Compadecer Present Tense in Spanish
compadecer means "to pity" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for compadecer, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo compadezco a los pobres del barrio. — "Every day, I pity the poor people of the neighbourhood." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of compadecer: full table
Every person of compadecer in the present tense. The gerund is compadeciendo and the past participle is compadecido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | compadezco |
| tú | compadeces |
| él/ella/Ud. | compadece |
| nosotros/as | compadecemos |
| vosotros/as | compadecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | compadecen |
The gerund of compadecer is compadeciendo and the past participle is compadecido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy compadeciendo), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he compadecido).
How the present tense of compadecer is formed
The present tense of compadecer is built from the stem compadec- plus the regular -er endings: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. Take the infinitive, remove the -er ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo compadezco, tú compadeces, él compadece, nosotros compadecemos, vosotros compadecéis and ellos compadecen. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | compadezco |
| tú | -es | compadeces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | compadece |
| nosotros/as | -emos | compadecemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | compadecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | compadecen |
Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is compadezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example compadezca.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is compadeciendo, used for the progressive with estar: estoy compadeciendo. The past participle is compadecido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he compadecido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with compadecer
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo compadezco a los pobres del barrio. — "Every day, I pity the poor people of the neighbourhood." The complement in this sentence is about the poor people of the neighbourhood, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear compadecer in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú compadeces a su amigo enfermo. — "Now, you pity his sick friend." The complement in this sentence is about his sick friend, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear compadecer in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él compadece a las víctimas del incendio. — "Normally, he/she pities the victims of the fire." The complement in this sentence is about the victims of the fire, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear compadecer in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros compadecemos a su vecina viuda. — "Tomorrow, we pity his widowed neighbour." The complement in this sentence is about his widowed neighbour, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear compadecer in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos compadecen a los pobres del barrio. — "Always, they pity the poor people of the neighbourhood." The complement in this sentence is about the poor people of the neighbourhood, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear compadecer in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: compadecer
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with compadecer.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo compadezco a los pobres del barrio. — "Every day, I pity the poor people of the neighbourhood."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo compadecí a los pobres del barrio. — "Yesterday, I pitied the poor people of the neighbourhood."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú compadeces a su amigo enfermo. — "Every day, you pity his sick friend."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú compadeciste a su amigo enfermo. — "Yesterday, you pitied his sick friend."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él compadece a las víctimas del incendio. — "Every day, he/she pities the victims of the fire."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él compadeció a las víctimas del incendio. — "Yesterday, he/she pitied the victims of the fire."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: compadecer in the present tense
These eight sentences show compadecer in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo compadezco a los pobres del barrio. — "I pity the poor people of the neighbourhood."
- Tú compadeces a su amigo enfermo. — "you pity his sick friend."
- Él compadece a las víctimas del incendio. — "he/she pities the victims of the fire."
- Nosotros compadecemos a su vecina viuda. — "we pity his widowed neighbour."
- Vosotros compadecéis a los pobres del barrio. — "you (plural) pity the poor people of the neighbourhood."
- Ellos compadecen a su amigo enfermo. — "they pity his sick friend."
- Yo compadezco a las víctimas del incendio. — "I pity the victims of the fire."
- Tú compadeces a su vecina viuda. — "you pity his widowed neighbour."
Common mistakes with compadecer in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the zc spelling change
- Wrong: Yo compadeco a los pobres del barrio.
- Right: Yo compadezco a los pobres del barrio.
- Why: In the present tense the c becomes zc before o: the yo form is compadezco, never compadeco. The other persons keep the plain c: compadeces, compadece.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me compadezco a los pobres del barrio.
- Right: Yo compadezco a los pobres del barrio.
- Why: compadecer is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add. The extra pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo compadezco a su amigo enfermo.
- Right: Ayer, yo compadecí a su amigo enfermo.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo compadecí a su amigo enfermo. — "Yesterday, I pitied his sick friend." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo compadezco a las víctimas del incendio.
- Right: Antes, yo compadecía a las víctimas del incendio.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo compadecía a las víctimas del incendio. — "In the past, I used to pity the victims of the fire." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros compadece a los pobres del barrio.
- Right: Nosotros compadecemos a los pobres del barrio.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes compadecemos, while compadece belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of compadecer
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of compadecer. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of compadecer in the present tense?
- (a) compadeces
- (b) compadece
- (c) compadecemos
- (d) compadezco
Answer: (d) compadezco. The yo form is compadezco. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of compadecer in the present tense?
- (a) compadece
- (b) compadecemos
- (c) compadeces
- (d) compadezco
Answer: (c) compadeces. The tú form is compadeces. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of compadecer in the present tense?
- (a) compadecemos
- (b) compadece
- (c) compadezco
- (d) compadeces
Answer: (b) compadece. The él/ella form is compadece. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of compadecer in the present tense?
- (a) compadecemos
- (b) compadezco
- (c) compadeces
- (d) compadece
Answer: (a) compadecemos. The nosotros form is compadecemos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of compadecer in the present tense?
- (a) compadezco
- (b) compadeces
- (c) compadece
- (d) compadecen
Answer: (d) compadecen. The ellos/ellas form is compadecen. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ a los pobres del barrio.
- (a) compadece
- (b) compadecemos
- (c) compadezco
- (d) compadeces
Answer: (c) compadezco. The sentence needs the yo form compadezco (Every day, I pity the poor people of the neighbourhood.)
7. What is the gerund of compadecer?
- (a) compadezco
- (b) compadecer
- (c) compadeciendo
- (d) compadecido
Answer: (c) compadeciendo. The gerund is compadeciendo, used for the progressive: estoy compadeciendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Mañana, yo compadeceré a su amigo enfermo.
- (b) Cada día, yo compadezco a su amigo enfermo.
- (c) Antes, yo compadecía a su amigo enfermo.
- (d) Ayer, yo compadecí a su amigo enfermo.
Answer: (b) Cada día, yo compadezco a su amigo enfermo.. Cada día, yo compadezco a su amigo enfermo. (Every day, I pity his sick friend.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo compadecí a su amigo enfermo. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo compadeceré a su amigo enfermo. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of compadecer
Is compadecer regular in the present tense?
Almost. compadecer is a spelling-changing (c → zc before o and a) -er verb, so its endings are regular, but watch the spelling: Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is compadezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example compadezca.
What is the difference between compadecer and compadecerse?
compadecer means "to pity", while compadecerse means "to feel sorry for". The reflexive form is used when the action comes back to the subject, and the plain form is used when the action is done to someone or something else.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with compadecer?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo compadezco a su amigo enfermo. — "Every day, I pity his sick friend." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo compadecí a su amigo enfermo. — "Yesterday, I pitied his sick friend." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with compadecer?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros compadecemos a su vecina viuda. — "Tomorrow, we pity his widowed neighbour." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.