Curarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb curarse means to recover, to heal, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Curarse means to recover or to heal, and it is the verb Spanish speakers reach for after an illness, an operation or an injury. It describes the body getting better on its own, with rest and treatment helping it along, rather than someone else doing the curing. Like every Spanish verb, curarse 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 curo en casa después de la operación, and in the preterite you say me curé con descanso y mucha agua. 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: curarse
  • English: to recover, to heal
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: curando
  • Past participle: curado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + curado)
  • 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 curarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Say me curo, not yo curo: the pronoun me is part of the meaning — you are healing yourself.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for curarse. 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 curo
tú te curas
él/ella/Ud. se cura
nosotros/as nos curamos
vosotros/as os curáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se curan

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me curé
tú te curaste
él/ella/Ud. se curó
nosotros/as nos curamos
vosotros/as os curasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se curaron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me curaba
tú te curabas
él/ella/Ud. se curaba
nosotros/as nos curábamos
vosotros/as os curabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se curaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me curaré
tú te curarás
él/ella/Ud. se curará
nosotros/as nos curaremos
vosotros/as os curaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se curarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me curaría
tú te curarías
él/ella/Ud. se curaría
nosotros/as nos curaríamos
vosotros/as os curaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se curarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me cure
tú te cures
él/ella/Ud. se cure
nosotros/as nos curemos
vosotros/as os curéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se curen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me curara
tú te curaras
él/ella/Ud. se curara
nosotros/as nos curáramos
vosotros/as os curarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se curaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te cura
él/ella/Ud. se cure
nosotros/as nos curemos
vosotros/as os curad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se curen

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te cures
él/ella/Ud. se cure
nosotros/as nos curemos
vosotros/as os curéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se curen

Gerund and past participle

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

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 curarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me curo en casa después de la operación. 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 curarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me curé de la gripe en una semana. 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 curarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me curaba con descanso y mucha agua. 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 curarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me curaré de la herida del brazo. 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 curarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me curaría en casa después de la operación 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 curarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he curado de la gripe en una semana. 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 curarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había curado con descanso y mucha agua 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 curarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré curado de la herida del brazo. 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 curarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría curado en casa después de la operación 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 curarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se cure de la gripe en una semana. 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 curarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se curara con descanso y mucha agua, 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 curarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se cure de la herida del brazo. 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 curarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te cures en casa después de la operación. 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 curarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me curo en casa después de la operación. — I recover at home after the operation.
  2. Se cura de la gripe en una semana. — He/she recovers from the flu in a week.
  3. Ayer, me curé con descanso y mucha agua. — Yesterday, I recovered with rest and plenty of water.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos curábamos de la herida del brazo. — Before, we used to recover from the wound on my arm.
  5. Mañana, tú te curarás en casa después de la operación. — Tomorrow, you will recover at home after the operation.
  6. Yo me curaría de la gripe en una semana si tuviera más tiempo. — I would recover from the flu in a week if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha curado con descanso y mucha agua. — He has recovered with rest and plenty of water.
  8. Espero que él se cure de la herida del brazo. — I hope he recovers from the wound on my arm.
  9. Yo ya me había curado en casa después de la operación antes de salir. — I had already recovered at home after the operation before leaving.
  10. Ellos se curaban de la gripe en una semana cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to recover from the flu in a week when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo curo en casa después de la operación. — Right: Yo me curo en casa después de la operación. — Curarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo curo de la gripe en una semana. — Right: Ayer yo curé de la gripe en una semana. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: curo is happening now, while curé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating curarse and curar as identical in every context. — Right: Curarse means to recover, to heal, while curar means to cure someone else. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: curarse fits sentences such as Me curo en casa después de la operación, while curar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy curado de la gripe en una semana. — Right: Yo he curado de la gripe en una semana. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he curado, has curado, ha curado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo curé con descanso y mucha agua todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo curaba con descanso y mucha agua todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (curaba), not the preterite. The preterite (curé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en casa después de la operación. (present tense) A. me curo B. te curas C. se cura D. nos curamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ de la gripe en una semana. (preterite) A. me curé B. te curaste C. se curaron D. se curó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ con descanso y mucha agua. (imperfect) A. te curabas B. se curaban C. nos curábamos D. me curaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ de la herida del brazo. (future) A. nos curaremos B. te curarás C. me curaré D. se curará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en casa después de la operación si pudiera. (conditional) A. me curaría B. te curarías C. se curaría D. se curarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ de la gripe en una semana. (present subjunctive) A. me cure B. te cures C. nos curemos D. se cure

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ con descanso y mucha agua, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se curara B. nos curáramos C. me curara D. te curaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ de la herida del brazo. (present perfect) A. se han curado B. nos hemos curado C. me he curado D. te has curado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ en casa después de la operación. (negative imperative, tú) A. te cures B. se cure C. nos curemos D. os curéis

  10. Which is the gerund of curarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. curado B. curo C. curé D. curando

Answer key

  1. me curo — The first-person present of curarse is me curo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se curó — The third-person preterite of curarse is se curó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos curábamos — The nosotros imperfect of curarse is nos curábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te curarás — The second-person future of curarse is te curarás.
  5. me curaría — The first-person conditional of curarse is me curaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se cure — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of curarse is se cure.
  7. me curara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of curarse is me curara.
  8. nos hemos curado — The nosotros present perfect of curarse is nos hemos curado: hemos + curado.
  9. te cures — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te cures.
  10. curando — The gerund of curarse is curando: estoy curando. The participle curado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does curarse mean in English?

Curarse means to recover, to heal. It is used in everyday situations such as Me curo en casa después de la operación. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is curarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Curarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me curo en casa después de la operación and él se cura de la gripe en una semana. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between curarse and curar?

Curarse means to recover, to heal, while curar means to cure someone else. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use curarse when you mean to recover, to heal, as in Me curo en casa después de la operación, and use curar for to cure someone else. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I recover” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me curé de la gripe en una semana. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me curaba con descanso y mucha agua. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he curado de la gripe en una semana.

How do I practise curarse?

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

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