Condolerse Present Tense in Spanish
condolerse means "to sympathise" 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 condolerse, 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 conduelo de su vecina enferma. — "Every day, I sympathise for his sick neighbour." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of condolerse: full table
Every person of condolerse in the present tense. The gerund is condoliéndose and the past participle is condolido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me conduelo |
| tú | te condueles |
| él/ella/Ud. | se conduele |
| nosotros/as | nos condolemos |
| vosotros/as | os condoléis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se conduelen |
The gerund of condolerse is condoliéndose and the past participle is condolido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy condoliéndose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he condolido). Because condolerse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of condolerse is formed
The present tense of condolerse is built from the stem condol- 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 conduelo, tú te condueles, él se conduele, nosotros nos condolemos, vosotros os condoléis and ellos se conduelen. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me conduelo |
| tú | -es | te condueles |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | se conduele |
| nosotros/as | -emos | nos condolemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | os condoléis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | se conduelen |
condolerse is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem changes in the yo, tú, él and ellos forms — conduelo, condueles, conduele, conduelen — but stays the same in nosotros (condolemos) and vosotros (condoléis). Learn the four changed forms by heart and the other two will follow the regular pattern.
condolerse 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 condoliéndose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is condolido.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is condoliéndose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy condoliéndose. The past participle is condolido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he condolido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with condolerse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me conduelo de su vecina enferma. — "Every day, I sympathise for his sick neighbour." The complement in this sentence is about his sick neighbour, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear condolerse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te condueles de los niños del barrio. — "Now, you sympathise for the neighbourhood children." The complement in this sentence is about the neighbourhood children, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear condolerse 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 conduele de su amigo en el hospital. — "Normally, he/she sympathises for his friend in hospital." The complement in this sentence is about his friend in hospital, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear condolerse 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 condolemos de la familia del pueblo. — "Tomorrow, we sympathise for the village family." The complement in this sentence is about the village family, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear condolerse 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 conduelen de su vecina enferma. — "Always, they sympathise for his sick neighbour." The complement in this sentence is about his sick neighbour, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear condolerse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: condolerse
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 condolerse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me conduelo de su vecina enferma. — "Every day, I sympathise for his sick neighbour."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me condolí de su vecina enferma. — "Yesterday, I sympathised for his sick neighbour."
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 condueles de los niños del barrio. — "Every day, you sympathise for the neighbourhood children."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te condoliste de los niños del barrio. — "Yesterday, you sympathised for the neighbourhood 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 conduele de su amigo en el hospital. — "Every day, he/she sympathises for his friend in hospital."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se condolió de su amigo en el hospital. — "Yesterday, he/she sympathised for his friend in hospital."
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: condolerse in the present tense
These eight sentences show condolerse 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 conduelo de su vecina enferma. — "I sympathise for his sick neighbour."
- Tú te condueles de los niños del barrio. — "you sympathise for the neighbourhood children."
- Él se conduele de su amigo en el hospital. — "he/she sympathises for his friend in hospital."
- Nosotros nos condolemos de la familia del pueblo. — "we sympathise for the village family."
- Vosotros os condoléis de su vecina enferma. — "you (plural) sympathise for his sick neighbour."
- Ellos se conduelen de los niños del barrio. — "they sympathise for the neighbourhood children."
- Yo me conduelo de su amigo en el hospital. — "I sympathise for his friend in hospital."
- Tú te condueles de la familia del pueblo. — "you sympathise for the village family."
Common mistakes with condolerse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the stem change in the present tense
- Wrong: Yo me condolo de su vecina enferma.
- Right: Yo me conduelo de su vecina enferma.
- Why: condolerse changes its stem (o → ue) in the yo, tú, él and ellos forms of the present tense. The correct yo form is conduelo, never condolo. Nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: condolemos.
Mistake 2: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo conduelo de su vecina enferma.
- Right: Yo me conduelo de su vecina enferma.
- Why: condolerse is reflexive, so the pronoun comes before the verb: me conduelo. The bare form alone is not a complete reflexive sentence.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me conduelo de los niños del barrio.
- Right: Ayer, yo me condolí de los niños del barrio.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me condolí de los niños del barrio. — "Yesterday, I sympathised for the neighbourhood 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 conduelo de su amigo en el hospital.
- Right: Antes, yo me condolía de su amigo en el hospital.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me condolía de su amigo en el hospital. — "In the past, I used to sympathise for his friend in hospital." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Changing the stem in nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos conduelemos de su vecina enferma.
- Right: Nosotros nos condolemos de su vecina enferma.
- Why: The stem change (o → ue) only affects the yo, tú, él and ellos forms. Nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: condolemos.
Quiz: the present tense of condolerse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of condolerse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of condolerse in the present tense?
- (a) condueles
- (b) conduele
- (c) condolemos
- (d) conduelo
Answer: (d) conduelo. The yo form is conduelo. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of condolerse in the present tense?
- (a) conduele
- (b) condolemos
- (c) condueles
- (d) conduelo
Answer: (c) condueles. The tú form is condueles. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of condolerse in the present tense?
- (a) condolemos
- (b) conduele
- (c) conduelo
- (d) condueles
Answer: (b) conduele. The él/ella form is conduele. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of condolerse in the present tense?
- (a) condolemos
- (b) conduelo
- (c) condueles
- (d) conduele
Answer: (a) condolemos. The nosotros form is condolemos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of condolerse in the present tense?
- (a) conduelo
- (b) condueles
- (c) conduele
- (d) conduelen
Answer: (d) conduelen. The ellos/ellas form is conduelen. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ de su vecina enferma.
- (a) conduele
- (b) condolemos
- (c) conduelo
- (d) condueles
Answer: (c) conduelo. The sentence needs the yo form conduelo (Every day, I sympathise for his sick neighbour.)
7. What is the gerund of condolerse?
- (a) conduelo
- (b) condolerse
- (c) condoliendo
- (d) condolido
Answer: (c) condoliendo. The gerund is condoliendo, used for the progressive: me estoy condoliendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Mañana, yo me condoleré de los niños del barrio.
- (b) Cada día, yo me conduelo de los niños del barrio.
- (c) Antes, yo me condolía de los niños del barrio.
- (d) Ayer, yo me condolí de los niños del barrio.
Answer: (b) Cada día, yo me conduelo de los niños del barrio.. Cada día, yo me conduelo de los niños del barrio. (Every day, I sympathise for the neighbourhood children.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me condolí de los niños del barrio. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me condoleré de los niños del barrio. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of condolerse
Is condolerse regular in the present tense?
Not quite. condolerse changes its stem (o → ue) in the yo, tú, él and ellos forms: conduelo, condueles, conduele, conduelen. Nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: condolemos, condoléis. The endings are the regular -er endings.
How do you say 'sympathise' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me conduelo de su vecina enferma. — "Every day, I sympathise for his sick neighbour." 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 condolerse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me conduelo de los niños del barrio. — "Every day, I sympathise for the neighbourhood children." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me condolí de los niños del barrio. — "Yesterday, I sympathised for the neighbourhood 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 condolerse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos condolemos de la familia del pueblo. — "Tomorrow, we sympathise for the village family." 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.