Empeorarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb empeorarse means to get worse, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Empeorarse means to get worse, and it is used for an illness getting worse, the weather turning bad or a situation deteriorating. It is the opposite of mejorarse, and it is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, empeorarse 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 empeoro con el frío de la noche, and in the preterite you say me empeoré tras la lluvia de ayer. 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: empeorarse
  • English: to get worse
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: empeorando
  • Past participle: empeorado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + empeorado)
  • 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 empeorarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Empeorarse is reflexive: me empeoro. Empeorar without the pronoun means making something else worse.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for empeorarse. 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 empeoro
tú te empeoras
él/ella/Ud. se empeora
nosotros/as nos empeoramos
vosotros/as os empeoráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se empeoran

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me empeoré
tú te empeoraste
él/ella/Ud. se empeoró
nosotros/as nos empeoramos
vosotros/as os empeorasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se empeoraron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me empeoraba
tú te empeorabas
él/ella/Ud. se empeoraba
nosotros/as nos empeorábamos
vosotros/as os empeorabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se empeoraban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me empeoraré
tú te empeorarás
él/ella/Ud. se empeorará
nosotros/as nos empeoraremos
vosotros/as os empeoraréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se empeorarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me empeoraría
tú te empeorarías
él/ella/Ud. se empeoraría
nosotros/as nos empeoraríamos
vosotros/as os empeoraríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se empeorarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me empeore
tú te empeores
él/ella/Ud. se empeore
nosotros/as nos empeoremos
vosotros/as os empeoréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se empeoren

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me empeorara
tú te empeoraras
él/ella/Ud. se empeorara
nosotros/as nos empeoráramos
vosotros/as os empeorarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se empeoraran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te empeora
él/ella/Ud. se empeore
nosotros/as nos empeoremos
vosotros/as os empeorad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se empeoren

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te empeores
él/ella/Ud. se empeore
nosotros/as nos empeoremos
vosotros/as os empeoréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se empeoren

Gerund and past participle

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

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 empeorarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me empeoro con el frío de la noche. 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 empeorarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me empeoré en invierno sin calefacción. 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 empeorarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me empeoraba tras la lluvia de ayer. 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 empeorarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me empeoraré día a día sin tratamiento. 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 empeorarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me empeoraría con el frío de la noche 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 empeorarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he empeorado en invierno sin calefacción. 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 empeorarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había empeorado tras la lluvia de ayer 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 empeorarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré empeorado día a día sin tratamiento. 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 empeorarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría empeorado con el frío de la noche 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 empeorarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se empeore en invierno sin calefacción. 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 empeorarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se empeorara tras la lluvia de ayer, 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 empeorarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se empeore día a día sin tratamiento. 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 empeorarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te empeores con el frío de la noche. 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 empeorarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me empeoro con el frío de la noche. — I get worse with the cold of the night.
  2. Se empeora en invierno sin calefacción. — He/she gets worse in winter without heating.
  3. Ayer, me empeoré tras la lluvia de ayer. — Yesterday, I got worse after yesterday's rain.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos empeorábamos día a día sin tratamiento. — Before, we used to get worse day by day without treatment.
  5. Mañana, tú te empeorarás con el frío de la noche. — Tomorrow, you will get worse with the cold of the night.
  6. Yo me empeoraría en invierno sin calefacción si tuviera más tiempo. — I would get worse in winter without heating if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha empeorado tras la lluvia de ayer. — He has got worse after yesterday's rain.
  8. Espero que él se empeore día a día sin tratamiento. — I hope he gets worse day by day without treatment.
  9. Yo ya me había empeorado con el frío de la noche antes de salir. — I had already got worse with the cold of the night before leaving.
  10. Ellos se empeoraban en invierno sin calefacción cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to get worse in winter without heating when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo empeoro con el frío de la noche. — Right: Yo me empeoro con el frío de la noche. — Empeorarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo empeoro en invierno sin calefacción. — Right: Ayer yo empeoré en invierno sin calefacción. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: empeoro is happening now, while empeoré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating empeorarse and mejorarse as identical in every context. — Right: Empeorarse means to get worse, while mejorarse means to get better. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: empeorarse fits sentences such as Me empeoro con el frío de la noche, while mejorarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy empeorado en invierno sin calefacción. — Right: Yo he empeorado en invierno sin calefacción. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he empeorado, has empeorado, ha empeorado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo empeoré tras la lluvia de ayer todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo empeoraba tras la lluvia de ayer todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (empeoraba), not the preterite. The preterite (empeoré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con el frío de la noche. (present tense) A. me empeoro B. te empeoras C. se empeora D. nos empeoramos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ en invierno sin calefacción. (preterite) A. me empeoré B. te empeoraste C. se empeoraron D. se empeoró

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ tras la lluvia de ayer. (imperfect) A. te empeorabas B. se empeoraban C. nos empeorábamos D. me empeoraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ día a día sin tratamiento. (future) A. nos empeoraremos B. te empeorarás C. me empeoraré D. se empeorará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con el frío de la noche si pudiera. (conditional) A. me empeoraría B. te empeorarías C. se empeoraría D. se empeorarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en invierno sin calefacción. (present subjunctive) A. me empeore B. te empeores C. nos empeoremos D. se empeore

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ tras la lluvia de ayer, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se empeorara B. nos empeoráramos C. me empeorara D. te empeoraras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ día a día sin tratamiento. (present perfect) A. se han empeorado B. nos hemos empeorado C. me he empeorado D. te has empeorado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ con el frío de la noche. (negative imperative, tú) A. te empeores B. se empeore C. nos empeoremos D. os empeoréis

  10. Which is the gerund of empeorarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. empeorado B. empeoro C. empeoré D. empeorando

Answer key

  1. me empeoro — The first-person present of empeorarse is me empeoro. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se empeoró — The third-person preterite of empeorarse is se empeoró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos empeorábamos — The nosotros imperfect of empeorarse is nos empeorábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te empeorarás — The second-person future of empeorarse is te empeorarás.
  5. me empeoraría — The first-person conditional of empeorarse is me empeoraría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se empeore — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of empeorarse is se empeore.
  7. me empeorara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of empeorarse is me empeorara.
  8. nos hemos empeorado — The nosotros present perfect of empeorarse is nos hemos empeorado: hemos + empeorado.
  9. te empeores — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te empeores.
  10. empeorando — The gerund of empeorarse is empeorando: estoy empeorando. The participle empeorado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does empeorarse mean in English?

Empeorarse means to get worse. It is used in everyday situations such as Me empeoro con el frío de la noche. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is empeorarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Empeorarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me empeoro con el frío de la noche and él se empeora en invierno sin calefacción. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between empeorarse and mejorarse?

Empeorarse means to get worse, while mejorarse means to get better. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use empeorarse when you mean to get worse, as in Me empeoro con el frío de la noche, and use mejorarse for to get better. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me empeoré en invierno sin calefacción. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me empeoraba tras la lluvia de ayer. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he empeorado en invierno sin calefacción.

How do I practise empeorarse?

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

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