I would take a risk to travel without insurance if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha arriesgado a hablar sin preparar nada. — He has taken a risk to speak without preparing anything.
  8. Espero que él se arriesgue a llegar tarde a la reunión. — I hope he takes a risk to arrive late for the meeting.
  9. Yo ya me había arriesgado a perder el dinero antes de salir. — I had already taken a risk to lose the money before leaving.
  10. Ellos se arriesgaban a viajar sin seguro cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to take a risk to travel without insurance when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo arriesgo a perder el dinero. — Right: Yo me arriesgo a perder el dinero. — Arriesgarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo arriesgé a viajar sin seguro. — Right: Ayer yo arriesgué a viajar sin seguro. — Arriesgarse has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is arriesgué, not the regular arriesgé. Learn the preterite forms in the table as a set.
  3. Wrong: Treating arriesgarse and atreverse as identical in every context. — Right: Arriesgarse means to take a risk, while atreverse means to dare. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: arriesgarse fits sentences such as Me arriesgo a perder el dinero, while atreverse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy arriesgado a viajar sin seguro. — Right: Yo he arriesgado a viajar sin seguro. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he arriesgado, has arriesgado, ha arriesgado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo arriesgué a hablar sin preparar nada todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo arriesgaba a hablar sin preparar nada todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (arriesgaba), not the preterite. The preterite (arriesgué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on arriesgarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a perder el dinero. (present tense) A. me arriesgo B. te arriesgas C. se arriesga D. nos arriesgamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a viajar sin seguro. (preterite) A. me arriesgué B. te arriesgaste C. se arriesgaron D. se arriesgó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a hablar sin preparar nada. (imperfect) A. te arriesgabas B. se arriesgaban C. nos arriesgábamos D. me arriesgaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a llegar tarde a la reunión. (future) A. nos arriesgaremos B. te arriesgarás C. me arriesgaré D. se arriesgará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a perder el dinero si pudiera. (conditional) A. me arriesgaría B. te arriesgarías C. se arriesgaría D. se arriesgarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a viajar sin seguro. (present subjunctive) A. me arriesgue B. te arriesgues C. nos arriesguemos D. se arriesgue

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a hablar sin preparar nada, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se arriesgara B. nos arriesgáramos C. me arriesgara D. te arriesgaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a llegar tarde a la reunión. (present perfect) A. se han arriesgado B. nos hemos arriesgado C. me he arriesgado D. te has arriesgado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ a perder el dinero. (negative imperative, tú) A. te arriesgues B. se arriesgue C. nos arriesguemos D. os arriesguéis

  10. Which is the gerund of arriesgarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. arriesgado B. arriesgo C. arriesgué D. arriesgando

Answer key

  1. me arriesgo — The first-person present of arriesgarse is me arriesgo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se arriesgó — The third-person preterite of arriesgarse is se arriesgó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos arriesgábamos — The nosotros imperfect of arriesgarse is nos arriesgábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te arriesgarás — The second-person future of arriesgarse is te arriesgarás.
  5. me arriesgaría — The first-person conditional of arriesgarse is me arriesgaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se arriesgue — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of arriesgarse is se arriesgue.
  7. me arriesgara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of arriesgarse is me arriesgara.
  8. nos hemos arriesgado — The nosotros present perfect of arriesgarse is nos hemos arriesgado: hemos + arriesgado.
  9. te arriesgues — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te arriesgues.
  10. arriesgando — The gerund of arriesgarse is arriesgando: estoy arriesgando. The participle arriesgado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does arriesgarse mean in English?

Arriesgarse means to take a risk. It is used in everyday situations such as Me arriesgo a perder el dinero. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is arriesgarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Arriesgarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me arriesgo a perder el dinero and él se arriesga a viajar sin seguro. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between arriesgarse and atreverse?

Arriesgarse means to take a risk, while atreverse means to dare. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use arriesgarse when you mean to take a risk, as in Me arriesgo a perder el dinero, and use atreverse for to dare. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I take a risk” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me arriesgué a viajar sin seguro. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me arriesgaba a hablar sin preparar nada. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he arriesgado a viajar sin seguro.

How do I practise arriesgarse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the arriesgarse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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