Dedicarse in the Present Tense
Introduction
The present tense of dedicarse — «to devote oneself to» — 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. dedicarse is a spelling-changing -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 dedico todos los días» — I devote myself to every day.
Dedicarse in the Present Tense — full table
| Person | Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | me | dedico |
| tú | te | dedicas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se | dedica |
| nosotros/as | nos | dedicamos |
| vosotros/as | os | dedicáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | dedican |
Gerund: dedicando · Past participle: dedicado
How the present tense of dedicarse is formed
Take the stem dedic — the infinitive dedicarse 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 | dedic | -o | dedico |
| tú | dedic | -as | dedicas |
| él/ella/Ud. | dedic | -a | dedica |
| nosotros/as | dedic | -amos | dedicamos |
| vosotros/as | dedic | -áis | dedicáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | dedic | -an | dedican |
Because dedicarse is reflexive, put the pronoun before the form: me dedico, te dedicas, se dedica, nos dedicamos, os dedicáis, se dedican. 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 dedico, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.
When to use the present tense of dedicarse
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 dedico todos los días. — I devote myself to 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 dedica con mi familia. — He devotes himself to 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 dedicando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.
Nos dedicamos por la mañana. — We devote ourselves to 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 dedicas en el trabajo. — You devote yourself to 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 dedican a veces. — They devote themselves to 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 dedico todos los días. — I devote myself to every day.
Preterite: Ayer me dediqué por la tarde. — Yesterday I devoted myself to 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 dedica por la mañana. — He devotes himself to in the morning.
Preterite: Ayer se dedicó por la tarde. — Yesterday He devoted himself to in the afternoon.
What happens in the morning in general, against what happened yesterday afternoon. The time expression decides the tense.
Present: Nos dedicamos con mi familia. — We devote ourselves to with my family.
Preterite: La semana pasada nos dedicamos dos veces. — Last week We devoted ourselves to 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: dedicarse in the present
- Me dedico todos los días. — I devote myself to every day.
- Te dedicas en el trabajo. — You devote yourself to at work.
- Se dedica con mi familia. — He devotes himself to with my family.
- Nos dedicamos por la mañana. — We devote ourselves to in the morning.
- Os dedicáis cuando hay tiempo. — You devote yourselves to when there is time.
- Se dedican a veces. — They devote themselves to sometimes.
- Me dedico en el trabajo. — I devote myself to at work.
- Se dedica todos los días. — He devotes himself to every day.
Common mistakes with dedicarse in the present
1. Dropping the reflexive pronoun
Wrong: Yo dedico todos los días.
Right: Me dedico todos los días.
Reflexive dedicarse needs its pronoun in the present as in every tense: me dedico. Without it the sentence uses the non-reflexive verb and means something else.
2. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form
Wrong: Vosotros dedicais.
Right: Vosotros dedicáis.
The vosotros form dedicáis 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 dedico.
Right: Ayer yo dediqué.
Ayer belongs with the preterite. The present dedico talks about now or about a habit; a finished yesterday needs dediqué.
4. Using the yo form for every person
Wrong: Ellos dedico.
Right: Ellos dedican.
Each person has its own form: ellos take dedican, not the yo form dedico. The -n ending on dedican is what marks the third-person plural.
5. Using the present instead of the progressive
Wrong: Estoy dedico.
Right: Estoy dedicando.
After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy dedicando. The conjugated present dedico never follows estar.
Quiz: dedicarse in the present
Test yourself on the present tense of dedicarse. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the tú form of dedicarse in the present indicative?
- (a) dedica
- (b) dedico
- (c) dedicas
- (d) dedicamos
2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of dedicarse in the present indicative?
- (a) dedica
- (b) dedicas
- (c) dedico
- (d) dedicamos
3. What is the nosotros/as form of dedicarse in the present indicative?
- (a) dedico
- (b) dedicamos
- (c) dedicas
- (d) dedica
4. What is the vosotros/as form of dedicarse in the present indicative?
- (a) dedicáis
- (b) dedico
- (c) dedica
- (d) dedicas
5. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of dedicarse in the present indicative?
- (a) dedico
- (b) dedican
- (c) dedicas
- (d) dedica
6. What is the yo form of dedicarse in the present indicative?
- (a) dedica
- (b) dedicas
- (c) dedicamos
- (d) dedico
7. What is the gerund of dedicarse?
- (a) dedicando
- (b) dedicarse
- (c) dedico
- (d) dedicado
8. What is the past participle of dedicarse?
- (a) dediqué
- (b) dedicando
- (c) dedicarse
- (d) dedicado
Answer key
1. (c) — In the present indicative, the tú form of dedicarse is dedicas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of dedicarse is dedica. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of dedicarse is dedicamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of dedicarse is dedicáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of dedicarse is dedican. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present indicative, the yo form of dedicarse is dedico. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (a) — The gerund of dedicarse is dedicando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy dedicando». 8. (d) — The past participle of dedicarse is dedicado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he dedicado».
Frequently asked questions
Is dedicarse regular in the present?
Almost — dedicarse takes the regular -ar endings in the present, with a spelling change in the yo form (dedico). Once you know that one form, the rest of the table is regular.
What is the yo form of dedicarse in the present?
It is dedico. With the reflexive pronoun: «Me dedico».
How is the present different from the preterite for dedicarse?
The present (dedico) describes habits and what is happening now; the preterite (dediqué) reports a single finished event. «Yo dedico todos los días» is a habit, while «Ayer yo dediqué» is one event that ended yesterday.
Can I use the present of dedicarse with estar and the gerund?
Yes — «Estoy dedicando» means «I am devoting myself to right now», with the emphasis on the action in progress. The plain present «Yo dedico» is also correct for what is happening now; the gerund version simply stresses the moment.
Related pages
- Full conjugation: dedicarse
- More examples and a quiz: dedicarse-examples-and-quiz
- Present tense guide: spanish-present-tense-guide
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/