Concentrarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb concentrarse means to concentrate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, concentrarse 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 concentro en el examen sin distraerse, and in the preterite you say me concentré en la respiración antes de dormir. 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: concentrarse
  • English: to concentrate
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: concentrando
  • Past participle: concentrado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + concentrado)
  • 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 concentrarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Concentrarse is reflexive and takes en: me concentro en algo. It is deep concentration; centrarse is the close synonym for focusing.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for concentrarse. 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 concentro
tú te concentras
él/ella/Ud. se concentra
nosotros/as nos concentramos
vosotros/as os concentráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se concentran

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me concentré
tú te concentraste
él/ella/Ud. se concentró
nosotros/as nos concentramos
vosotros/as os concentrasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se concentraron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me concentraba
tú te concentrabas
él/ella/Ud. se concentraba
nosotros/as nos concentrábamos
vosotros/as os concentrabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se concentraban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me concentraré
tú te concentrarás
él/ella/Ud. se concentrará
nosotros/as nos concentraremos
vosotros/as os concentraréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se concentrarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me concentraría
tú te concentrarías
él/ella/Ud. se concentraría
nosotros/as nos concentraríamos
vosotros/as os concentraríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se concentrarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me concentre
tú te concentres
él/ella/Ud. se concentre
nosotros/as nos concentremos
vosotros/as os concentréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se concentren

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me concentrara
tú te concentraras
él/ella/Ud. se concentrara
nosotros/as nos concentráramos
vosotros/as os concentrarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se concentraran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te concentra
él/ella/Ud. se concentre
nosotros/as nos concentremos
vosotros/as os concentrad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se concentren

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te concentres
él/ella/Ud. se concentre
nosotros/as nos concentremos
vosotros/as os concentréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se concentren

Gerund and past participle

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

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 concentrarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me concentro en el examen sin distraerse. 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 concentrarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me concentré en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. 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 concentrarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me concentraba en la respiración antes de dormir. 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 concentrarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me concentraré en el partido desde el primer minuto. 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 concentrarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me concentraría en el examen sin distraerse 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 concentrarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he concentrado en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. 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 concentrarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había concentrado en la respiración antes de dormir 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 concentrarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré concentrado en el partido desde el primer minuto. 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 concentrarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría concentrado en el examen sin distraerse 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 concentrarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se concentre en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. 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 concentrarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se concentrara en la respiración antes de dormir, 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 concentrarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se concentre en el partido desde el primer minuto. 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 concentrarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te concentres en el examen sin distraerse. 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 concentrarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me concentro en el examen sin distraerse. — I concentrate the exam without getting distracted.
  2. Se concentra en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. — He/she concentrates work until I finish it.
  3. Ayer, me concentré en la respiración antes de dormir. — Yesterday, I concentrated my breathing before sleeping.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos concentrábamos en el partido desde el primer minuto. — Before, we used to concentrate the match from the first minute.
  5. Mañana, tú te concentrarás en el examen sin distraerse. — Tomorrow, you will concentrate the exam without getting distracted.
  6. Yo me concentraría en el trabajo hasta terminarlo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would concentrate work until I finish it if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha concentrado en la respiración antes de dormir. — He has concentrated my breathing before sleeping.
  8. Espero que él se concentre en el partido desde el primer minuto. — I hope he concentrates the match from the first minute.
  9. Yo ya me había concentrado en el examen sin distraerse antes de salir. — I had already concentrated the exam without getting distracted before leaving.
  10. Ellos se concentraban en el trabajo hasta terminarlo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to concentrate work until I finish it when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo concentro en el examen sin distraerse. — Right: 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.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo concentro en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. — Right: Ayer yo concentré en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: concentro is happening now, while concentré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating concentrarse and centrarse as identical in every context. — Right: 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.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy concentrado en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. — Right: Yo he concentrado en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he concentrado, has concentrado, ha concentrado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo concentré en la respiración antes de dormir todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo concentraba en la respiración antes de dormir todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (concentraba), not the preterite. The preterite (concentré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el examen sin distraerse. (present tense) A. me concentro B. te concentras C. se concentra D. nos concentramos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. (preterite) A. me concentré B. te concentraste C. se concentraron D. se concentró

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en la respiración antes de dormir. (imperfect) A. te concentrabas B. se concentraban C. nos concentrábamos D. me concentraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ en el partido desde el primer minuto. (future) A. nos concentraremos B. te concentrarás C. me concentraré D. se concentrará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el examen sin distraerse si pudiera. (conditional) A. me concentraría B. te concentrarías C. se concentraría D. se concentrarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. (present subjunctive) A. me concentre B. te concentres C. nos concentremos D. se concentre

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en la respiración antes de dormir, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se concentrara B. nos concentráramos C. me concentrara D. te concentraras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en el partido desde el primer minuto. (present perfect) A. se han concentrado B. nos hemos concentrado C. me he concentrado D. te has concentrado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ en el examen sin distraerse. (negative imperative, tú) A. te concentres B. se concentre C. nos concentremos D. os concentréis

  10. Which is the gerund of concentrarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. concentrado B. concentro C. concentré D. concentrando

Answer key

  1. me concentro — The first-person present of concentrarse is me concentro. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se concentró — The third-person preterite of concentrarse is se concentró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos concentrábamos — The nosotros imperfect of concentrarse is nos concentrábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te concentrarás — The second-person future of concentrarse is te concentrarás.
  5. me concentraría — The first-person conditional of concentrarse is me concentraría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se concentre — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of concentrarse is se concentre.
  7. me concentrara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of concentrarse is me concentrara.
  8. nos hemos concentrado — The nosotros present perfect of concentrarse is nos hemos concentrado: hemos + concentrado.
  9. te concentres — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te concentres.
  10. concentrando — The gerund of concentrarse is concentrando: estoy concentrando. The participle concentrado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does concentrarse mean in English?

Concentrarse means to concentrate. It is used in everyday situations such as Me concentro en el examen sin distraerse. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is concentrarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Concentrarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me concentro en el examen sin distraerse and él se concentra en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between concentrarse and centrarse?

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

How do I say “I concentrate” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me concentré en el trabajo hasta terminarlo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me concentraba en la respiración antes de dormir. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he concentrado en el trabajo hasta terminarlo.

How do I practise concentrarse?

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

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