Atreverse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb atreverse means to dare, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Atreverse means to dare, and it is used for daring to do something brave, risky or embarrassing, from speaking in public to jumping into cold water. It is always used with a plus an infinitive, as in atreverse a hablar, and it is fully regular apart from the reflexive pronoun. Like every Spanish verb, atreverse 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 atrevo a hablar en público, and in the preterite you say me atreví a decir la verdad. 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: atreverse
  • English: to dare
  • Verb type: regular -er verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: atreviendo
  • Past participle: atrevido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + atrevido)
  • 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 atreverse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Atreverse always takes a: me atrevo a hablar. The infinitive after a is the thing you dare to do.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for atreverse. 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 atrevo
tú te atreves
él/ella/Ud. se atreve
nosotros/as nos atrevemos
vosotros/as os atrevéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se atreven

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me atreví
tú te atreviste
él/ella/Ud. se atrevió
nosotros/as nos atrevimos
vosotros/as os atrevisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se atrevieron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me atrevía
tú te atrevías
él/ella/Ud. se atrevía
nosotros/as nos atrevíamos
vosotros/as os atrevíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se atrevían

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me atreveré
tú te atreverás
él/ella/Ud. se atreverá
nosotros/as nos atreveremos
vosotros/as os atreveréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se atreverán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me atrevería
tú te atreverías
él/ella/Ud. se atrevería
nosotros/as nos atreveríamos
vosotros/as os atreveríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se atreverían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me atreva
tú te atrevas
él/ella/Ud. se atreva
nosotros/as nos atrevamos
vosotros/as os atreváis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se atrevan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me atreviera
tú te atrevieras
él/ella/Ud. se atreviera
nosotros/as nos atreviéramos
vosotros/as os atrevierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se atrevieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te atreve
él/ella/Ud. se atreva
nosotros/as nos atrevamos
vosotros/as os atreved
ellos/ellas/Uds. se atrevan

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te atrevas
él/ella/Ud. se atreva
nosotros/as nos atrevamos
vosotros/as os atreváis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se atrevan

Gerund and past participle

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

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 atreverse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me atrevo a hablar en público. 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 atreverse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me atreví a saltar al agua fría. 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 atreverse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me atrevía a decir la verdad. 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 atreverse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me atreveré a pedir un aumento. 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 atreverse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me atrevería a hablar en público 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 atreverse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he atrevido a saltar al agua fría. 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 atreverse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había atrevido a decir la verdad 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 atreverse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré atrevido a pedir un aumento. 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 atreverse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría atrevido a hablar en público 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For atreverse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se atreva a saltar al agua fría. 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 atreverse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se atreviera a decir la verdad, 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For atreverse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se atreva a pedir un aumento. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For atreverse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te atrevas a hablar en público. 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 atreverse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me atrevo a hablar en público. — I dare to speak in public.
  2. Se atreve a saltar al agua fría. — He/she dares to jump into cold water.
  3. Ayer, me atreví a decir la verdad. — Yesterday, I dared to tell the truth.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos atrevíamos a pedir un aumento. — Before, we used to dare to ask for a pay rise.
  5. Mañana, tú te atreverás a hablar en público. — Tomorrow, you will dare to speak in public.
  6. Yo me atrevería a saltar al agua fría si tuviera más tiempo. — I would dare to jump into cold water if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha atrevido a decir la verdad. — He has dared to tell the truth.
  8. Espero que él se atreva a pedir un aumento. — I hope he dares to ask for a pay rise.
  9. Yo ya me había atrevido a hablar en público antes de salir. — I had already dared to speak in public before leaving.
  10. Ellos se atrevían a saltar al agua fría cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to dare to jump into cold water when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo atrevo a hablar en público. — Right: Yo me atrevo a hablar en público. — Atreverse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo atrevo a saltar al agua fría. — Right: Ayer yo atreví a saltar al agua fría. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: atrevo is happening now, while atreví is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating atreverse and arriesgarse as identical in every context. — Right: Atreverse means to dare, while arriesgarse means to take a risk. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: atreverse fits sentences such as Me atrevo a hablar en público, while arriesgarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy atrevido a saltar al agua fría. — Right: Yo he atrevido a saltar al agua fría. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he atrevido, has atrevido, ha atrevido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo atreví a decir la verdad todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo atrevía a decir la verdad todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (atrevía), not the preterite. The preterite (atreví) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a hablar en público. (present tense) A. me atrevo B. te atreves C. se atreve D. nos atrevemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a saltar al agua fría. (preterite) A. me atreví B. te atreviste C. se atrevieron D. se atrevió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a decir la verdad. (imperfect) A. te atrevías B. se atrevían C. nos atrevíamos D. me atrevía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a pedir un aumento. (future) A. nos atreveremos B. te atreverás C. me atreveré D. se atreverá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a hablar en público si pudiera. (conditional) A. me atrevería B. te atreverías C. se atrevería D. se atreverían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a saltar al agua fría. (present subjunctive) A. me atreva B. te atrevas C. nos atrevamos D. se atreva

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a decir la verdad, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se atreviera B. nos atreviéramos C. me atreviera D. te atrevieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a pedir un aumento. (present perfect) A. se han atrevido B. nos hemos atrevido C. me he atrevido D. te has atrevido

  9. Complete the command: No ___ a hablar en público. (negative imperative, tú) A. te atrevas B. se atreva C. nos atrevamos D. os atreváis

  10. Which is the gerund of atreverse, used with estar for the progressive? A. atrevido B. atrevo C. atreví D. atreviendo

Answer key

  1. me atrevo — The first-person present of atreverse is me atrevo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se atrevió — The third-person preterite of atreverse is se atrevió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos atrevíamos — The nosotros imperfect of atreverse is nos atrevíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te atreverás — The second-person future of atreverse is te atreverás.
  5. me atrevería — The first-person conditional of atreverse is me atrevería, the form for what would happen.
  6. se atreva — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of atreverse is se atreva.
  7. me atreviera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of atreverse is me atreviera.
  8. nos hemos atrevido — The nosotros present perfect of atreverse is nos hemos atrevido: hemos + atrevido.
  9. te atrevas — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te atrevas.
  10. atreviendo — The gerund of atreverse is atreviendo: estoy atreviendo. The participle atrevido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does atreverse mean in English?

Atreverse means to dare. It is used in everyday situations such as Me atrevo a hablar en público. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is atreverse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Atreverse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me atrevo a hablar en público and él se atreve a saltar al agua fría. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between atreverse and arriesgarse?

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

How do I say “I dare” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me atreví a saltar al agua fría. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me atrevía a decir la verdad. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he atrevido a saltar al agua fría.

How do I practise atreverse?

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

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