Atrasarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

atrasarse means "to fall behind" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see atrasarse with work because of the traffic, his studies because of the illness, the rent payment and the project delivery — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo me atraso en el trabajo por el tráfico. — "Every day, I fall behind at work because of the traffic." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.

atrasarse in everyday sentences

Twelve sentences with atrasarse, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.

Everyday use

  1. Cada día, yo me atraso en el trabajo por el tráfico. — "Every day, I fall behind at work because of the traffic." The present tense fits a habit here.
  2. Ayer, yo me atrasé en los estudios por la enfermedad. — "Yesterday, I fell behind in his studies because of the illness." The preterite fits one finished action.
  3. Antes, yo me atrasaba en el pago del alquiler. — "In the past, I used to fall behind with the rent payment." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
  4. Mañana, nosotros nos atrasaremos en la entrega del proyecto. — "Tomorrow, we will fall behind with the project delivery." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
  5. Si pudieras, tú te atrasarías en el trabajo por el tráfico. — "If you could, you would fall behind at work because of the traffic." The conditional fits something that would happen.
  6. Yo me he atrasado en los estudios por la enfermedad. — "I have fallen behind in his studies because of the illness." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.

More situations

  1. Normalmente, él se atrasa en el pago del alquiler. — "Normally, he/she falls behind with the rent payment." The present tense fits a general truth here.
  2. Ayer, él se atrasó en la entrega del proyecto. — "Yesterday, he/she fell behind with the project delivery." The preterite fits one finished action.
  3. Antes, nosotros nos atrasábamos en el trabajo por el tráfico. — "In the past, we used to fall behind at work because of the traffic." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
  4. Mañana, yo me atrasaré en los estudios por la enfermedad. — "Tomorrow, I will fall behind in his studies because of the illness." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
  5. Espero que él se atrase en el pago del alquiler. — "I hope that he/she falls behind with the rent payment." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
  6. ¡No te atrases en la entrega del proyecto! — "Do not fall behind with the project delivery!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.

The verb in context

Two short dialogues using atrasarse naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: work because of the traffic, his studies because of the illness, the rent payment and the project delivery.

Dialogue 1: talking about work because of the traffic

María: ¿Tú te atrasas en el trabajo por el tráfico? — "Do you fall behind at work because of the traffic?" Carlos: Sí, yo me atraso en el trabajo por el tráfico. — "I fall behind at work because of the traffic." María: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Carlos: Ayer, yo me atrasé en los estudios por la enfermedad. — "Yesterday, I fell behind in his studies because of the illness." María: Mañana, nosotros nos atrasaremos en el pago del alquiler. — "Tomorrow, we will fall behind with the rent payment." Carlos: Si pudiera, yo me atrasaría en la entrega del proyecto. — "If I could, I would fall behind with the project delivery." María: Antes, yo me atrasaba en los estudios por la enfermedad. — "In the past, I used to fall behind in his studies because of the illness." Carlos: Yo me he atrasado en el trabajo por el tráfico. — "I have fallen behind at work because of the traffic." María: ¡No te atrases en el pago del alquiler! — "Do not fall behind with the rent payment!"

In this dialogue atrasarse appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.

Dialogue 2: talking about the rent payment

María: Él se atrasa en el pago del alquiler. — "he/she falls behind with the rent payment." Carlos: ¿De verdad? ¿Él se atrasa en el pago del alquiler todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she falls behind with the rent payment every day?" María: Sí, y ellos se atrasan en la entrega del proyecto. — "they fall behind with the project delivery." Carlos: Ayer, ellos se atrasaron en el pago del alquiler. — "Yesterday, they fell behind with the rent payment." María: Espero que él se atrase en la entrega del proyecto. — "I hope that he/she falls behind with the project delivery." Carlos: Mañana, él se atrasará en el pago del alquiler. — "Tomorrow, he/she will fall behind with the rent payment." María: Antes, nosotros nos atrasábamos en la entrega del proyecto. — "In the past, we used to fall behind with the project delivery." Carlos: Nosotros nos atrasamos en el trabajo por el tráfico también. — "we fall behind at work because of the traffic too."

This dialogue shows atrasarse in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with atrasarse

The errors learners actually make with atrasarse in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.

Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun

  • Wrong: Yo atraso en el trabajo por el tráfico.
  • Right: Yo me atraso en el trabajo por el tráfico.
  • Why: atrasarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me atraso en el trabajo por el tráfico.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.

Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form

  • Wrong: Yo atrasarse en el trabajo por el tráfico.
  • Right: Yo me atraso en el trabajo por el tráfico.
  • Why: The infinitive atrasarse is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form atraso.

Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday

  • Wrong: Ayer, yo me atraso en los estudios por la enfermedad.
  • Right: Ayer, yo me atrasé en los estudios por la enfermedad.
  • Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me atrasé en los estudios por la enfermedad. — "Yesterday, I fell behind in his studies because of the illness."

Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle

  • Wrong: Me estoy atrasado en el pago del alquiler.
  • Right: Me estoy atrasando en el pago del alquiler.
  • Why: After estar you need the gerund atrasando for the progressive. The participle atrasado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (me he atrasado), never after estar.

Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros

  • Wrong: Nosotros nos atrasa en el trabajo por el tráfico.
  • Right: Nosotros nos atrasamos en el trabajo por el tráfico.
  • Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes atrasamos, while atrasa belongs to él and ella.

Quiz: atrasarse in use

Test yourself with ten questions on atrasarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.

1. What is the yo form of atrasarse in the present tense?

  • (a) atrasa
  • (b) atrasamos
  • (c) atraso
  • (d) atrasas

Answer: (c) atraso. The yo form is atraso.

2. What is the tú form of atrasarse in the present tense?

  • (a) atrasamos
  • (b) atrasas
  • (c) atraso
  • (d) atrasa

Answer: (b) atrasas. The tú form is atrasas.

3. What is the él/ella form of atrasarse in the present tense?

  • (a) atrasa
  • (b) atraso
  • (c) atrasas
  • (d) atrasamos

Answer: (a) atrasa. The él/ella form is atrasa.

4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ en el trabajo por el tráfico.

  • (a) atrasas
  • (b) atrasa
  • (c) atrasamos
  • (d) atraso

Answer: (d) atraso. The sentence needs the yo form atraso.

5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ en los estudios por la enfermedad.

  • (a) atrasó
  • (b) atrasamos
  • (c) atrasé
  • (d) atrasaste

Answer: (c) atrasé. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is atrasé.

6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ en el pago del alquiler.

  • (a) atrasabais
  • (b) atrasaba
  • (c) atrasabas
  • (d) atrasábamos

Answer: (b) atrasaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is atrasaba.

7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ en la entrega del proyecto.

  • (a) atrasaré
  • (b) atrasarás
  • (c) atrasará
  • (d) atrasaremos

Answer: (a) atrasaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is atrasaré.

8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el trabajo por el tráfico.

  • (a) me he atrasado
  • (b) te has atrasado
  • (c) se ha atrasado
  • (d) nos hemos atrasado

Answer: (a) me he atrasado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: me he atrasado.

9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en el pago del alquiler.

  • (a) atrasemos
  • (b) atraséis
  • (c) atrase
  • (d) atrases

Answer: (c) atrase. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is atrase.

10. What does atrasarse mean in English?

  • (a) to neutralise
  • (b) to normalise
  • (c) to fall behind
  • (d) to moralise

Answer: (c) to fall behind. atrasarse means "to fall behind" in English.

Frequently asked questions about atrasarse

What does atrasarse mean?

atrasarse means "to fall behind" in English. Use it when you talk about work because of the traffic, his studies because of the illness, the rent payment and the project delivery — for example: Cada día, yo me atraso en el trabajo por el tráfico. — "Every day, I fall behind at work because of the traffic."

Is atrasarse reflexive?

Yes. atrasarse is reflexive, so it always travels with a pronoun: me, te, se, nos, os, se. Cada día, yo me atraso en el trabajo por el tráfico. — "Every day, I fall behind at work because of the traffic." If you drop the pronoun, the sentence is incomplete.

What is the most common mistake with atrasarse?

Forgetting the reflexive pronoun. Learners write the bare form — for example, Yo atraso en el trabajo por el tráfico — when the verb needs its pronoun: Cada día, yo me atraso en el trabajo por el tráfico. — "Every day, I fall behind at work because of the traffic." Keep the pronoun with the verb and the mistake disappears.

How can I practise atrasarse?

Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.

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