Introduction
desesperarse means “to despair, to lose hope”, and this page covers exactly one thing: desesperarse in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for desesperarse, 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 desesperarse in the present. For example: “Yo me desespero con el tráfico todos los días.” — “I despair with the traffic.” Everything on this page uses the forms of desesperarse exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
desesperarse in the Present Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desespero |
| tú | desesperas |
| él/ella/Ud. | desespera |
| nosotros/as | desesperamos |
| vosotros/as | desesperáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desesperan |
Gerund: desesperando · Past participle: desesperado
The gerund is desesperando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy desesperando” means the action of desesperarse is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is desesperado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he desesperado” 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 desesperarse is used.
How the present of desesperarse is formed
desesperarse is a -ar verb. Take the stem desesper and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving desespero, desesperas, desespera, desesperamos, desesperáis and desesperan. desesperarse is regular in the present, so once you know the endings you can build all six forms from the stem.
The present of desesperarse rewards careful reading of the table. Two details deserve attention. First, the yo form desespero is the form you will use most when you talk about yourself, so say it out loud until it comes without thinking. Second, the nosotros form desesperamos and the ellos form desesperan are the ones learners confuse most often, because they are the forms used for groups. Practise the six forms in order — yo, tú, él, nosotros, vosotros, ellos — and the pattern will settle.
When to use the present of desesperarse
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use desesperarse in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. A habit or routine
desesperarse in the present describes something done regularly. When talking about with the traffic is part of your routine, the present is the right tense. Example: “Yo me desespero con el tráfico cada día.” — “I despair with the traffic.”
2. A fact or general truth
General truths about with the traffic also take the present. The tense states how things are, not when they happened. Example: “Él se desespera con el tráfico siempre.” — “He despairs with the traffic.”
3. Something happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. It is the simplest way to describe an action in progress when you do not need the gerund. Example: “Nosotros nos desesperamos con el tráfico ahora mismo.” — “We despair with the traffic.”
4. A scheduled near-future event
Spanish often uses the present for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense. Example: “Ellos se desesperan con el tráfico mañana.” — “They despair with the traffic.”
5. Instructions and explanations
When you explain how something works — how to talk about with the traffic — the present is the natural tense. Recipes, rules and directions all live in the present. Example: “Tú te desesperas con el tráfico normalmente.” — “you despair with the traffic.”
Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the hardest decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present reports what happens regularly or 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 the tense. Time words help: cada día and siempre point to the present, while ayer points to the preterite.
Present Tense: “Yo me desespero con el tráfico cada día.” — “I despair with the traffic.”
Preterite: “Yo me desesperé con el tráfico ayer.” — “I despaired with the traffic.”
The two sentences use the same verb and the same situation, but the tense changes what the sentence claims: a habit or a present fact versus one finished event. That difference is the whole decision.
Present Tense: “Él se desespera con el tráfico siempre.” — “He despairs with the traffic.”
Preterite: “Él se desesperó con el tráfico ayer.” — “He despaired with the traffic.”
The two sentences use the same verb and the same situation, but the tense changes what the sentence claims: a habit or a present fact versus one finished event. That difference is the whole decision.
Present Tense: “Nosotros nos desesperamos con el tráfico todos los días.” — “We despair with the traffic.”
Preterite: “Nosotros nos desesperamos con el tráfico ayer.” — “We despaired with the traffic.”
The two sentences use the same verb and the same situation, but the tense changes what the sentence claims: a habit or a present fact versus one finished event. That difference is the whole decision.
Example sentences: desesperarse 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.
- “Yo me desespero con el tráfico cada día.” — “I despair with the traffic.”
- “Tú te desesperas con el tráfico cada día.” — “you despair with the traffic.”
- “Él se desespera con el tráfico siempre.” — “He despairs with the traffic.”
- “Nosotros nos desesperamos con el tráfico todos los días.” — “We despair with the traffic.”
