Concentrarse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of concentrarse — “to concentrate” 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 concentrarse 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. Concentrarse means to concentrate, to give all your attention to one thing and ignore the rest. It is the reflexive verb for studying, exams and work, and it is fully regular. It is reflexive, so every form takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. To see it in a real sentence: Me concentro en el examen sin distraerse. — “I concentrate the exam without getting distracted.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of concentrarse will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: concentrarse
Every person of concentrarse in the present tense. The gerund is concentrando and the past participle is concentrado.
Present indicative
| Person | Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | me | concentro |
| tú | te | concentras |
| él/ella/Ud. | se | concentra |
| nosotros/as | nos | concentramos |
| vosotros/as | os | concentráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | concentran |
How the present indicative of concentrarse is formed
The present indicative of concentrarse is built from the stem plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, 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 | Pronoun | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | me | -o | concentro |
| tú | te | -as | concentras |
| él/ella/Ud. | se | -a | concentra |
| nosotros/as | nos | -amos | concentramos |
| vosotros/as | os | -áis | concentráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | -an | concentran |
Concentrarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of every form: me concentro, te concentras, se concentra. The pronoun always comes before the conjugated verb, and it changes with the person. Without it, the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
The gerund of concentrarse is concentrando and the past participle is concentrado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of concentrarse
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and concentrarse appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and concentrarse fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo me concentro en el examen sin distraerse todos los días.” — “I concentrate the exam without getting distracted every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él se concentra en el trabajo hasta terminarlo.” — “He/she concentrates work until I finish it.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so me concentro can mean both “I concentrate” and “I am concentrateing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo me concentro en la respiración antes de dormir.” — “Right now, I concentrate my breathing before sleeping.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo me concentro en el partido desde el primer minuto.” — “Tomorrow, I will concentrate the match from the first minute.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú te concentras en el examen sin distraerse?” — “Do you concentrate the exam without getting distracted?”
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Se concentra en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. — “He/she concentrates work until I finish it.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Se concentró en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add “used to” in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Se concentran en la respiración antes de dormir. — “They concentrate my breathing before sleeping.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Se concentraban en la respiración antes de dormir. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Te concentras en el partido desde el primer minuto. — “You concentrate the match from the first minute.”
- Future — what will happen: Te concentrarás en el partido desde el primer minuto. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: concentrarse in the present tense
Seven sentences that show concentrarse in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo me concentro en el examen sin distraerse. — “I concentrate the exam without getting distracted.”
- Tú te concentras en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. — “You concentrate work until I finish it.”
- Él se concentra en la respiración antes de dormir. — “He concentrates my breathing before sleeping.”
- Nosotros nos concentramos en el partido desde el primer minuto. — “We concentrate the match from the first minute.”
- Vosotros os concentráis en el examen sin distraerse. — “You (plural) concentrate the exam without getting distracted.”
- Ellos se concentran en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. — “They concentrate work until I finish it.”
- ¿Tú te concentras en la respiración antes de dormir? — “Do you concentrate my breathing before sleeping?”
Common mistakes with concentrarse in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with concentrarse in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo concentrarse en el examen sin distraerse. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo me concentro en el examen sin distraerse.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of concentrarse is me concentro, not the infinitive concentrarse.
✗ Vosotros concentrais en el examen sin distraerse. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros concentráis en el examen sin distraerse.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: concentráis, not concentrais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Yo concentro en el examen sin distraerse. (leaving out the reflexive pronoun).
✓ Correct: Yo me concentro en el examen sin distraerse.
Concentrarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
✗ Treating concentrarse and centrarse as identical in every context. (confusing concentrarse with centrarse).
✓ Correct: Concentrarse means to concentrate, while centrarse means to focus on.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: concentrarse fits sentences such as Me concentro en el examen sin distraerse, while centrarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: concentrarse in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of concentrarse. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of concentrarse for tú?
- a) concentras
- b) concentro
- c) concentra
- d) concentran
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ en el examen sin distraerse. — “I concentrate the exam without getting distracted.”
- a) concentra
- b) concentramos
- c) concentras
- d) concentro
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. — “He/she concentrates work until I finish it.” (present tense)
- a) concentraba
- b) concentrará
- c) concentra
- d) concentró
4. Which is the correct present tense form of concentrarse for nosotros?
- a) concentran
- b) concentramos
- c) concentro
- d) concentra
5. Which sentence uses concentrarse correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él se concentró en el trabajo hasta terminarlo.
- b) Él se concentra en el trabajo hasta terminarlo.
- c) Él se concentrará en el trabajo hasta terminarlo.
- d) Ellos se concentra en el trabajo hasta terminarlo.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ en la respiración antes de dormir. — “They concentrate my breathing before sleeping.”
- a) concentro
- b) concentra
- c) concentramos
- d) concentran
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ en el partido desde el primer minuto? — “Do you concentrate the match from the first minute?”
- a) concentra
- b) concentrarás
- c) concentras
- d) concentro
8. What is the gerund of concentrarse?
- a) concentré
- b) concentrando
- c) concentrado
- d) concentro
Answer key
a) concentras — The tú form is concentras. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; concentro is yo, concentra is él/ella and concentran is ellos/ellas.
d) concentro — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: concentro. The other options are the wrong person.
c) concentra — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: concentra. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) concentramos — Nosotros takes concentramos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él se concentra en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. — Él se concentra en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) concentran — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is concentran.
c) concentras — The question needs the tú form in the present: concentras.
b) concentrando — The gerund is concentrando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle concentrado.
Frequently asked questions
Is concentrarse regular in the present tense?
Yes, the forms are regular — the only thing to watch is the reflexive pronoun. Concentrarse takes me, te, se, nos, os or se before every form: me concentro, te concentras, se concentra. Without the pronoun, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.
What is the gerund and the past participle of concentrarse?
The gerund is concentrando and the past participle is concentrado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I concentrate” in Spanish?
Say me concentro. For example: Me concentro en el examen sin distraerse. — “I concentrate the exam without getting distracted.”
What is the difference between concentrarse and centrarse?
Concentrarse means “to concentrate”, while centrarse means “to focus on”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use concentrarse when you mean “to concentrate” and centrarse when you mean “to focus on”. The full conjugation of concentrarse is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of concentrarse — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- concentrarse examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Codearse conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with concentrarse.
- Centrarse conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with concentrarse.
- Burlarse conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with concentrarse.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.