Ausentarse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of ausentarse — “to be absent” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for ausentarse with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Ausentarse means to be absent, and it is the reflexive, formal verb for being away from work, from class or from a meeting: you are absent for a week, you leave the office for an hour. It takes de for the place, as in ausentarse del trabajo. Ausentarse is a reflexive regular -ar verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Me ausento del trabajo por una semana.
Present tense conjugation table: ausentarse
Every person of ausentarse in the present tense, with the reflexive pronoun. The gerund is ausentándose with the pronoun attached, and the past participle is ausentado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me ausento |
| tú | te ausentas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se ausenta |
| nosotros/as | nos ausentamos |
| vosotros/as | os ausentáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se ausentan |
How the present of ausentarse is formed
The present of ausentarse is built from the stem ausent- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending and the reflexive -se, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me ausento |
| tú | -as | te ausentas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se ausenta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos ausentamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os ausentáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se ausentan |
For ausentarse there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem ausent- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.
Because ausentarse is reflexive, the pronoun goes before the verb in every form: me, te, se, nos, os, se. In the gerund the pronoun attaches to the end: ausentándose.
When to use the present tense with ausentarse
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo me ausento del trabajo por una semana. — I am absent from work for a week.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella se ausenta de clase por enfermedad. — He is absent from class through illness.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as nos ausentamos de la reunión una hora. — Right now, We are absent from the meeting for an hour.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú te ausentas de la ciudad el fin de semana. — Tomorrow, You are absent from the city for the weekend.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella se ausenta del trabajo por una semana. — He is absent from work for a week.
The present vs the preterite
The present and the preterite answer different questions: the present says what happens regularly or right now, while the preterite says what happened once and finished. Compare the same idea in both tenses with ausentarse.
- Yo me ausento del trabajo por una semana. — I am absent from work for a week. / Ayer, Yo me ausenté del trabajo por una semana. — Yesterday, I was absent from work for a week.
- Yo me ausento de clase por enfermedad. — I am absent from class through illness. / Ayer, Yo me ausenté de clase por enfermedad. — Yesterday, I was absent from class through illness.
- Yo me ausento de la reunión una hora. — I am absent from the meeting for an hour. / Ayer, Yo me ausenté de la reunión una hora. — Yesterday, I was absent from the meeting for an hour.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with ausentarse in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo me ausento del trabajo por una semana. — I am absent from work for a week.
- Tú te ausentas de clase por enfermedad. — You are absent from class through illness.
- Él/Ella se ausenta de la reunión una hora. — He is absent from the meeting for an hour.
- Nosotros/as nos ausentamos de la ciudad el fin de semana. — We are absent from the city for the weekend.
- Vosotros/as os ausentáis del trabajo por una semana. — You are absent from work for a week.
- Ellos/as se ausentan de clase por enfermedad. — They are absent from class through illness.
- Yo me ausento de la reunión una hora. — I am absent from the meeting for an hour.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo ausenta del trabajo por una semana. — Right: Yo ausento del trabajo por una semana. — The person matters: ausenta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is ausento.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo ausento de clase por enfermedad. — Right: Ayer, yo ausenté de clase por enfermedad. — With ayer, use the preterite (ausenté), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Yo ausento del trabajo por una semana. — Right: Yo me ausento del trabajo por una semana. — Ausentarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required in the present tense too.
- Wrong: Espero que él ausenta de clase por enfermedad. — Right: Espero que él ausente de clase por enfermedad. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: ausente, not the present indicative ausenta.
Quiz: the present tense of ausentarse
Eight questions on the present tense of ausentarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ del trabajo por una semana. (present tense, yo) A. me ausento B. te ausentas C. se ausenta D. nos ausentamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ de clase por enfermedad. (present tense, tú) A. me ausento B. se ausenta C. nos ausentamos D. te ausentas
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ de la reunión una hora. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. te ausentas B. nos ausentamos C. se ausenta D. me ausento
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ de la ciudad el fin de semana. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. se ausenta B. nos ausentamos C. me ausento D. te ausentas
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ del trabajo por una semana. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. os ausentáis B. me ausento C. te ausentas D. se ausenta
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ de clase por enfermedad. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. me ausento B. te ausentas C. se ausenta D. se ausentan
Which is the gerund of ausentarse? A. ausento B. ausenté C. ausentando D. ausentado
Which is the past participle of ausentarse, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. ausenté B. ausentado C. ausentando D. ausento
Answer key
- me ausento — The yo present form of ausentarse is me ausento.
- te ausentas — The tú present form of ausentarse is te ausentas.
- se ausenta — The él/ella/Ud. present form of ausentarse is se ausenta.
- nos ausentamos — The nosotros/as present form of ausentarse is nos ausentamos.
- os ausentáis — The vosotros/as present form of ausentarse is os ausentáis.
- se ausentan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of ausentarse is se ausentan.
- ausentando — The gerund of ausentarse is ausentando: estoy ausentando.
- ausentado — The past participle of ausentarse is ausentado: he ausentado, has ausentado, ha ausentado.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of ausentarse formed?
Take the infinitive ausentarse, drop the -ar ending and the reflexive -se to get the stem ausent-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of ausentarse is fully regular: the stem ausent- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of ausentarse?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Me ausento del trabajo por una semana.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of ausentarse?
The present (ausento) and the preterite (ausenté) answer different questions: the present is for habits and for right now, while the preterite is for one finished action. Compare them in the contrast section above.
How do I practise the present of ausentarse?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of ausentarse to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the ausentarse examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Ausentarse conjugation — the full conjugation tables for ausentarse.
- Ausentarse examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for ausentarse.
- Spanish present tense guide — when and how to use the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Reflexive Verb Conjugator — practise reflexive verbs with the right pronoun for every person.
- Present-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.