Empeorar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of empeorar — "to get worse" in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for empeorar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Empeorar means "to get worse", and it is the exact opposite of mejorar — the weather gets worse, a patient's health gets worse, a situation gets worse, your Spanish gets worse without practice. It works the same two ways as mejorar: something gets worse on its own (empeora el tiempo) and you can make something worse (empeoro la situación). It is a fully regular -ar verb, and it is the verb you need whenever things are going in the wrong direction. To see it in a real sentence: El tiempo empeora por la noche. — "The weather gets worse at night.".
Present tense conjugation table: empeorar
Every person of empeorar in the present tense. The gerund is empeorando and the past participle is empeorado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | empeoro |
| tú | empeoras |
| él/ella/Ud. | empeora |
| nosotros/as | empeoramos |
| vosotros/as | empeoráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | empeoran |
How the present indicative of empeorar is formed
The present indicative of empeorar is built from the stem empeor- plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | empeoro |
| tú | -as | empeoras |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | empeora |
| nosotros/as | -amos | empeoramos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | empeoráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | empeoran |
Because empeorar is a regular -ar verb, there are no surprises in the present indicative: the stem empeor- never changes, and every person takes its normal ending. The only spelling detail to watch is the written accent on the vosotros form, empeoráis, which carries an accent on the vowel of the ending. Learn the six endings once and you can conjugate any regular -ar verb the same way.
The gerund of empeorar is empeorando and the past participle is empeorado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of empeorar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and empeorar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
The weather getting worse
El tiempo empeora is the standard forecast phrase.
"El tiempo empeora por la noche." — "The weather gets worse at night."
Health getting worse
A patient whose condition declines is described with empeorar.
"El paciente empeora cada día." — "The patient gets worse every day."
A situation getting worse
The present describes a situation sliding in the wrong direction now.
"La situación empeora en la ciudad." — "The situation is getting worse in the city."
Making something worse yourself
With a direct object, empeorar means you make the thing worse.
"Tú empeoras las cosas con tus mentiras." — "You make things worse with your lies."
Skills getting worse without practice
The present states a general fact about losing a skill.
"Yo empeoro mi inglés si no practico." — "My English gets worse if I don't practise."
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Yo empeoro mi salud con tanto estrés. — "I make my health worse with so much stress."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo empeoré mi salud con tanto estrés. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Tú empeoras tu español sin práctica. — "You let your Spanish get worse without practice."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú empeorabas tu español sin práctica. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: El tráfico empeora en hora punta. — "The traffic gets worse at rush hour."
- Future — what will happen: El tráfico empeorará en hora punta. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: empeorar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show empeorar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo empeoro mi salud con tanto estrés. — "I make my health worse with so much stress."
- Tú empeoras tu español sin práctica. — "You let your Spanish get worse without practice."
- El tráfico empeora en hora punta. — "The traffic gets worse at rush hour."
- Nosotros empeoramos la situación con discusiones. — "We make the situation worse with arguments."
- Vosotros empeoráis vuestras notas sin estudiar. — "You let your grades get worse without studying."
- Los precios empeoran cada mes. — "Prices get worse every month."
- El dolor empeora por la noche. — "The pain gets worse at night."
Common mistakes with empeorar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with empeorar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *El tiempo empeoran por la noche (plural ending for a singular subject).
✓ Correct: El tiempo empeora por la noche.
El tiempo is singular: empeora. Empeoran needs a plural subject.
✗ *Tú empeoras a las cosas con tus mentiras.
✓ Correct: Tú empeoras las cosas con tus mentiras.
Things take no personal a: empeorar las cosas, not empeorar a las cosas.
✗ *Vosotros empeoráis vuestras notas (written without the accent: empeorais).
✓ Correct: Vosotros empeoráis vuestras notas sin estudiar.
Empeoráis needs the written accent on the á.
✗ *Yo empeoro de mi salud.
✓ Correct: Yo empeoro mi salud con tanto estrés.
Empeorar takes a direct object: empeorar mi salud, never empeorar de mi salud.
Quiz: empeorar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of empeorar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of empeorar for tú?
- a) empeoro
- b) empeoras
- c) empeoran
- d) empeora
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ mi salud con tanto estrés. — "I make my health worse with so much stress."
- a) empeoran
- b) empeoro
- c) empeoras
- d) empeoré
3. Complete the sentence: El paciente ______ cada día. — "The patient gets worse every day."
- a) empeoras
- b) empeora
- c) empeoramos
- d) empeoró
4. Which is the correct present tense form of empeorar for nosotros?
- a) empeoran
- b) empeoramos
- c) empeoras
- d) empeoro
5. Which sentence uses empeorar correctly in the present tense?
- a) El tráfico empeora en hora punta.
- b) El tráfico empeoró en hora punta.
- c) El tráfico empeoras en hora punta.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of empeorar for vosotros?
- a) empeora
- b) empeoro
- c) empeoráis
- d) empeoras
7. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ las cosas con tus mentiras. — "You make things worse with your lies."
- a) empeoras
- b) empeoran
- c) empeoraste
- d) empeoro
8. What is the gerund of empeorar?
- a) empeorado
- b) empeorando
- c) empeoro
- d) empeoramos
Answer key
b) empeoras — The tú form is empeoras. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; empeoro is yo, empeora is él/ella and empeoran is ellos/ellas.
b) empeoro — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: empeoro. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
b) empeora — The subject is él/ella/Ud., so the present form is empeora.
b) empeoramos — Nosotros takes empeoramos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem empeor-.
a) El tráfico empeora en hora punta. — El tráfico empeora en hora punta. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
c) empeoráis — Vosotros takes empeoráis. Remember the written accent on the ending — it is part of the correct spelling.
a) empeoras — The subject is tú, so the present form is empeoras.
b) empeorando — The gerund is empeorando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle empeorado.
Frequently asked questions
Is empeorar regular in the present tense?
Yes. empeorar is a regular -ar verb, so its present tense follows the standard endings exactly: empeoro, empeoras, empeora, empeoramos, empeoráis and empeoran.
What is the gerund and the past participle of empeorar?
The gerund is empeorando and the past participle is empeorado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to get worse" in Spanish?
Say empeoro. For example: Yo empeoro mi salud con tanto estrés. — "I make my health worse with so much stress.".
What is the difference between empeorar and mejorar?
empeorar means "to get worse", while mejorar means "to improve". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use empeorar when you mean "to get worse" and mejorar when you mean "to improve". The full conjugation of mejorar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of empeorar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- empeorar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.