Cortarse in the Present Tense

Cortarse means “to cut oneself”, and this page covers exactly one thing: cortarse in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about routines, facts and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for cortarse, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about cortarse in the present. For example: “Yo me corto el dedo con el cuchillo.” — I cut myself my finger with the knife. Everything on this page uses the forms of cortarse exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Cortarse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me corto
tú te cortas
él/ella/Ud. se corta
nosotros/as nos cortamos
vosotros/as os cortáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se cortan

Gerund: cortando · Past participle: cortado

The gerund is cortando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy cortando” means the action of cortarse is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is cortado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he cortado” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how cortarse is used.

How the present of cortarse is formed

Cortarse is regular in the present tense. Take the stem cort and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving corto, cortas, corta, cortamos, cortáis, cortan. Watch the accents: the yo form is corto and the él/ella/Ud. form is corta. Because cortarse is reflexive, put the pronoun before each form: me corto, te cortas, se corta, nos cortamos, os cortáis, se cortan.

When to use the present of cortarse

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use cortarse in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Routines and habits

The present tense is the tense of what you do regularly. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the right choice, and cortarse is no exception. Example: “Yo me corto el dedo con el cuchillo todos los días.” — I cut myself my finger with the knife every day.

2. Facts and general truths

The present states facts that are true in general, not just right now. Use it to say what cortarse means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Se corta al afeitarse por la mañana.” — He/she cuts himself while shaving in the morning.

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes actions in progress at this very moment. When something is happening as you speak, the present tense says so directly. Example: “Yo me corto el pelo en la peluquería ahora.” — I cut myself my hair at the hairdresser's now.

4. Scheduled events in the near future

Spanish often uses the present for things that are already arranged, such as plans for tomorrow or next week. The present sounds more certain than the future in these cases. Example: “Nosotros nos cortamos con el papel en la oficina.” — We cut ourselves with the paper in the office.

5. Instructions and everyday speech

In everyday speech the present gives instructions, makes offers and states what someone does. It is the tense you will hear most often in conversation. Example: “Tú te cortas el dedo con el cuchillo.” — You cut yourself my finger with the knife.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present describes routines, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is a habit or a finished event. Time words help: todos los días and cada semana point to the present, while ayer and la semana pasada point to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Yo me corto el dedo con el cuchillo todos los días.” — I cut myself my finger with the knife every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo me corté el dedo con el cuchillo.” — Yesterday, I cut myself my finger with the knife.

  • The present sentence describes a habit; the preterite sentence reports one finished action. Todos los días points to the present, ayer points to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Él se corta al afeitarse por la mañana cada semana.” — He/she cuts himself while shaving in the morning every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él se cortó al afeitarse por la mañana.” — Last week, he cut himself while shaving in the morning.

  • Cada semana describes a routine, so the present is right; la semana pasada names one finished week, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Nosotros nos cortamos el pelo en la peluquería a menudo.” — We cut ourselves my hair at the hairdresser's often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros nos cortamos el pelo en la peluquería.” — Yesterday, we cut ourselves my hair at the hairdresser's.

  • The present sentence counts no single event; the preterite sentence counts one finished action. That difference — habit versus finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: cortarse in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Me corto el dedo con el cuchillo.” — I cut myself my finger with the knife.

  2. “Te cortas al afeitarse por la mañana.” — You cut yourself while shaving in the morning.

  3. “Se corta el pelo en la peluquería.” — He/she cuts himself my hair at the hairdresser's.

  4. “Nos cortamos con el papel en la oficina.” — We cut ourselves with the paper in the office.

  5. “Os cortáis el dedo con el cuchillo.” — You cut yourselves my finger with the knife.

  6. “Se cortan al afeitarse por la mañana.” — They cut themselves while shaving in the morning.

  7. “Me corto el pelo en la peluquería.” — I cut myself my hair at the hairdresser's.

  8. “Se corta con el papel en la oficina.” — He/she cuts himself with the paper in the office.

Common mistakes with cortarse in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Yo corto el dedo con el cuchillo.” Right: “Yo me corto el dedo con el cuchillo.” Why: Cortarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required before every form. Without it the sentence is incomplete.

  • Wrong: “Yo corto al afeitarse por la mañana ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo corté al afeitarse por la mañana.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to corté.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros cortas el pelo en la peluquería.” Right: “Nosotros nos cortamos el pelo en la peluquería.” Why: Nosotros needs nos cortamos. The tú form cortas belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos corto con el papel en la oficina todos los días.” Right: “Ellos se cortan con el papel en la oficina todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form se cortan, not the yo form corto. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.

Quiz: cortarse in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ el dedo con el cuchillo.” (My finger with the knife.)

  • (a) me corto
  • (b) te cortas
  • (c) se corta

Answer: me corto — The yo form of cortarse in the present is me corto. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ al afeitarse por la mañana?” (While shaving in the morning.)

  • (a) me corto
  • (b) se corta
  • (c) te cortas

Answer: te cortas — The tú form of cortarse in the present is te cortas. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ el pelo en la peluquería.” (My hair at the hairdresser's.)

  • (a) te cortas
  • (b) se corta
  • (c) me corto

Answer: se corta — The él/ella/Ud. form of cortarse in the present is se corta. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ con el papel en la oficina.” (With the paper in the office.)

  • (a) nos cortamos
  • (b) me corto
  • (c) te cortas

Answer: nos cortamos — The nosotros/as form of cortarse in the present is nos cortamos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of cortarse in the present?

  • (a) me corto
  • (b) te cortas
  • (c) os cortáis

Answer: os cortáis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes os cortáis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros os cortáis el dedo con el cuchillo.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ al afeitarse por la mañana.” (While shaving in the morning.)

  • (a) te cortas
  • (b) se cortan
  • (c) me corto

Answer: se cortan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of cortarse in the present is se cortan. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

7. Which is the correct yo form of cortarse in the present?

  • (a) me corto
  • (b) te cortas
  • (c) se corta

Answer: me corto — The yo form is me corto. The other two options are the forms for other persons.

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo me corté el dedo con el cuchillo todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros nos cortaremos el dedo con el cuchillo mañana.
  • (c) Yo me corto el dedo con el cuchillo todos los días.

Answer: Yo me corto el dedo con el cuchillo todos los días. — “Yo me corto el dedo con el cuchillo todos los días.” describes a habit, so it takes the present. The second option reports a finished action in the past, and the third looks to the future.

Frequently asked questions

Is cortarse regular in the present?

Yes. Cortarse is regular in the present: corto, cortas, corta, cortamos, cortáis, cortan. Watch the accents on the yo and él forms, and remember that only context tells the nosotros form apart from the present-tense nosotros form when they are identical.

What is the past participle of cortarse?

The past participle is cortado: 'He cortado' means 'I have cut myself'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is cortando.

Does cortarse take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Cortarse is reflexive: me corto el dedo. Cortar without the pronoun means cutting something else. In the examples on this page, cortarse appears with complements such as el dedo con el cuchillo and al afeitarse por la mañana, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of cortarse?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo me corto, tú te cortas, él/ella/Ud. se corta, nosotros/as nos cortamos, vosotros/as os cortáis, ellos/ellas/Uds. se cortan. Then write three of your own sentences with cortarse in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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