Centrarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb centrarse means to focus on, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Centrarse means to focus on something, to give all your attention to one task or topic. It is the reflexive partner of centrar, used for studying, work and sport, and it is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, centrarse 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 centro en el examen de mañana, and in the preterite you say me centré en su respiración en yoga. 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: centrarse
  • English: to focus on
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: centrando
  • Past participle: centrado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + centrado)
  • 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 centrarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Centrarse is reflexive and takes en: me centro en algo. It is focusing your attention; concentrarse is the close synonym.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for centrarse. 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 centro
tú te centras
él/ella/Ud. se centra
nosotros/as nos centramos
vosotros/as os centráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se centran

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me centré
tú te centraste
él/ella/Ud. se centró
nosotros/as nos centramos
vosotros/as os centrasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se centraron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me centraba
tú te centrabas
él/ella/Ud. se centraba
nosotros/as nos centrábamos
vosotros/as os centrabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se centraban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me centraré
tú te centrarás
él/ella/Ud. se centrará
nosotros/as nos centraremos
vosotros/as os centraréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se centrarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me centraría
tú te centrarías
él/ella/Ud. se centraría
nosotros/as nos centraríamos
vosotros/as os centraríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se centrarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me centre
tú te centres
él/ella/Ud. se centre
nosotros/as nos centremos
vosotros/as os centréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se centren

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me centrara
tú te centraras
él/ella/Ud. se centrara
nosotros/as nos centráramos
vosotros/as os centrarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se centraran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te centra
él/ella/Ud. se centre
nosotros/as nos centremos
vosotros/as os centrad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se centren

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te centres
él/ella/Ud. se centre
nosotros/as nos centremos
vosotros/as os centréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se centren

Gerund and past participle

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

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 centrarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me centro en el examen de mañana. 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 centrarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me centré en el trabajo sin distracciones. 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 centrarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me centraba en su respiración en yoga. 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 centrarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me centraré en el objetivo final. 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 centrarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me centraría en el examen de mañana 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 centrarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he centrado en el trabajo sin distracciones. 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 centrarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había centrado en su respiración en yoga 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 centrarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré centrado en el objetivo final. 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 centrarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría centrado en el examen de mañana 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 centrarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se centre en el trabajo sin distracciones. 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 centrarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se centrara en su respiración en yoga, 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 centrarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se centre en el objetivo final. 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 centrarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te centres en el examen de mañana. 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 centrarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me centro en el examen de mañana. — I focus tomorrow's exam.
  2. Se centra en el trabajo sin distracciones. — He/she focuses work without distractions.
  3. Ayer, me centré en su respiración en yoga. — Yesterday, I focused my breathing in yoga.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos centrábamos en el objetivo final. — Before, we used to focus the final goal.
  5. Mañana, tú te centrarás en el examen de mañana. — Tomorrow, you will focus tomorrow's exam.
  6. Yo me centraría en el trabajo sin distracciones si tuviera más tiempo. — I would focus work without distractions if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha centrado en su respiración en yoga. — He has focused my breathing in yoga.
  8. Espero que él se centre en el objetivo final. — I hope he focuses the final goal.
  9. Yo ya me había centrado en el examen de mañana antes de salir. — I had already focused tomorrow's exam before leaving.
  10. Ellos se centraban en el trabajo sin distracciones cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to focus work without distractions when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo centro en el examen de mañana. — Right: Yo me centro en el examen de mañana. — Centrarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo centro en el trabajo sin distracciones. — Right: Ayer yo centré en el trabajo sin distracciones. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: centro is happening now, while centré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating centrarse and concentrarse as identical in every context. — Right: Centrarse means to focus on, while concentrarse means to concentrate. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: centrarse fits sentences such as Me centro en el examen de mañana, while concentrarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy centrado en el trabajo sin distracciones. — Right: Yo he centrado en el trabajo sin distracciones. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he centrado, has centrado, ha centrado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo centré en su respiración en yoga todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo centraba en su respiración en yoga todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (centraba), not the preterite. The preterite (centré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el examen de mañana. (present tense) A. me centro B. te centras C. se centra D. nos centramos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ en el trabajo sin distracciones. (preterite) A. me centré B. te centraste C. se centraron D. se centró

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en su respiración en yoga. (imperfect) A. te centrabas B. se centraban C. nos centrábamos D. me centraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ en el objetivo final. (future) A. nos centraremos B. te centrarás C. me centraré D. se centrará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el examen de mañana si pudiera. (conditional) A. me centraría B. te centrarías C. se centraría D. se centrarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en el trabajo sin distracciones. (present subjunctive) A. me centre B. te centres C. nos centremos D. se centre

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en su respiración en yoga, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se centrara B. nos centráramos C. me centrara D. te centraras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en el objetivo final. (present perfect) A. se han centrado B. nos hemos centrado C. me he centrado D. te has centrado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ en el examen de mañana. (negative imperative, tú) A. te centres B. se centre C. nos centremos D. os centréis

  10. Which is the gerund of centrarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. centrado B. centro C. centré D. centrando

Answer key

  1. me centro — The first-person present of centrarse is me centro. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se centró — The third-person preterite of centrarse is se centró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos centrábamos — The nosotros imperfect of centrarse is nos centrábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te centrarás — The second-person future of centrarse is te centrarás.
  5. me centraría — The first-person conditional of centrarse is me centraría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se centre — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of centrarse is se centre.
  7. me centrara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of centrarse is me centrara.
  8. nos hemos centrado — The nosotros present perfect of centrarse is nos hemos centrado: hemos + centrado.
  9. te centres — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te centres.
  10. centrando — The gerund of centrarse is centrando: estoy centrando. The participle centrado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does centrarse mean in English?

Centrarse means to focus on. It is used in everyday situations such as Me centro en el examen de mañana. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is centrarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Centrarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me centro en el examen de mañana and él se centra en el trabajo sin distracciones. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between centrarse and concentrarse?

Centrarse means to focus on, while concentrarse means to concentrate. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use centrarse when you mean to focus on, as in Me centro en el examen de mañana, and use concentrarse for to concentrate. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I focus on” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me centré en el trabajo sin distracciones. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me centraba en su respiración en yoga. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he centrado en el trabajo sin distracciones.

How do I practise centrarse?

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

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