Empeorarse in the Present Tense

Empeorarse means “to get worse”, and this page covers exactly one thing: empeorarse in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about routines, facts and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for empeorarse, 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 empeorarse in the present. For example: “Yo me empeoro con el frío de la noche.” — I get worse with the cold of the night. Everything on this page uses the forms of empeorarse exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Empeorarse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me empeoro
tú te empeoras
él/ella/Ud. se empeora
nosotros/as nos empeoramos
vosotros/as os empeoráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se empeoran

Gerund: empeorando · Past participle: empeorado

The gerund is empeorando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy empeorando” means the action of empeorarse is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is empeorado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he empeorado” 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 empeorarse is used.

How the present of empeorarse is formed

Empeorarse is regular in the present tense. Take the stem empeor and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving empeoro, empeoras, empeora, empeoramos, empeoráis, empeoran. Watch the accents: the yo form is empeoro and the él/ella/Ud. form is empeora. Because empeorarse is reflexive, put the pronoun before each form: me empeoro, te empeoras, se empeora, nos empeoramos, os empeoráis, se empeoran.

When to use the present of empeorarse

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use empeorarse in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Routines and habits

The present tense is the tense of what you do regularly. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the right choice, and empeorarse is no exception. Example: “Yo me empeoro con el frío de la noche todos los días.” — I get worse with the cold of the night every day.

2. Facts and general truths

The present states facts that are true in general, not just right now. Use it to say what empeorarse means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Se empeora en invierno sin calefacción.” — He/she gets worse in winter without heating.

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes actions in progress at this very moment. When something is happening as you speak, the present tense says so directly. Example: “Yo me empeoro tras la lluvia de ayer ahora.” — I get worse after yesterday's rain now.

4. Scheduled events in the near future

Spanish often uses the present for things that are already arranged, such as plans for tomorrow or next week. The present sounds more certain than the future in these cases. Example: “Nosotros nos empeoramos día a día sin tratamiento.” — We get worse day by day without treatment.

5. Instructions and everyday speech

In everyday speech the present gives instructions, makes offers and states what someone does. It is the tense you will hear most often in conversation. Example: “Tú te empeoras con el frío de la noche.” — You get worse with the cold of the night.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present describes routines, facts and what 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 whether the action is a habit or a finished event. Time words help: todos los días and cada semana point to the present, while ayer and la semana pasada point to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Yo me empeoro con el frío de la noche todos los días.” — I get worse with the cold of the night every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo me empeoré con el frío de la noche.” — Yesterday, I got worse with the cold of the night.

  • The present sentence describes a habit; the preterite sentence reports one finished action. Todos los días points to the present, ayer points to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Él se empeora en invierno sin calefacción cada semana.” — He/she gets worse in winter without heating every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él se empeoró en invierno sin calefacción.” — Last week, he got worse in winter without heating.

  • Cada semana describes a routine, so the present is right; la semana pasada names one finished week, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Nosotros nos empeoramos tras la lluvia de ayer a menudo.” — We get worse after yesterday's rain often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros nos empeoramos tras la lluvia de ayer.” — Yesterday, we got worse after yesterday's rain.

  • The present sentence counts no single event; the preterite sentence counts one finished action. That difference — habit versus finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: empeorarse 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.

  1. “Me empeoro con el frío de la noche.” — I get worse with the cold of the night.

  2. “Te empeoras en invierno sin calefacción.” — You get worse in winter without heating.

  3. “Se empeora tras la lluvia de ayer.” — He/she gets worse after yesterday's rain.

  4. “Nos empeoramos día a día sin tratamiento.” — We get worse day by day without treatment.

  5. “Os empeoráis con el frío de la noche.” — You get worse with the cold of the night.

  6. “Se empeoran en invierno sin calefacción.” — They get worse in winter without heating.

  7. “Me empeoro tras la lluvia de ayer.” — I get worse after yesterday's rain.

  8. “Se empeora día a día sin tratamiento.” — He/she gets worse day by day without treatment.

Common mistakes with empeorarse in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Yo empeoro con el frío de la noche.” Right: “Yo me empeoro con el frío de la noche.” Why: Empeorarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required before every form. Without it the sentence is incomplete.

  • Wrong: “Yo empeoro en invierno sin calefacción ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo empeoré en invierno sin calefacción.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to empeoré.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros empeoras tras la lluvia de ayer.” Right: “Nosotros nos empeoramos tras la lluvia de ayer.” Why: Nosotros needs nos empeoramos. The tú form empeoras belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos empeoro día a día sin tratamiento todos los días.” Right: “Ellos se empeoran día a día sin tratamiento todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form se empeoran, not the yo form empeoro. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.

Quiz: empeorarse in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ con el frío de la noche.” (With the cold of the night.)

  • (a) me empeoro
  • (b) te empeoras
  • (c) se empeora

Answer: me empeoro — The yo form of empeorarse in the present is me empeoro. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ en invierno sin calefacción?” (In winter without heating.)

  • (a) me empeoro
  • (b) se empeora
  • (c) te empeoras

Answer: te empeoras — The tú form of empeorarse in the present is te empeoras. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ tras la lluvia de ayer.” (After yesterday's rain.)

  • (a) te empeoras
  • (b) se empeora
  • (c) me empeoro

Answer: se empeora — The él/ella/Ud. form of empeorarse in the present is se empeora. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ día a día sin tratamiento.” (Day by day without treatment.)

  • (a) nos empeoramos
  • (b) me empeoro
  • (c) te empeoras

Answer: nos empeoramos — The nosotros/as form of empeorarse in the present is nos empeoramos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of empeorarse in the present?

  • (a) me empeoro
  • (b) te empeoras
  • (c) os empeoráis

Answer: os empeoráis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes os empeoráis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros os empeoráis con el frío de la noche.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ en invierno sin calefacción.” (In winter without heating.)

  • (a) te empeoras
  • (b) se empeoran
  • (c) me empeoro

Answer: se empeoran — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of empeorarse in the present is se empeoran. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

7. Which is the correct yo form of empeorarse in the present?

  • (a) me empeoro
  • (b) te empeoras
  • (c) se empeora

Answer: me empeoro — The yo form is me empeoro. The other two options are the forms for other persons.

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo me empeoré con el frío de la noche todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros nos empeoraremos con el frío de la noche mañana.
  • (c) Yo me empeoro con el frío de la noche todos los días.

Answer: Yo me empeoro con el frío de la noche todos los días. — “Yo me empeoro con el frío de la noche todos los días.” describes a habit, so it takes the present. The second option reports a finished action in the past, and the third looks to the future.

Frequently asked questions

Is empeorarse regular in the present?

Yes. Empeorarse is regular in the present: empeoro, empeoras, empeora, empeoramos, empeoráis, empeoran. Watch the accents on the yo and él forms, and remember that only context tells the nosotros form apart from the present-tense nosotros form when they are identical.

What is the past participle of empeorarse?

The past participle is empeorado: 'He empeorado' means 'I have got worse'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is empeorando.

Does empeorarse take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Empeorarse is reflexive: me empeoro. Empeorar without the pronoun means making something else worse. In the examples on this page, empeorarse appears with complements such as con el frío de la noche and en invierno sin calefacción, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of empeorarse?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo me empeoro, tú te empeoras, él/ella/Ud. se empeora, nosotros/as nos empeoramos, vosotros/as os empeoráis, ellos/ellas/Uds. se empeoran. Then write three of your own sentences with empeorarse in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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