Divorciarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb divorciarse means to get divorced, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Divorciarse means to get divorced, and it is the legal end of a marriage, usually expressed with de: divorciarse de su marido. It is reflexive and regular, and it is often softened in conversation with phrases such as de mutuo acuerdo. Like every Spanish verb, divorciarse changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say me divorcio después de cinco años de matrimonio, and in the preterite you say me divorcié el año pasado. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: divorciarse
  • English: to get divorced
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: divorciando
  • Past participle: divorciado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + divorciado)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for divorciarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Divorciarse takes de for the other person: se divorció de su marido. It is reflexive, so keep the pronoun.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for divorciarse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Pronoun Form
yo me divorcio
tú te divorcias
él/ella/Ud. se divorcia
nosotros/as nos divorciamos
vosotros/as os divorciáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se divorcian

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me divorcié
tú te divorciaste
él/ella/Ud. se divorció
nosotros/as nos divorciamos
vosotros/as os divorciasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se divorciaron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me divorciaba
tú te divorciabas
él/ella/Ud. se divorciaba
nosotros/as nos divorciábamos
vosotros/as os divorciabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se divorciaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me divorciaré
tú te divorciarás
él/ella/Ud. se divorciará
nosotros/as nos divorciaremos
vosotros/as os divorciaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se divorciarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me divorciaría
tú te divorciarías
él/ella/Ud. se divorciaría
nosotros/as nos divorciaríamos
vosotros/as os divorciaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se divorciarían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he divorciado
tú te has divorciado
él/ella/Ud. se ha divorciado
nosotros/as nos hemos divorciado
vosotros/as os habéis divorciado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han divorciado

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había divorciado
tú te habías divorciado
él/ella/Ud. se había divorciado
nosotros/as nos habíamos divorciado
vosotros/as os habíais divorciado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían divorciado

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré divorciado
tú te habrás divorciado
él/ella/Ud. se habrá divorciado
nosotros/as nos habremos divorciado
vosotros/as os habréis divorciado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán divorciado

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría divorciado
tú te habrías divorciado
él/ella/Ud. se habría divorciado
nosotros/as nos habríamos divorciado
vosotros/as os habríais divorciado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían divorciado

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me divorcie
tú te divorcies
él/ella/Ud. se divorcie
nosotros/as nos divorciemos
vosotros/as os divorciéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se divorcien

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me divorciara
tú te divorciaras
él/ella/Ud. se divorciara
nosotros/as nos divorciáramos
vosotros/as os divorciarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se divorciaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te divorcia
él/ella/Ud. se divorcie
nosotros/as nos divorciemos
vosotros/as os divorciad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se divorcien

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te divorcies
él/ella/Ud. se divorcie
nosotros/as nos divorciemos
vosotros/as os divorciéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se divorcien

