Dañarse in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of dañarse — «to get damaged, to hurt oneself» — is the form you will reach for most often. It talks about habits, facts and what is happening right now, and it is the first tense to master for this verb. dañarse is a regular -ar verb, reflexive verb, so the present follows the -ar endings. On this page you will find the full present-tense table, how the forms are built, five usage rules with examples, a comparison with the preterite, more example sentences, the mistakes learners make in this tense, an eight-question quiz and answers to common questions. A good first sentence is «Me daño todos los días» — I get damaged every day.

Dañarse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me daño
tú te dañas
él/ella/Ud. se daña
nosotros/as nos dañamos
vosotros/as os dañáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se dañan

Gerund: dañando · Past participle: dañado

How the present tense of dañarse is formed

Take the stem dañ — the infinitive dañarse without its -ar ending and without -se — and add the present endings. The table below shows the build for every person, using the actual stem of each form:

Person Stem Ending Form
yo dañ -o daño
tú dañ -as dañas
él/ella/Ud. dañ -a daña
nosotros/as dañ -amos dañamos
vosotros/as dañ -áis dañáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. dañ -an dañan

Because dañarse is reflexive, put the pronoun before the form: me daño, te dañas, se daña, nos dañamos, os dañáis, se dañan. The pronoun changes with the person, never with the tense.

The present is the only tense where the yo form ends in -o for all three verb classes, which makes it a useful anchor: if you know daño, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of dañarse

1. Daily routines and habits

The most common use: things you do regularly. Time words like todos los días, siempre and a veces are the giveaway.

Me daño todos los días. — I get damaged every day.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. No time expression is needed — the statement stands on its own.

Se daña con mi familia. — He gets damaged with my family.

3. What is happening right now

For an action in progress, the present works on its own in Spanish, and you can also use estar + the gerund dañando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nos dañamos por la mañana. — We get damaged in the morning.

4. Scheduled near-future plans

Spanish often uses the present for a fixed plan in the near future, where English would say «going to». A time expression such as mañana or la semana que viene makes the future meaning clear.

Te dañas en el trabajo. — You get damaged at work.

5. Narrating and commenting

The present is the tense of live commentary and of stories told as if they were happening now. It keeps the listener in the moment, and it is the tense of instructions and explanations.

Se dañan a veces. — They get damaged sometimes.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The present and the preterite answer different questions. The present says what happens in general or what is happening now; the preterite says what happened once and is over. Compare the pairs below — same verb, different time frame:

  • Present: Me daño todos los días. — I get damaged every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer me dañé por la tarde. — Yesterday I got damaged in the afternoon.

  • A routine against a single finished event. The present describes the habit; the preterite reports the one time it happened.

  • Present: Se daña por la mañana. — He gets damaged in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer se dañó por la tarde. — Yesterday He got damaged in the afternoon.

  • What happens in the morning in general, against what happened yesterday afternoon. The time expression decides the tense.

  • Present: Nos dañamos con mi familia. — We get damaged with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nos dañamos dos veces. — Last week We got damaged twice.

  • A shared habit against a shared finished event. If the action repeats, use the present; if it happened once and ended, use the preterite.

Example sentences: dañarse in the present

  1. Me daño todos los días. — I get damaged every day.
  2. Te dañas en el trabajo. — You get damaged at work.
  3. Se daña con mi familia. — He gets damaged with my family.
  4. Nos dañamos por la mañana. — We get damaged in the morning.
  5. Os dañáis cuando hay tiempo. — You get damaged when there is time.
  6. Se dañan a veces. — They get damaged sometimes.
  7. Me daño en el trabajo. — I get damaged at work.
  8. Se daña todos los días. — He gets damaged every day.

Common mistakes with dañarse in the present

1. Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: Yo daño todos los días.

Right: Me daño todos los días.

Reflexive dañarse needs its pronoun in the present as in every tense: me daño. Without it the sentence uses the non-reflexive verb and means something else.

2. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros dañais.

Right: Vosotros dañáis.

The vosotros form dañáis carries a written accent on the ending. Without it the word is misspelled, and in speech the stress falls in the wrong place.

3. Using the present for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo daño.

Right: Ayer yo dañé.

Ayer belongs with the preterite. The present daño talks about now or about a habit; a finished yesterday needs dañé.

4. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos daño.

Right: Ellos dañan.

Each person has its own form: ellos take dañan, not the yo form daño. The -n ending on dañan is what marks the third-person plural.

5. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy daño.

Right: Estoy dañando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy dañando. The conjugated present daño never follows estar.

Quiz: dañarse in the present

Test yourself on the present tense of dañarse. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of dañarse in the present indicative?

- (a) dañas
- (b) daña
- (c) dañamos
- (d) daño

2. What is the tú form of dañarse in the present indicative?

- (a) dañamos
- (b) dañas
- (c) daña
- (d) daño

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of dañarse in the present indicative?

- (a) daño
- (b) daña
- (c) dañamos
- (d) dañas

4. What is the nosotros/as form of dañarse in the present indicative?

- (a) daña
- (b) daño
- (c) dañamos
- (d) dañas

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

- (a) daño
- (b) daña
- (c) dañáis
- (d) dañas

6. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of dañarse in the present indicative?

- (a) daño
- (b) daña
- (c) dañas
- (d) dañan

7. What is the gerund of dañarse?

- (a) dañarse
- (b) dañando
- (c) dañado
- (d) daño

8. What is the past participle of dañarse?

- (a) dañado
- (b) dañarse
- (c) dañé
- (d) dañando

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the yo form of dañarse is daño. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the present indicative, the tú form of dañarse is dañas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of dañarse is daña. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of dañarse is dañamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of dañarse is dañáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of dañarse is dañan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — The gerund of dañarse is dañando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy dañando». 8. (a) — The past participle of dañarse is dañado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he dañado».

Frequently asked questions

Is dañarse regular in the present?

Yes — dañarse is regular in the present. The stem dañ never changes and the endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an for -ar verbs (with the matching sets for -er and -ir verbs).

What is the yo form of dañarse in the present?

It is daño. With the reflexive pronoun: «Me daño».

How is the present different from the preterite for dañarse?

The present (daño) describes habits and what is happening now; the preterite (dañé) reports a single finished event. «Yo daño todos los días» is a habit, while «Ayer yo dañé» is one event that ended yesterday.

Can I use the present of dañarse with estar and the gerund?

Yes — «Estoy dañando» means «I am getting damaged right now», with the emphasis on the action in progress. The plain present «Yo daño» is also correct for what is happening now; the gerund version simply stresses the moment.

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