Compadecerse Present Tense in Spanish
compadecerse means "to feel sorry for" 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 compadecerse, 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 me compadezco de su hermano enfermo. — "Every day, I feel sorry for of his sick brother." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of compadecerse: full table
Every person of compadecerse in the present tense. The gerund is compadeciéndose and the past participle is compadecido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me compadezco |
| tú | te compadeces |
| él/ella/Ud. | se compadece |
| nosotros/as | nos compadecemos |
| vosotros/as | os compadecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se compadecen |
The gerund of compadecerse is compadeciéndose and the past participle is compadecido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy compadeciéndose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he compadecido). Because compadecerse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of compadecerse is formed
The present tense of compadecerse 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 me compadezco, tú te compadeces, él se compadece, nosotros nos compadecemos, vosotros os compadecéis and ellos se compadecen. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me compadezco |
| tú | -es | te compadeces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | se compadece |
| nosotros/as | -emos | nos compadecemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | os compadecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | se 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.
compadecerse is a reflexive verb, so every form carries a reflexive pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se. The pronoun always goes before the conjugated verb in the present tense. The gerund is compadeciéndose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is compadecido.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is compadeciéndose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy compadeciéndose. The past participle is compadecido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he compadecido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with compadecerse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me compadezco de su hermano enfermo. — "Every day, I feel sorry for of his sick brother." The complement in this sentence is about his sick brother, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear compadecerse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te compadeces de los niños sin hogar. — "Now, you feel sorry for of the homeless children." The complement in this sentence is about the homeless children, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear compadecerse 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 se compadece de su amiga triste. — "Normally, he/she feels sorry for of his sad friend." The complement in this sentence is about his sad friend, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear compadecerse 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 nos compadecemos de los ancianos solos. — "Tomorrow, we feel sorry for of the lonely old people." The complement in this sentence is about the lonely old people, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear compadecerse 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 se compadecen de su hermano enfermo. — "Always, they feel sorry for of his sick brother." The complement in this sentence is about his sick brother, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear compadecerse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: compadecerse
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 compadecerse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me compadezco de su hermano enfermo. — "Every day, I feel sorry for of his sick brother."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me compadecí de su hermano enfermo. — "Yesterday, I feeled sorry for of his sick brother."
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 te compadeces de los niños sin hogar. — "Every day, you feel sorry for of the homeless children."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te compadeciste de los niños sin hogar. — "Yesterday, you feeled sorry for of the homeless children."
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 se compadece de su amiga triste. — "Every day, he/she feels sorry for of his sad friend."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se compadeció de su amiga triste. — "Yesterday, he/she feeled sorry for of his sad 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.
Examples: compadecerse in the present tense
These eight sentences show compadecerse 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 me compadezco de su hermano enfermo. — "I feel sorry for of his sick brother."
- Tú te compadeces de los niños sin hogar. — "you feel sorry for of the homeless children."
- Él se compadece de su amiga triste. — "he/she feels sorry for of his sad friend."
- Nosotros nos compadecemos de los ancianos solos. — "we feel sorry for of the lonely old people."
- Vosotros os compadecéis de su hermano enfermo. — "you (plural) feel sorry for of his sick brother."
- Ellos se compadecen de los niños sin hogar. — "they feel sorry for of the homeless children."
- Yo me compadezco de su amiga triste. — "I feel sorry for of his sad friend."
- Tú te compadeces de los ancianos solos. — "you feel sorry for of the lonely old people."
Common mistakes with compadecerse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the zc spelling change
- Wrong: Yo me compadeco de su hermano enfermo.
- Right: Yo me compadezco de su hermano enfermo.
- 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: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo compadezco de su hermano enfermo.
- Right: Yo me compadezco de su hermano enfermo.
- Why: compadecerse is reflexive, so the pronoun comes before the verb: me compadezco. The bare form alone is not a complete reflexive sentence.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me compadezco de los niños sin hogar.
- Right: Ayer, yo me compadecí de los niños sin hogar.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me compadecí de los niños sin hogar. — "Yesterday, I feeled sorry for of the homeless children." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo me compadezco de su amiga triste.
- Right: Antes, yo me compadecía de su amiga triste.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me compadecía de su amiga triste. — "In the past, I used to feel sorry for of his sad friend." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos compadece de su hermano enfermo.
- Right: Nosotros nos compadecemos de su hermano enfermo.
- 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 compadecerse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of compadecerse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of compadecerse in the present tense?
- (a) compadezco
- (b) compadeces
- (c) compadece
- (d) compadecemos
Answer: (a) 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 compadecerse in the present tense?
- (a) compadezco
- (b) compadece
- (c) compadecemos
- (d) compadeces
Answer: (d) 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 compadecerse in the present tense?
- (a) compadeces
- (b) compadecemos
- (c) compadece
- (d) compadezco
Answer: (c) 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 compadecerse in the present tense?
- (a) compadece
- (b) compadecemos
- (c) compadezco
- (d) compadeces
Answer: (b) 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 compadecerse in the present tense?
- (a) compadecen
- (b) compadezco
- (c) compadeces
- (d) compadece
Answer: (a) 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 ___ de su hermano enfermo.
- (a) compadeces
- (b) compadece
- (c) compadecemos
- (d) compadezco
Answer: (d) compadezco. The sentence needs the yo form compadezco (Every day, I feel sorry for of his sick brother.)
7. What is the gerund of compadecerse?
- (a) compadecido
- (b) compadezco
- (c) compadecerse
- (d) compadeciendo
Answer: (d) compadeciendo. The gerund is compadeciendo, used for the progressive: me estoy compadeciendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Ayer, yo me compadecí de los niños sin hogar.
- (b) Mañana, yo me compadeceré de los niños sin hogar.
- (c) Cada día, yo me compadezco de los niños sin hogar.
- (d) Antes, yo me compadecía de los niños sin hogar.
Answer: (c) Cada día, yo me compadezco de los niños sin hogar.. Cada día, yo me compadezco de los niños sin hogar. (Every day, I feel sorry for of the homeless children.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me compadecí de los niños sin hogar. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me compadeceré de los niños sin hogar. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of compadecerse
Is compadecerse regular in the present tense?
Almost. compadecerse 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 compadecerse and compadecer?
compadecerse means "to feel sorry for", while compadecer means "to pity". 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 compadecerse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me compadezco de los niños sin hogar. — "Every day, I feel sorry for of the homeless children." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me compadecí de los niños sin hogar. — "Yesterday, I feeled sorry for of the homeless children." 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 compadecerse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos compadecemos de los ancianos solos. — "Tomorrow, we feel sorry for of the lonely old people." 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.