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund divorciando with estar for the progressive: estoy divorciando (or me estoy divorciando for this reflexive verb)
Past participle divorciado with haber for the perfect tenses: he divorciado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For divorciarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me divorcio después de cinco años de matrimonio. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For divorciarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me divorcié de mutuo acuerdo. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For divorciarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me divorciaba el año pasado. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For divorciarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me divorciaré en el juzgado de la ciudad. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For divorciarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me divorciaría después de cinco años de matrimonio si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For divorciarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he divorciado de mutuo acuerdo. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For divorciarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había divorciado el año pasado antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For divorciarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré divorciado en el juzgado de la ciudad. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For divorciarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría divorciado después de cinco años de matrimonio con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For divorciarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se divorcie de mutuo acuerdo. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For divorciarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se divorciara el año pasado, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For divorciarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se divorcie en el juzgado de la ciudad. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For divorciarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te divorcies después de cinco años de matrimonio. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with divorciarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me divorcio después de cinco años de matrimonio. — I get divorced after five years of marriage.
  2. Se divorcia de mutuo acuerdo. — He/she gets divorced by mutual agreement.
  3. Ayer, me divorcié el año pasado. — Yesterday, I got divorced last year.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos divorciábamos en el juzgado de la ciudad. — Before, we used to get divorced in the city court.
  5. Mañana, tú te divorciarás después de cinco años de matrimonio. — Tomorrow, you will get divorced after five years of marriage.
  6. Yo me divorciaría de mutuo acuerdo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would get divorced by mutual agreement if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha divorciado el año pasado. — He has got divorced last year.
  8. Espero que él se divorcie en el juzgado de la ciudad. — I hope he gets divorced in the city court.
  9. Yo ya me había divorciado después de cinco años de matrimonio antes de salir. — I had already got divorced after five years of marriage before leaving.
  10. Ellos se divorciaban de mutuo acuerdo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to get divorced by mutual agreement when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo divorcio después de cinco años de matrimonio. — Right: Yo me divorcio después de cinco años de matrimonio. — Divorciarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo divorcio de mutuo acuerdo. — Right: Ayer yo divorcié de mutuo acuerdo. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: divorcio is happening now, while divorcié is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating divorciarse and separarse as identical in every context. — Right: Divorciarse means to get divorced, while separarse means to separate, which is not the legal divorce. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: divorciarse fits sentences such as Me divorcio después de cinco años de matrimonio, while separarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy divorciado de mutuo acuerdo. — Right: Yo he divorciado de mutuo acuerdo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he divorciado, has divorciado, ha divorciado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo divorcié el año pasado todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo divorciaba el año pasado todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (divorciaba), not the preterite. The preterite (divorcié) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on divorciarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ después de cinco años de matrimonio. (present tense) A. me divorcio B. te divorcias C. se divorcia D. nos divorciamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ de mutuo acuerdo. (preterite) A. me divorcié B. te divorciaste C. se divorciaron D. se divorció

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el año pasado. (imperfect) A. te divorciabas B. se divorciaban C. nos divorciábamos D. me divorciaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ en el juzgado de la ciudad. (future) A. nos divorciaremos B. te divorciarás C. me divorciaré D. se divorciará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ después de cinco años de matrimonio si pudiera. (conditional) A. me divorciaría B. te divorciarías C. se divorciaría D. se divorciarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ de mutuo acuerdo. (present subjunctive) A. me divorcie B. te divorcies C. nos divorciemos D. se divorcie

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el año pasado, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se divorciara B. nos divorciáramos C. me divorciara D. te divorciaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en el juzgado de la ciudad. (present perfect) A. se han divorciado B. nos hemos divorciado C. me he divorciado D. te has divorciado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ después de cinco años de matrimonio. (negative imperative, tú) A. te divorcies B. se divorcie C. nos divorciemos D. os divorciéis

  10. Which is the gerund of divorciarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. divorciado B. divorcio C. divorcié D. divorciando

Answer key

  1. me divorcio — The first-person present of divorciarse is me divorcio. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se divorció — The third-person preterite of divorciarse is se divorció, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos divorciábamos — The nosotros imperfect of divorciarse is nos divorciábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te divorciarás — The second-person future of divorciarse is te divorciarás.
  5. me divorciaría — The first-person conditional of divorciarse is me divorciaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se divorcie — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of divorciarse is se divorcie.
  7. me divorciara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of divorciarse is me divorciara.
  8. nos hemos divorciado — The nosotros present perfect of divorciarse is nos hemos divorciado: hemos + divorciado.
  9. te divorcies — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te divorcies.
  10. divorciando — The gerund of divorciarse is divorciando: estoy divorciando. The participle divorciado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does divorciarse mean in English?

Divorciarse means to get divorced. It is used in everyday situations such as Me divorcio después de cinco años de matrimonio. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is divorciarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Divorciarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me divorcio después de cinco años de matrimonio and él se divorcia de mutuo acuerdo. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between divorciarse and separarse?

Divorciarse means to get divorced, while separarse means to separate, which is not the legal divorce. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use divorciarse when you mean to get divorced, as in Me divorcio después de cinco años de matrimonio, and use separarse for to separate, which is not the legal divorce. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I get divorced” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me divorcié de mutuo acuerdo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me divorciaba el año pasado. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he divorciado de mutuo acuerdo.

How do I practise divorciarse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the divorciarse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

Related links