Arrimarse Present Tense in Spanish
arrimarse means "to draw near" 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 arrimarse, 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 arrimo a la pared en la oscuridad. — "Every day, I draw near to the wall in the dark." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of arrimarse: full table
Every person of arrimarse in the present tense. The gerund is arrimándose and the past participle is arrimado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me arrimo |
| tú | te arrimas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se arrima |
| nosotros/as | nos arrimamos |
| vosotros/as | os arrimáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se arriman |
The gerund of arrimarse is arrimándose and the past participle is arrimado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy arrimándose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he arrimado). Because arrimarse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of arrimarse is formed
The present tense of arrimarse is built from the stem arrim- 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 arrimo, tú te arrimas, él se arrima, nosotros nos arrimamos, vosotros os arrimáis and ellos se arriman. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me arrimo |
| tú | -as | te arrimas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se arrima |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos arrimamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os arrimáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se arriman |
arrimarse 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 arrimáis.
arrimarse 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 arrimándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is arrimado.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is arrimándose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy arrimándose. The past participle is arrimado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he arrimado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with arrimarse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me arrimo a la pared en la oscuridad. — "Every day, I draw near to the wall in the dark." The complement in this sentence is about the wall in the dark, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear arrimarse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te arrimas al fuego en invierno. — "Now, you draw near to the fire in winter." The complement in this sentence is about the fire in winter, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear arrimarse 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 arrima a su madre en el mercado. — "Normally, he/she draws near to his mother in the market." The complement in this sentence is about his mother in the market, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear arrimarse 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 arrimamos a la ventana para ver la calle. — "Tomorrow, we draw near to the window to see the street." The complement in this sentence is about the window to see the street, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear arrimarse 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 arriman a la pared en la oscuridad. — "Always, they draw near to the wall in the dark." The complement in this sentence is about the wall in the dark, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear arrimarse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: arrimarse
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 arrimarse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me arrimo a la pared en la oscuridad. — "Every day, I draw near to the wall in the dark."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me arrimé a la pared en la oscuridad. — "Yesterday, I drew near to the wall in the dark."
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 arrimas al fuego en invierno. — "Every day, you draw near to the fire in winter."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te arrimaste al fuego en invierno. — "Yesterday, you drew near to the fire in winter."
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 arrima a su madre en el mercado. — "Every day, he/she draws near to his mother in the market."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se arrimó a su madre en el mercado. — "Yesterday, he/she drew near to his mother in the market."
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: arrimarse in the present tense
These eight sentences show arrimarse 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 arrimo a la pared en la oscuridad. — "I draw near to the wall in the dark."
- Tú te arrimas al fuego en invierno. — "you draw near to the fire in winter."
- Él se arrima a su madre en el mercado. — "he/she draws near to his mother in the market."
- Nosotros nos arrimamos a la ventana para ver la calle. — "we draw near to the window to see the street."
- Vosotros os arrimáis a la pared en la oscuridad. — "you (plural) draw near to the wall in the dark."
- Ellos se arriman al fuego en invierno. — "they draw near to the fire in winter."
- Yo me arrimo a su madre en el mercado. — "I draw near to his mother in the market."
- Tú te arrimas a la ventana para ver la calle. — "you draw near to the window to see the street."
Common mistakes with arrimarse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo arrimo a la pared en la oscuridad.
- Right: Yo me arrimo a la pared en la oscuridad.
- Why: arrimarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me arrimo a la pared en la oscuridad.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os arrimais a la pared en la oscuridad.
- Right: Vosotros os arrimáis a la pared en la oscuridad.
- Why: The vosotros form arrimáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me arrimo al fuego en invierno.
- Right: Ayer, yo me arrimé al fuego en invierno.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me arrimé al fuego en invierno. — "Yesterday, I drew near to the fire in winter." 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 arrimo a su madre en el mercado.
- Right: Antes, yo me arrimaba a su madre en el mercado.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me arrimaba a su madre en el mercado. — "In the past, I used to draw near to his mother in the market." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos arrima a la pared en la oscuridad.
- Right: Nosotros nos arrimamos a la pared en la oscuridad.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes arrimamos, while arrima belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of arrimarse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of arrimarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of arrimarse in the present tense?
- (a) arrimo
- (b) arrimas
- (c) arrima
- (d) arrimamos
Answer: (a) arrimo. The yo form is arrimo. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of arrimarse in the present tense?
- (a) arrimo
- (b) arrima
- (c) arrimamos
- (d) arrimas
Answer: (d) arrimas. The tú form is arrimas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of arrimarse in the present tense?
- (a) arrimas
- (b) arrimamos
- (c) arrima
- (d) arrimo
Answer: (c) arrima. The él/ella form is arrima. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of arrimarse in the present tense?
- (a) arrima
- (b) arrimamos
- (c) arrimo
- (d) arrimas
Answer: (b) arrimamos. The nosotros form is arrimamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of arrimarse in the present tense?
- (a) arriman
- (b) arrimo
- (c) arrimas
- (d) arrima
Answer: (a) arriman. The ellos/ellas form is arriman. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ a la pared en la oscuridad.
- (a) arrimas
- (b) arrima
- (c) arrimamos
- (d) arrimo
Answer: (d) arrimo. The sentence needs the yo form arrimo (Every day, I draw near to the wall in the dark.)
7. What is the gerund of arrimarse?
- (a) arrimado
- (b) arrimo
- (c) arrimarse
- (d) arrimando
Answer: (d) arrimando. The gerund is arrimando, used for the progressive: me estoy arrimando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Ayer, yo me arrimé al fuego en invierno.
- (b) Mañana, yo me arrimaré al fuego en invierno.
- (c) Cada día, yo me arrimo al fuego en invierno.
- (d) Antes, yo me arrimaba al fuego en invierno.
Answer: (c) Cada día, yo me arrimo al fuego en invierno.. Cada día, yo me arrimo al fuego en invierno. (Every day, I draw near to the fire in winter.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me arrimé al fuego en invierno. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me arrimaré al fuego en invierno. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of arrimarse
Is arrimarse regular in the present tense?
Yes. arrimarse is a regular -ar verb: arrimo, arrimas, arrima, arrimamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'draw near' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me arrimo a la pared en la oscuridad. — "Every day, I draw near to the wall in the dark." 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 arrimarse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me arrimo al fuego en invierno. — "Every day, I draw near to the fire in winter." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me arrimé al fuego en invierno. — "Yesterday, I drew near to the fire in winter." 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 arrimarse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos arrimamos a la ventana para ver la calle. — "Tomorrow, we draw near to the window to see the street." 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.