Calzarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb calzarse means to put on (shoes), and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Calzarse means to put on your shoes, and it is used for putting on shoes, boots or trainers before going out. It is the reflexive partner of calzar, and it is a spelling-change verb, so the subjunctive is calce, not calze. Like every Spanish verb, calzarse 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 calzo las botas antes de salir, and in the preterite you say me calcé los zapatos nuevos para la boda. 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: calzarse
  • English: to put on (shoes)
  • Verb type: irregular verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: calzando
  • Past participle: calzado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + calzado)
  • 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 calzarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Calzarse is reflexive, and the z becomes c before e: the subjunctive is calce, never calze.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for calzarse. 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 calzo
tú te calzas
él/ella/Ud. se calza
nosotros/as nos calzamos
vosotros/as os calzáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se calzan

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me calcé
tú te calzaste
él/ella/Ud. se calzó
nosotros/as nos calzamos
vosotros/as os calzasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se calzaron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me calzaba
tú te calzabas
él/ella/Ud. se calzaba
nosotros/as nos calzábamos
vosotros/as os calzabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se calzaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me calzaré
tú te calzarás
él/ella/Ud. se calzará
nosotros/as nos calzaremos
vosotros/as os calzaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se calzarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me calzaría
tú te calzarías
él/ella/Ud. se calzaría
nosotros/as nos calzaríamos
vosotros/as os calzaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se calzarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me calce
tú te calces
él/ella/Ud. se calce
nosotros/as nos calcemos
vosotros/as os calcéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se calcen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me calzara
tú te calzaras
él/ella/Ud. se calzara
nosotros/as nos calzáramos
vosotros/as os calzarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se calzaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te calza
él/ella/Ud. se calce
nosotros/as nos calcemos
vosotros/as os calzad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se calcen

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te calces
él/ella/Ud. se calce
nosotros/as nos calcemos
vosotros/as os calcéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se calcen

Gerund and past participle

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

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 calzarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me calzo las botas antes de salir. 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 calzarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me calcé las zapatillas para correr. 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 calzarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me calzaba los zapatos nuevos para la boda. 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 calzarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me calzaré las sandalias en verano. 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 calzarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me calzaría las botas antes de salir 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 calzarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he calzado las zapatillas para correr. 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 calzarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había calzado los zapatos nuevos para la boda 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 calzarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré calzado las sandalias en verano. 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 calzarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría calzado las botas antes de salir 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 calzarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se calce las zapatillas para correr. 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 calzarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se calzara los zapatos nuevos para la boda, 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 calzarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se calce las sandalias en verano. 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 calzarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te calces las botas antes de salir. 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 calzarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me calzo las botas antes de salir. — I put on my shoes my boots before going out.
  2. Se calza las zapatillas para correr. — He/she puts on his shoes my trainers to go running.
  3. Ayer, me calcé los zapatos nuevos para la boda. — Yesterday, I put on my shoes my new shoes for the wedding.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos calzábamos las sandalias en verano. — Before, we used to put on our shoes my sandals in summer.
  5. Mañana, tú te calzarás las botas antes de salir. — Tomorrow, you will put on your shoes my boots before going out.
  6. Yo me calzaría las zapatillas para correr si tuviera más tiempo. — I would put on my shoes my trainers to go running if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha calzado los zapatos nuevos para la boda. — He has put on his shoes my new shoes for the wedding.
  8. Espero que él se calce las sandalias en verano. — I hope he puts on his shoes my sandals in summer.
  9. Yo ya me había calzado las botas antes de salir antes de salir. — I had already put on my shoes my boots before going out before leaving.
  10. Ellos se calzaban las zapatillas para correr cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to put on their shoes my trainers to go running when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo calzo las botas antes de salir. — Right: Yo me calzo las botas antes de salir. — Calzarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo calzé las zapatillas para correr. — Right: Ayer yo calcé las zapatillas para correr. — Calzarse has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is calcé, not the regular calzé. Learn the preterite forms in the table as a set.
  3. Wrong: Treating calzarse and descalzarse as identical in every context. — Right: Calzarse means to put on (shoes), while descalzarse means to take off your shoes. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: calzarse fits sentences such as Me calzo las botas antes de salir, while descalzarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy calzado las zapatillas para correr. — Right: Yo he calzado las zapatillas para correr. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he calzado, has calzado, ha calzado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo calcé los zapatos nuevos para la boda todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo calzaba los zapatos nuevos para la boda todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (calzaba), not the preterite. The preterite (calcé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ las botas antes de salir. (present tense) A. me calzo B. te calzas C. se calza D. nos calzamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ las zapatillas para correr. (preterite) A. me calcé B. te calzaste C. se calzaron D. se calzó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ los zapatos nuevos para la boda. (imperfect) A. te calzabas B. se calzaban C. nos calzábamos D. me calzaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ las sandalias en verano. (future) A. nos calzaremos B. te calzarás C. me calzaré D. se calzará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ las botas antes de salir si pudiera. (conditional) A. me calzaría B. te calzarías C. se calzaría D. se calzarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ las zapatillas para correr. (present subjunctive) A. me calce B. te calces C. nos calcemos D. se calce

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ los zapatos nuevos para la boda, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se calzara B. nos calzáramos C. me calzara D. te calzaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ las sandalias en verano. (present perfect) A. se han calzado B. nos hemos calzado C. me he calzado D. te has calzado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ las botas antes de salir. (negative imperative, tú) A. te calces B. se calce C. nos calcemos D. os calcéis

  10. Which is the gerund of calzarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. calzado B. calzo C. calcé D. calzando

Answer key

  1. me calzo — The first-person present of calzarse is me calzo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se calzó — The third-person preterite of calzarse is se calzó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos calzábamos — The nosotros imperfect of calzarse is nos calzábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te calzarás — The second-person future of calzarse is te calzarás.
  5. me calzaría — The first-person conditional of calzarse is me calzaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se calce — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of calzarse is se calce.
  7. me calzara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of calzarse is me calzara.
  8. nos hemos calzado — The nosotros present perfect of calzarse is nos hemos calzado: hemos + calzado.
  9. te calces — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te calces.
  10. calzando — The gerund of calzarse is calzando: estoy calzando. The participle calzado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does calzarse mean in English?

Calzarse means to put on (shoes). It is used in everyday situations such as Me calzo las botas antes de salir. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is calzarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Calzarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me calzo las botas antes de salir and él se calza las zapatillas para correr. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between calzarse and descalzarse?

Calzarse means to put on (shoes), while descalzarse means to take off your shoes. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use calzarse when you mean to put on (shoes), as in Me calzo las botas antes de salir, and use descalzarse for to take off your shoes. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I put on (shoes)” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me calcé las zapatillas para correr. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me calzaba los zapatos nuevos para la boda. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he calzado las zapatillas para correr.

How do I practise calzarse?

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

Related links