Complacerse Present Tense in Spanish
complacerse means "to be pleased" 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 complacerse, 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 complazco con el regalo de su hijo. — "Every day, I be pleased in his son's gift." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of complacerse: full table
Every person of complacerse in the present tense. The gerund is complaciéndose and the past participle is complacido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me complazco |
| tú | te complaces |
| él/ella/Ud. | se complace |
| nosotros/as | nos complacemos |
| vosotros/as | os complacéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se complacen |
The gerund of complacerse is complaciéndose and the past participle is complacido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy complaciéndose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he complacido). Because complacerse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of complacerse is formed
The present tense of complacerse is built from the stem complac- 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 complazco, tú te complaces, él se complace, nosotros nos complacemos, vosotros os complacéis and ellos se complacen. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me complazco |
| tú | -es | te complaces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | se complace |
| nosotros/as | -emos | nos complacemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | os complacéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | se complacen |
Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is complazco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example complazca.
complacerse 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 complaciéndose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is complacido.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is complaciéndose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy complaciéndose. The past participle is complacido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he complacido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with complacerse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me complazco con el regalo de su hijo. — "Every day, I be pleased in his son's gift." The complement in this sentence is about his son's gift, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear complacerse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te complaces en ayudar a los demás. — "Now, you be pleased in helping other people." The complement in this sentence is about helping other people, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear complacerse 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 complace con la visita de su madre. — "Normally, he/she is pleased in his mother's visit." The complement in this sentence is about his mother's visit, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear complacerse 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 complacemos en la música de la tarde. — "Tomorrow, we be pleased in the afternoon music." The complement in this sentence is about the afternoon music, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear complacerse 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 complacen con el regalo de su hijo. — "Always, they be pleased in his son's gift." The complement in this sentence is about his son's gift, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear complacerse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: complacerse
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 complacerse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me complazco con el regalo de su hijo. — "Every day, I be pleased in his son's gift."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me complací con el regalo de su hijo. — "Yesterday, I was pleased in his son's gift."
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 complaces en ayudar a los demás. — "Every day, you be pleased in helping other people."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te complaciste en ayudar a los demás. — "Yesterday, you was pleased in helping other people."
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 complace con la visita de su madre. — "Every day, he/she is pleased in his mother's visit."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se complació con la visita de su madre. — "Yesterday, he/she was pleased in his mother's visit."
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: complacerse in the present tense
These eight sentences show complacerse 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 complazco con el regalo de su hijo. — "I be pleased in his son's gift."
- Tú te complaces en ayudar a los demás. — "you be pleased in helping other people."
- Él se complace con la visita de su madre. — "he/she is pleased in his mother's visit."
- Nosotros nos complacemos en la música de la tarde. — "we be pleased in the afternoon music."
- Vosotros os complacéis con el regalo de su hijo. — "you (plural) be pleased in his son's gift."
- Ellos se complacen en ayudar a los demás. — "they be pleased in helping other people."
- Yo me complazco con la visita de su madre. — "I be pleased in his mother's visit."
- Tú te complaces en la música de la tarde. — "you be pleased in the afternoon music."
Common mistakes with complacerse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the zc spelling change
- Wrong: Yo me complaco con el regalo de su hijo.
- Right: Yo me complazco con el regalo de su hijo.
- Why: In the present tense the c becomes zc before o: the yo form is complazco, never complaco. The other persons keep the plain c: complaces, complace.
Mistake 2: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo complazco con el regalo de su hijo.
- Right: Yo me complazco con el regalo de su hijo.
- Why: complacerse is reflexive, so the pronoun comes before the verb: me complazco. The bare form alone is not a complete reflexive sentence.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me complazco en ayudar a los demás.
- Right: Ayer, yo me complací en ayudar a los demás.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me complací en ayudar a los demás. — "Yesterday, I was pleased in helping other people." 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 complazco con la visita de su madre.
- Right: Antes, yo me complacía con la visita de su madre.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me complacía con la visita de su madre. — "In the past, I used to be pleased in his mother's visit." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos complace con el regalo de su hijo.
- Right: Nosotros nos complacemos con el regalo de su hijo.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes complacemos, while complace belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of complacerse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of complacerse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of complacerse in the present tense?
- (a) complace
- (b) complacemos
- (c) complazco
- (d) complaces
Answer: (c) complazco. The yo form is complazco. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of complacerse in the present tense?
- (a) complacemos
- (b) complaces
- (c) complazco
- (d) complace
Answer: (b) complaces. The tú form is complaces. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of complacerse in the present tense?
- (a) complace
- (b) complazco
- (c) complaces
- (d) complacemos
Answer: (a) complace. The él/ella form is complace. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of complacerse in the present tense?
- (a) complazco
- (b) complaces
- (c) complace
- (d) complacemos
Answer: (d) complacemos. The nosotros form is complacemos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of complacerse in the present tense?
- (a) complaces
- (b) complace
- (c) complacen
- (d) complazco
Answer: (c) complacen. The ellos/ellas form is complacen. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ con el regalo de su hijo.
- (a) complacemos
- (b) complazco
- (c) complaces
- (d) complace
Answer: (b) complazco. The sentence needs the yo form complazco (Every day, I be pleased in his son's gift.)
7. What is the gerund of complacerse?
- (a) complacerse
- (b) complaciendo
- (c) complacido
- (d) complazco
Answer: (b) complaciendo. The gerund is complaciendo, used for the progressive: me estoy complaciendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, yo me complazco en ayudar a los demás.
- (b) Antes, yo me complacía en ayudar a los demás.
- (c) Ayer, yo me complací en ayudar a los demás.
- (d) Mañana, yo me complaceré en ayudar a los demás.
Answer: (a) Cada día, yo me complazco en ayudar a los demás.. Cada día, yo me complazco en ayudar a los demás. (Every day, I be pleased in helping other people.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me complací en ayudar a los demás. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me complaceré en ayudar a los demás. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of complacerse
Is complacerse regular in the present tense?
Almost. complacerse 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 complazco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example complazca.
How do you say 'be pleased' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me complazco con el regalo de su hijo. — "Every day, I be pleased in his son's gift." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with complacerse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me complazco en ayudar a los demás. — "Every day, I be pleased in helping other people." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me complací en ayudar a los demás. — "Yesterday, I was pleased in helping other people." 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 complacerse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos complacemos en la música de la tarde. — "Tomorrow, we be pleased in the afternoon music." 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.