- “Vosotros os desesperáis con el tráfico cada semana.” — “You despair with the traffic.”
- “Ellos se desesperan con el tráfico normalmente.” — “They despair with the traffic.”
- “Yo me desespero con el tráfico ahora mismo.” — “I despair with the traffic.”
- “Él se desespera con el tráfico cada día.” — “He despairs with the traffic.”
Common mistakes
Dropping the reflexive pronoun
Because desesperarse is reflexive, it always needs its pronoun: yo me desespero con el tráfico, not yo desespero con el tráfico. Without me, the sentence either means something else or means nothing at all. The pronouns are me, te, se, nos, os, se — learn them with the verb, not as an afterthought.
Confusing desesperarse with descubrir
desesperarse and descubrir look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of desesperarse — despair — the sentence needs desesperarse; if it needs the meaning of descubrir, use that verb instead.
Using the indicative after "espero que"
After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo desespere con el tráfico. Using the indicative — Espero que yo desespero — is one of the most frequent learner errors with desesperarse. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.
Forgetting the accent in the preterite
The yo preterite form is desesperé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — desespere — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of desesperarse.
Using the wrong tense for desesperarse
The most general mistake is choosing the wrong tense altogether: using the present where Spanish needs the preterite, or the other way round. Check the time words first — ayer and la semana pasada point to the past, cada día and siempre point to the present — and then check whether the action is finished or ongoing. If you can answer those two questions, the tense usually chooses itself.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the yo form of desesperarse in the present tense?
- A. desesperas
- B. desespera
- C. desesperamos
- D. desespero
2. What is the tu form of desesperarse in the present tense?
- A. desesperas
- B. desespero
- C. desespera
- D. desesperamos
3. What is the el form of desesperarse in the present tense?
- A. desesperamos
- B. desespera
- C. desespero
- D. desesperas
4. What is the nosotros form of desesperarse in the present tense?
- A. desesperas
- B. desespera
- C. desesperamos
- D. desespero
5. What is the vosotros form of desesperarse in the present tense?
- A. desespero
- B. desesperas
- C. desespera
- D. desesperáis
6. What is the ellos form of desesperarse in the present tense?
- A. desesperan
- B. desespero
- C. desesperas
- D. desespera
7. What is the yo form of desesperarse in the present tense?
- A. desesperamos
- B. desespero
- C. desesperas
- D. desespera
8. What is the el form of desesperarse in the present tense?
- A. desesperas
- B. desesperamos
- C. desespera
- D. desespero
Answer key
- desespero — The present table gives yo = desespero.
- desesperas — The present table gives tu = desesperas.
- desespera — The present table gives el = desespera.
- desesperamos — The present table gives nosotros = desesperamos.
- desesperáis — The present table gives vosotros = desesperáis.
- desesperan — The present table gives ellos = desesperan.
- desespero — The present table gives yo = desespero.
- desespera — The present table gives el = desespera.
Frequently asked questions
How do you form the present of desesperarse?
Take the stem desesper and add the present endings for -ar verbs. The six forms are desespero, desesperas, desespera, desesperamos, desesperáis and desesperan. Copy the forms from the table above rather than building them from memory until they are automatic.
When should I use the present of desesperarse?
Use it for habits, facts and things happening now. The five rules in the section above cover the situations you will meet most often. If the action is a routine or a present fact, the present is the right choice.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of desesperarse?
The present form for yo is desespero and the preterite form is desesperé — different forms for different meanings. The present reports what happens regularly or now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The contrasted pairs above show the same situation in both tenses, so compare them side by side.
Is desesperarse regular in the present?
Yes — desesperarse is regular in the present and follows the standard -ar endings. The full conjugation of desesperarse is on its main conjugation page, where every tense is covered.
Related links
- desesperarse conjugation — the full conjugation of desesperarse in every tense.
- desesperarse examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a second quiz.
- Spanish present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub with every verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present tense.
- Verb quiz — practise conjugations with timed questions.