Disgustarse Present Tense in Spanish
disgustarse means "to get upset" 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 disgustarse, 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 disgusto con su hermano por la broma. — "Every day, I get upset with his brother over the joke." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of disgustarse: full table
Every person of disgustarse in the present tense. The gerund is disgustándose and the past participle is disgustado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me disgusto |
| tú | te disgustas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se disgusta |
| nosotros/as | nos disgustamos |
| vosotros/as | os disgustáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se disgustan |
The gerund of disgustarse is disgustándose and the past participle is disgustado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy disgustándose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he disgustado). Because disgustarse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of disgustarse is formed
The present tense of disgustarse is built from the stem disgust- 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 disgusto, tú te disgustas, él se disgusta, nosotros nos disgustamos, vosotros os disgustáis and ellos se disgustan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me disgusto |
| tú | -as | te disgustas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se disgusta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos disgustamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os disgustáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se disgustan |
disgustarse 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 disgustáis.
disgustarse 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 disgustándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is disgustado.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is disgustándose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy disgustándose. The past participle is disgustado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he disgustado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with disgustarse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me disgusto con su hermano por la broma. — "Every day, I get upset with his brother over the joke." The complement in this sentence is about his brother over the joke, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear disgustarse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te disgustas por la comida fría. — "Now, you get upset over the cold food." The complement in this sentence is about the cold food, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear disgustarse 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 disgusta con su amiga por el retraso. — "Normally, he/she gets upset with his friend over the delay." The complement in this sentence is about his friend over the delay, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear disgustarse 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 disgustamos por el resultado del partido. — "Tomorrow, we get upset over the match result." The complement in this sentence is about the match result, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear disgustarse 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 disgustan con su hermano por la broma. — "Always, they get upset with his brother over the joke." The complement in this sentence is about his brother over the joke, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear disgustarse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: disgustarse
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 disgustarse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me disgusto con su hermano por la broma. — "Every day, I get upset with his brother over the joke."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me disgusté con su hermano por la broma. — "Yesterday, I got upset with his brother over the joke."
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 disgustas por la comida fría. — "Every day, you get upset over the cold food."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te disgustaste por la comida fría. — "Yesterday, you got upset over the cold 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 disgusta con su amiga por el retraso. — "Every day, he/she gets upset with his friend over the delay."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se disgustó con su amiga por el retraso. — "Yesterday, he/she got upset with his friend over the delay."
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: disgustarse in the present tense
These eight sentences show disgustarse 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 disgusto con su hermano por la broma. — "I get upset with his brother over the joke."
- Tú te disgustas por la comida fría. — "you get upset over the cold food."
- Él se disgusta con su amiga por el retraso. — "he/she gets upset with his friend over the delay."
- Nosotros nos disgustamos por el resultado del partido. — "we get upset over the match result."
- Vosotros os disgustáis con su hermano por la broma. — "you (plural) get upset with his brother over the joke."
- Ellos se disgustan por la comida fría. — "they get upset over the cold food."
- Yo me disgusto con su amiga por el retraso. — "I get upset with his friend over the delay."
- Tú te disgustas por el resultado del partido. — "you get upset over the match result."
Common mistakes with disgustarse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo disgusto con su hermano por la broma.
- Right: Yo me disgusto con su hermano por la broma.
- Why: disgustarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me disgusto con su hermano por la broma.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os disgustais con su hermano por la broma.
- Right: Vosotros os disgustáis con su hermano por la broma.
- Why: The vosotros form disgustáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me disgusto por la comida fría.
- Right: Ayer, yo me disgusté por la comida fría.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me disgusté por la comida fría. — "Yesterday, I got upset over the cold 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 disgusto con su amiga por el retraso.
- Right: Antes, yo me disgustaba con su amiga por el retraso.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me disgustaba con su amiga por el retraso. — "In the past, I used to get upset with his friend over the delay." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos disgusta con su hermano por la broma.
- Right: Nosotros nos disgustamos con su hermano por la broma.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes disgustamos, while disgusta belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of disgustarse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of disgustarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of disgustarse in the present tense?
- (a) disgusto
- (b) disgustas
- (c) disgusta
- (d) disgustamos
Answer: (a) disgusto. The yo form is disgusto. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of disgustarse in the present tense?
- (a) disgusto
- (b) disgusta
- (c) disgustamos
- (d) disgustas
Answer: (d) disgustas. The tú form is disgustas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of disgustarse in the present tense?
- (a) disgustas
- (b) disgustamos
- (c) disgusta
- (d) disgusto
Answer: (c) disgusta. The él/ella form is disgusta. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of disgustarse in the present tense?
- (a) disgusta
- (b) disgustamos
- (c) disgusto
- (d) disgustas
Answer: (b) disgustamos. The nosotros form is disgustamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of disgustarse in the present tense?
- (a) disgustan
- (b) disgusto
- (c) disgustas
- (d) disgusta
Answer: (a) disgustan. The ellos/ellas form is disgustan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ con su hermano por la broma.
- (a) disgustas
- (b) disgusta
- (c) disgustamos
- (d) disgusto
Answer: (d) disgusto. The sentence needs the yo form disgusto (Every day, I get upset with his brother over the joke.)
7. What is the gerund of disgustarse?
- (a) disgustado
- (b) disgusto
- (c) disgustarse
- (d) disgustando
Answer: (d) disgustando. The gerund is disgustando, used for the progressive: me estoy disgustando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Ayer, yo me disgusté por la comida fría.
- (b) Mañana, yo me disgustaré por la comida fría.
- (c) Cada día, yo me disgusto por la comida fría.
- (d) Antes, yo me disgustaba por la comida fría.
Answer: (c) Cada día, yo me disgusto por la comida fría.. Cada día, yo me disgusto por la comida fría. (Every day, I get upset over the cold food.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me disgusté por la comida fría. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me disgustaré por la comida fría. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of disgustarse
Is disgustarse regular in the present tense?
Yes. disgustarse is a regular -ar verb: disgusto, disgustas, disgusta, disgustamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'get upset' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me disgusto con su hermano por la broma. — "Every day, I get upset with his brother over the joke." 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 disgustarse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me disgusto por la comida fría. — "Every day, I get upset over the cold food." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me disgusté por la comida fría. — "Yesterday, I got upset over the cold 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 disgustarse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos disgustamos por el resultado del partido. — "Tomorrow, we get upset over the match result." 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.