Introduction

convertirse means “to become, to turn into”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to become, to turn into” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows convertirse in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo me convierto en médico por la mañana.” — “I become a doctor.”

convertirse in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how convertirse is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.

In the present: everyday use

These sentences use {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Yo me convierto en médico cada día.” — “I become a doctor.”
  2. “Tú te conviertes en médico cada día.” — “you become a doctor.”
  3. “Él se convierte en médico siempre.” — “He becomes a doctor.”
  4. “Nosotros nos convertimos en médico todos los días.” — “We become a doctor.”

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “Yo me convertí en médico ayer.” — “I becomed a doctor.” (preterite) 6. “Él se convirtió en médico ayer.” — “He becomed a doctor.” (preterite) 7. “Yo me convertía en médico cuando era joven.” — “I used to become a doctor.” (imperfect)

Plans and things already done

These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of {verb} stays the same. 8. “Nosotros nos convertiremos en médico mañana.” — “We will become a doctor.” (future) 9. “Tú te has convertido en médico hoy.” — “you have becomed a doctor.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo me convierta en médico.” — “I hope that I become a doctor.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “Vosotros os convertís en médico cada semana.” — “You become a doctor.” 12. “Ellos se convierten en médico normalmente.” — “They become a doctor.”

convertirse in context

Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how convertirse appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue on the phone

Lucía: “¿Tú te conviertes en médico?” — Do you become a doctor?

Pedro: “Sí, yo me convierto en médico cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I become a doctor every day. It is part of my routine.

Lucía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También te conviertes en médico?” — And yesterday? Did you become a doctor too?

Pedro: “Sí, ayer yo me convertí en médico. Mañana nosotros convertiremos en médico otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I becomed a doctor. Tomorrow we will become a doctor again.

A short paragraph

Él se convierte en médico cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how convertirse works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo convierto en médico — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make convertirse yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Using the unchanged stem

Learners often write converto for the yo form, keeping the infinitive stem unchanged. The correct form is convierto. Because convertirse changes its stem vowel, the change appears in the stressed syllables of the present: say the correct form out loud a few times — yo convierto en médico — until the changed stem feels natural.

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is convertí, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — converti — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of convertirse.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For convertirse, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: convertimos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Because convertirse is reflexive, it always needs its pronoun: yo me convierto en médico, not yo convierto en médico. Without me, the sentence either means something else or means nothing at all. The pronouns are me, te, se, nos, os, se — learn them with the verb, not as an afterthought.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he convertido en médico. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy convertido is not the present perfect of convertirse — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of convertirse in the present?

  • A. conviertes
  • B. convierte
  • C. convertimos
  • D. convierto

2. What is the tu form of convertirse in the preterite?

  • A. convertimos
  • B. convertiste
  • C. convertí
  • D. convirtió

3. What is the el form of convertirse in the imperfect?

  • A. convertías
  • B. convertíamos
  • C. convertíais
  • D. convertía

4. What is the nosotros form of convertirse in the future?

  • A. convertirá
  • B. convertiremos
  • C. convertiré
  • D. convertirás

5. What is the vosotros form of convertirse in the present perfect?

  • A. he convertido
  • B. has convertido
  • C. ha convertido
  • D. habéis convertido

6. What is the ellos form of convertirse in the present subjunctive?

  • A. convierta
  • B. conviertan
  • C. convierta
  • D. conviertas

7. What is the yo form of convertirse in the preterite?

  • A. convertiste
  • B. convirtió
  • C. convertimos
  • D. convertí

8. What is the tu form of convertirse in the imperfect?

  • A. convertíamos
  • B. convertías
  • C. convertía
  • D. convertía

9. What is the el form of convertirse in the future?

  • A. convertiré
  • B. convertirás
  • C. convertiremos
  • D. convertirá

10. What is the nosotros form of convertirse in the conditional?

  • A. convertiría
  • B. convertiríamos
  • C. convertiría
  • D. convertirías

Answer key

  1. convierto — The present table gives yo = convierto.
  2. convertiste — The preterite table gives tu = convertiste.
  3. convertía — The imperfect table gives el = convertía.
  4. convertiremos — The future table gives nosotros = convertiremos.
  5. habéis convertido — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis convertido.
  6. conviertan — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = conviertan.
  7. convertí — The preterite table gives yo = convertí.
  8. convertías — The imperfect table gives tu = convertías.
  9. convertirá — The future table gives el = convertirá.
  10. convertiríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = convertiríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use convertirse in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo me convierto en médico.” — “I become a doctor.” Do not forget the reflexive pronoun: it goes before the verb. Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of convertirse to learn first?

Learn the present yo form convierto first, then the preterite yo form convertí and the participle convertido. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund convirtiendo next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is convertirse reflexive?

Yes — convertirse is reflexive, so it always takes me, te, se, nos, os or se. You say yo me convierto, never just yo convierto. The pronoun goes before the conjugated verb, or attached to the infinitive and gerund.

Where can I see the full conjugation of convertirse?

On the main conjugation page for convertirse, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links