Encargarse in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of encargarse — «to take charge of» — is the form you will reach for most often. It talks about habits, facts and what is happening right now, and it is the first tense to master for this verb. encargarse is a spelling-changing -ar verb, reflexive verb, so the present follows the -ar endings. On this page you will find the full present-tense table, how the forms are built, five usage rules with examples, a comparison with the preterite, more example sentences, the mistakes learners make in this tense, an eight-question quiz and answers to common questions. A good first sentence is «Me encargo todos los días» — I take charge of every day.

Encargarse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me encargo
tú te encargas
él/ella/Ud. se encarga
nosotros/as nos encargamos
vosotros/as os encargáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se encargan

Gerund: encargando · Past participle: encargado

How the present tense of encargarse is formed

Take the stem encarg — the infinitive encargarse without its -ar ending and without -se — and add the present endings. The table below shows the build for every person, using the actual stem of each form:

Person Stem Ending Form
yo encarg -o encargo
tú encarg -as encargas
él/ella/Ud. encarg -a encarga
nosotros/as encarg -amos encargamos
vosotros/as encarg -áis encargáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. encarg -an encargan

Because encargarse is reflexive, put the pronoun before the form: me encargo, te encargas, se encarga, nos encargamos, os encargáis, se encargan. The pronoun changes with the person, never with the tense.

The present is the only tense where the yo form ends in -o for all three verb classes, which makes it a useful anchor: if you know encargo, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of encargarse

1. Daily routines and habits

The most common use: things you do regularly. Time words like todos los días, siempre and a veces are the giveaway.

Me encargo todos los días. — I take charge of every day.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. No time expression is needed — the statement stands on its own.

Se encarga con mi familia. — He takes charge of with my family.

3. What is happening right now

For an action in progress, the present works on its own in Spanish, and you can also use estar + the gerund encargando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nos encargamos por la mañana. — We take charge of in the morning.

4. Scheduled near-future plans

Spanish often uses the present for a fixed plan in the near future, where English would say «going to». A time expression such as mañana or la semana que viene makes the future meaning clear.

Te encargas en el trabajo. — You take charge of at work.

5. Narrating and commenting

The present is the tense of live commentary and of stories told as if they were happening now. It keeps the listener in the moment, and it is the tense of instructions and explanations.

Se encargan a veces. — They take charge of sometimes.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The present and the preterite answer different questions. The present says what happens in general or what is happening now; the preterite says what happened once and is over. Compare the pairs below — same verb, different time frame:

  • Present: Me encargo todos los días. — I take charge of every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer me encargué por la tarde. — Yesterday I took charge of in the afternoon.

  • A routine against a single finished event. The present describes the habit; the preterite reports the one time it happened.

  • Present: Se encarga por la mañana. — He takes charge of in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer se encargó por la tarde. — Yesterday He took charge of in the afternoon.

  • What happens in the morning in general, against what happened yesterday afternoon. The time expression decides the tense.

  • Present: Nos encargamos con mi familia. — We take charge of with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nos encargamos dos veces. — Last week We took charge of twice.

  • A shared habit against a shared finished event. If the action repeats, use the present; if it happened once and ended, use the preterite.

Example sentences: encargarse in the present

  1. Me encargo todos los días. — I take charge of every day.
  2. Te encargas en el trabajo. — You take charge of at work.
  3. Se encarga con mi familia. — He takes charge of with my family.
  4. Nos encargamos por la mañana. — We take charge of in the morning.
  5. Os encargáis cuando hay tiempo. — You take charge of when there is time.
  6. Se encargan a veces. — They take charge of sometimes.
  7. Me encargo en el trabajo. — I take charge of at work.
  8. Se encarga todos los días. — He takes charge of every day.

Common mistakes with encargarse in the present

1. Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: Yo encargo todos los días.

Right: Me encargo todos los días.

Reflexive encargarse needs its pronoun in the present as in every tense: me encargo. Without it the sentence uses the non-reflexive verb and means something else.

2. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros encargais.

Right: Vosotros encargáis.

The vosotros form encargáis carries a written accent on the ending. Without it the word is misspelled, and in speech the stress falls in the wrong place.

3. Using the present for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo encargo.

Right: Ayer yo encargué.

Ayer belongs with the preterite. The present encargo talks about now or about a habit; a finished yesterday needs encargué.

4. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos encargo.

Right: Ellos encargan.

Each person has its own form: ellos take encargan, not the yo form encargo. The -n ending on encargan is what marks the third-person plural.

5. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy encargo.

Right: Estoy encargando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy encargando. The conjugated present encargo never follows estar.

Quiz: encargarse in the present

Test yourself on the present tense of encargarse. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the tú form of encargarse in the present indicative?

- (a) encargas
- (b) encarga
- (c) encargo
- (d) encargamos

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of encargarse in the present indicative?

- (a) encargamos
- (b) encargas
- (c) encargo
- (d) encarga

3. What is the nosotros/as form of encargarse in the present indicative?

- (a) encargas
- (b) encargo
- (c) encarga
- (d) encargamos

4. What is the vosotros/as form of encargarse in the present indicative?

- (a) encargo
- (b) encargáis
- (c) encargas
- (d) encarga

5. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of encargarse in the present indicative?

- (a) encargo
- (b) encarga
- (c) encargan
- (d) encargas

6. What is the yo form of encargarse in the present indicative?

- (a) encargas
- (b) encarga
- (c) encargamos
- (d) encargo

7. What is the gerund of encargarse?

- (a) encargado
- (b) encargando
- (c) encargarse
- (d) encargo

8. What is the past participle of encargarse?

- (a) encargado
- (b) encargando
- (c) encargarse
- (d) encargué

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the tú form of encargarse is encargas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of encargarse is encarga. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of encargarse is encargamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of encargarse is encargáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of encargarse is encargan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present indicative, the yo form of encargarse is encargo. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — The gerund of encargarse is encargando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy encargando». 8. (a) — The past participle of encargarse is encargado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he encargado».

Frequently asked questions

Is encargarse regular in the present?

Almost — encargarse takes the regular -ar endings in the present, with a spelling change in the yo form (encargo). Once you know that one form, the rest of the table is regular.

What is the yo form of encargarse in the present?

It is encargo. With the reflexive pronoun: «Me encargo».

How is the present different from the preterite for encargarse?

The present (encargo) describes habits and what is happening now; the preterite (encargué) reports a single finished event. «Yo encargo todos los días» is a habit, while «Ayer yo encargué» is one event that ended yesterday.

Can I use the present of encargarse with estar and the gerund?

Yes — «Estoy encargando» means «I am taking charge of right now», with the emphasis on the action in progress. The plain present «Yo encargo» is also correct for what is happening now; the gerund version simply stresses the moment.

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