Cambiarse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of cambiarse — “to change (clothes)” 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 cambiarse 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. Cambiarse means to change, and it is the reflexive verb for changing your clothes, your shoes, your hairstyle or your house: you change before going out, you change your shoes at the door, you move house in June. It takes de for the thing changed, as in cambiarse de ropa. Cambiarse 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 cambio de ropa antes de salir.
Present tense conjugation table: cambiarse
Every person of cambiarse in the present tense, with the reflexive pronoun. The gerund is cambiándose with the pronoun attached, and the past participle is cambiado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me cambio |
| tú | te cambias |
| él/ella/Ud. | se cambia |
| nosotros/as | nos cambiamos |
| vosotros/as | os cambiáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se cambian |
How the present of cambiarse is formed
The present of cambiarse is built from the stem cambi- 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 cambio |
| tú | -as | te cambias |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se cambia |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos cambiamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os cambiáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se cambian |
For cambiarse there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem cambi- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.
Because cambiarse 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: cambiándose.
When to use the present tense with cambiarse
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo me cambio de ropa antes de salir. — I change clothes before going out.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella se cambia de zapatos en el portal. — He changes shoes in the doorway.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as nos cambiamos de casa en junio. — Right now, We change house in June.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú te cambias el peinado para la boda. — Tomorrow, You change my hairstyle for the wedding.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella se cambia de ropa antes de salir. — He changes clothes before going out.
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 cambiarse.
- Yo me cambio de ropa antes de salir. — I change clothes before going out. / Ayer, Yo me cambié de ropa antes de salir. — Yesterday, I changed clothes before going out.
- Yo me cambio de zapatos en el portal. — I change shoes in the doorway. / Ayer, Yo me cambié de zapatos en el portal. — Yesterday, I changed shoes in the doorway.
- Yo me cambio de casa en junio. — I change house in June. / Ayer, Yo me cambié de casa en junio. — Yesterday, I changed house in June.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with cambiarse in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo me cambio de ropa antes de salir. — I change clothes before going out.
- Tú te cambias de zapatos en el portal. — You change shoes in the doorway.
- Él/Ella se cambia de casa en junio. — He changes house in June.
- Nosotros/as nos cambiamos el peinado para la boda. — We change my hairstyle for the wedding.
- Vosotros/as os cambiáis de ropa antes de salir. — You change clothes before going out.
- Ellos/as se cambian de zapatos en el portal. — They change shoes in the doorway.
- Yo me cambio de casa en junio. — I change house in June.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo cambia de ropa antes de salir. — Right: Yo cambio de ropa antes de salir. — The person matters: cambia is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is cambio.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo cambio de zapatos en el portal. — Right: Ayer, yo cambié de zapatos en el portal. — With ayer, use the preterite (cambié), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Yo cambio de ropa antes de salir. — Right: Yo me cambio de ropa antes de salir. — Cambiarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required in the present tense too.
- Wrong: Espero que él cambia de zapatos en el portal. — Right: Espero que él cambie de zapatos en el portal. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: cambie, not the present indicative cambia.
Quiz: the present tense of cambiarse
Eight questions on the present tense of cambiarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de ropa antes de salir. (present tense, yo) A. me cambio B. te cambias C. se cambia D. nos cambiamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ de zapatos en el portal. (present tense, tú) A. me cambio B. se cambia C. nos cambiamos D. te cambias
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ de casa en junio. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. te cambias B. nos cambiamos C. se cambia D. me cambio
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el peinado para la boda. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. se cambia B. nos cambiamos C. me cambio D. te cambias
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ de ropa antes de salir. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. os cambiáis B. me cambio C. te cambias D. se cambia
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ de zapatos en el portal. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. me cambio B. te cambias C. se cambia D. se cambian
Which is the gerund of cambiarse? A. cambio B. cambié C. cambiando D. cambiado
Which is the past participle of cambiarse, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. cambié B. cambiado C. cambiando D. cambio
Answer key
- me cambio — The yo present form of cambiarse is me cambio.
- te cambias — The tú present form of cambiarse is te cambias.
- se cambia — The él/ella/Ud. present form of cambiarse is se cambia.
- nos cambiamos — The nosotros/as present form of cambiarse is nos cambiamos.
- os cambiáis — The vosotros/as present form of cambiarse is os cambiáis.
- se cambian — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of cambiarse is se cambian.
- cambiando — The gerund of cambiarse is cambiando: estoy cambiando.
- cambiado — The past participle of cambiarse is cambiado: he cambiado, has cambiado, ha cambiado.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of cambiarse formed?
Take the infinitive cambiarse, drop the -ar ending and the reflexive -se to get the stem cambi-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of cambiarse is fully regular: the stem cambi- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of cambiarse?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Me cambio de ropa antes de salir.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of cambiarse?
The present (cambio) and the preterite (cambié) 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 cambiarse?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of cambiarse to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the cambiarse examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Cambiarse conjugation — the full conjugation tables for cambiarse.
- Cambiarse examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for cambiarse.
- 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.