Debilitarse Present Tense in Spanish
debilitarse means "to weaken" 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 debilitarse, 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 debilito con la enfermedad en invierno. — "Every day, I weaken with the illness in winter." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of debilitarse: full table
Every person of debilitarse in the present tense. The gerund is debilitándose and the past participle is debilitado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me debilito |
| tú | te debilitas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se debilita |
| nosotros/as | nos debilitamos |
| vosotros/as | os debilitáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se debilitan |
The gerund of debilitarse is debilitándose and the past participle is debilitado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy debilitándose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he debilitado). Because debilitarse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of debilitarse is formed
The present tense of debilitarse is built from the stem debilit- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo me debilito, tú te debilitas, él se debilita, nosotros nos debilitamos, vosotros os debilitáis and ellos se debilitan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me debilito |
| tú | -as | te debilitas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se debilita |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos debilitamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os debilitáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se debilitan |
debilitarse is completely regular in the present tense: the stem never changes and every ending is the standard -ar ending. The only thing to watch is the accent on the vosotros form debilitáis.
debilitarse 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 debilitándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is debilitado.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is debilitándose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy debilitándose. The past participle is debilitado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he debilitado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with debilitarse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me debilito con la enfermedad en invierno. — "Every day, I weaken with the illness in winter." The complement in this sentence is about the illness in winter, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear debilitarse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te debilitas por la falta de comida. — "Now, you weaken from lack of food." The complement in this sentence is about lack of food, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear debilitarse 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 debilita con el calor del verano. — "Normally, he/she weakens in the summer heat." The complement in this sentence is about the summer heat, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear debilitarse 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 debilitamos después de la operación. — "Tomorrow, we weaken after the operation." The complement in this sentence is about the operation, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear debilitarse 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 debilitan con la enfermedad en invierno. — "Always, they weaken with the illness in winter." The complement in this sentence is about the illness in winter, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear debilitarse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: debilitarse
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 debilitarse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me debilito con la enfermedad en invierno. — "Every day, I weaken with the illness in winter."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me debilité con la enfermedad en invierno. — "Yesterday, I weakened with the illness in winter."
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 debilitas por la falta de comida. — "Every day, you weaken from lack of food."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te debilitaste por la falta de comida. — "Yesterday, you weakened from lack of food."
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 debilita con el calor del verano. — "Every day, he/she weakens in the summer heat."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se debilitó con el calor del verano. — "Yesterday, he/she weakened in the summer heat."
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: debilitarse in the present tense
These eight sentences show debilitarse 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 debilito con la enfermedad en invierno. — "I weaken with the illness in winter."
- Tú te debilitas por la falta de comida. — "you weaken from lack of food."
- Él se debilita con el calor del verano. — "he/she weakens in the summer heat."
- Nosotros nos debilitamos después de la operación. — "we weaken after the operation."
- Vosotros os debilitáis con la enfermedad en invierno. — "you (plural) weaken with the illness in winter."
- Ellos se debilitan por la falta de comida. — "they weaken from lack of food."
- Yo me debilito con el calor del verano. — "I weaken in the summer heat."
- Tú te debilitas después de la operación. — "you weaken after the operation."
Common mistakes with debilitarse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo debilito con la enfermedad en invierno.
- Right: Yo me debilito con la enfermedad en invierno.
- Why: debilitarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me debilito con la enfermedad en invierno.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os debilitais con la enfermedad en invierno.
- Right: Vosotros os debilitáis con la enfermedad en invierno.
- Why: The vosotros form debilitáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me debilito por la falta de comida.
- Right: Ayer, yo me debilité por la falta de comida.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me debilité por la falta de comida. — "Yesterday, I weakened from lack of food." 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 debilito con el calor del verano.
- Right: Antes, yo me debilitaba con el calor del verano.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me debilitaba con el calor del verano. — "In the past, I used to weaken in the summer heat." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos debilita con la enfermedad en invierno.
- Right: Nosotros nos debilitamos con la enfermedad en invierno.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes debilitamos, while debilita belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of debilitarse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of debilitarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of debilitarse in the present tense?
- (a) debilitas
- (b) debilita
- (c) debilitamos
- (d) debilito
Answer: (d) debilito. The yo form is debilito. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of debilitarse in the present tense?
- (a) debilita
- (b) debilitamos
- (c) debilitas
- (d) debilito
Answer: (c) debilitas. The tú form is debilitas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of debilitarse in the present tense?
- (a) debilitamos
- (b) debilita
- (c) debilito
- (d) debilitas
Answer: (b) debilita. The él/ella form is debilita. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of debilitarse in the present tense?
- (a) debilitamos
- (b) debilito
- (c) debilitas
- (d) debilita
Answer: (a) debilitamos. The nosotros form is debilitamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of debilitarse in the present tense?
- (a) debilito
- (b) debilitas
- (c) debilita
- (d) debilitan
Answer: (d) debilitan. The ellos/ellas form is debilitan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ con la enfermedad en invierno.
- (a) debilita
- (b) debilitamos
- (c) debilito
- (d) debilitas
Answer: (c) debilito. The sentence needs the yo form debilito (Every day, I weaken with the illness in winter.)
7. What is the gerund of debilitarse?
- (a) debilito
- (b) debilitarse
- (c) debilitando
- (d) debilitado
Answer: (c) debilitando. The gerund is debilitando, used for the progressive: me estoy debilitando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Mañana, yo me debilitaré por la falta de comida.
- (b) Cada día, yo me debilito por la falta de comida.
- (c) Antes, yo me debilitaba por la falta de comida.
- (d) Ayer, yo me debilité por la falta de comida.
Answer: (b) Cada día, yo me debilito por la falta de comida.. Cada día, yo me debilito por la falta de comida. (Every day, I weaken from lack of food.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me debilité por la falta de comida. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me debilitaré por la falta de comida. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of debilitarse
Is debilitarse regular in the present tense?
Yes. debilitarse is a regular -ar verb: debilito, debilitas, debilita, debilitamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'weaken' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me debilito con la enfermedad en invierno. — "Every day, I weaken with the illness in winter." 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 debilitarse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me debilito por la falta de comida. — "Every day, I weaken from lack of food." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me debilité por la falta de comida. — "Yesterday, I weakened from lack of food." 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 debilitarse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos debilitamos después de la operación. — "Tomorrow, we weaken after the operation." 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.