Enflaquecer Present Tense in Spanish
enflaquecer means "to lose weight, to become thin" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for enflaquecer, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo enflaquezco con la dieta del médico. — "Every day, I lose weight on the doctor's diet." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of enflaquecer: full table
Every person of enflaquecer in the present tense. The gerund is enflaqueciendo and the past participle is enflaquecido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enflaquezco |
| tú | enflaqueces |
| él/ella/Ud. | enflaquece |
| nosotros/as | enflaquecemos |
| vosotros/as | enflaquecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enflaquecen |
The gerund of enflaquecer is enflaqueciendo and the past participle is enflaquecido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy enflaqueciendo), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he enflaquecido).
How the present tense of enflaquecer is formed
The present tense of enflaquecer is built from the stem enflaquec- plus the regular -er endings: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. Take the infinitive, remove the -er ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo enflaquezco, tú enflaqueces, él enflaquece, nosotros enflaquecemos, vosotros enflaquecéis and ellos enflaquecen. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | enflaquezco |
| tú | -es | enflaqueces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | enflaquece |
| nosotros/as | -emos | enflaquecemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | enflaquecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | enflaquecen |
Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is enflaquezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example enflaquezca.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is enflaqueciendo, used for the progressive with estar: estoy enflaqueciendo. The past participle is enflaquecido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he enflaquecido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with enflaquecer
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo enflaquezco con la dieta del médico. — "Every day, I lose weight on the doctor's diet." The complement in this sentence is about the doctor's diet, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enflaquecer in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú enflaqueces por la enfermedad en el hospital. — "Now, you lose weight from the illness in hospital." The complement in this sentence is about the illness in hospital, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enflaquecer in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él enflaquece con el trabajo en el campo. — "Normally, he/she loses weight with work in the fields." The complement in this sentence is about work in the fields, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enflaquecer in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros enflaquecemos después del verano. — "Tomorrow, we lose weight after the summer." The complement in this sentence is about the summer, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enflaquecer in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos enflaquecen con la dieta del médico. — "Always, they lose weight on the doctor's diet." The complement in this sentence is about the doctor's diet, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enflaquecer in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: enflaquecer
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with enflaquecer.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo enflaquezco con la dieta del médico. — "Every day, I lose weight on the doctor's diet."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo enflaquecí con la dieta del médico. — "Yesterday, I lost weight on the doctor's diet."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú enflaqueces por la enfermedad en el hospital. — "Every day, you lose weight from the illness in hospital."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú enflaqueciste por la enfermedad en el hospital. — "Yesterday, you lost weight from the illness in hospital."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él enflaquece con el trabajo en el campo. — "Every day, he/she loses weight with work in the fields."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él enflaqueció con el trabajo en el campo. — "Yesterday, he/she lost weight with work in the fields."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: enflaquecer in the present tense
These eight sentences show enflaquecer in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo enflaquezco con la dieta del médico. — "I lose weight on the doctor's diet."
- Tú enflaqueces por la enfermedad en el hospital. — "you lose weight from the illness in hospital."
- Él enflaquece con el trabajo en el campo. — "he/she loses weight with work in the fields."
- Nosotros enflaquecemos después del verano. — "we lose weight after the summer."
- Vosotros enflaquecéis con la dieta del médico. — "you (plural) lose weight on the doctor's diet."
- Ellos enflaquecen por la enfermedad en el hospital. — "they lose weight from the illness in hospital."
- Yo enflaquezco con el trabajo en el campo. — "I lose weight with work in the fields."
- Tú enflaqueces después del verano. — "you lose weight after the summer."
Common mistakes with enflaquecer in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the zc spelling change
- Wrong: Yo enflaqueco con la dieta del médico.
- Right: Yo enflaquezco con la dieta del médico.
- Why: In the present tense the c becomes zc before o: the yo form is enflaquezco, never enflaqueco. The other persons keep the plain c: enflaqueces, enflaquece.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me enflaquezco con la dieta del médico.
- Right: Yo enflaquezco con la dieta del médico.
- Why: enflaquecer is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add. The extra pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo enflaquezco por la enfermedad en el hospital.
- Right: Ayer, yo enflaquecí por la enfermedad en el hospital.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo enflaquecí por la enfermedad en el hospital. — "Yesterday, I lost weight from the illness in hospital." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo enflaquezco con el trabajo en el campo.
- Right: Antes, yo enflaquecía con el trabajo en el campo.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo enflaquecía con el trabajo en el campo. — "In the past, I used to lose weight with work in the fields." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros enflaquece con la dieta del médico.
- Right: Nosotros enflaquecemos con la dieta del médico.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes enflaquecemos, while enflaquece belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of enflaquecer
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of enflaquecer. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of enflaquecer in the present tense?
- (a) enflaquezco
- (b) enflaqueces
- (c) enflaquece
- (d) enflaquecemos
Answer: (a) enflaquezco. The yo form is enflaquezco. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of enflaquecer in the present tense?
- (a) enflaquezco
- (b) enflaquece
- (c) enflaquecemos
- (d) enflaqueces
Answer: (d) enflaqueces. The tú form is enflaqueces. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of enflaquecer in the present tense?
- (a) enflaqueces
- (b) enflaquecemos
- (c) enflaquece
- (d) enflaquezco
Answer: (c) enflaquece. The él/ella form is enflaquece. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of enflaquecer in the present tense?
- (a) enflaquece
- (b) enflaquecemos
- (c) enflaquezco
- (d) enflaqueces
Answer: (b) enflaquecemos. The nosotros form is enflaquecemos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of enflaquecer in the present tense?
- (a) enflaquecen
- (b) enflaquezco
- (c) enflaqueces
- (d) enflaquece
Answer: (a) enflaquecen. The ellos/ellas form is enflaquecen. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ con la dieta del médico.
- (a) enflaqueces
- (b) enflaquece
- (c) enflaquecemos
- (d) enflaquezco
Answer: (d) enflaquezco. The sentence needs the yo form enflaquezco (Every day, I lose weight on the doctor's diet.)
7. What is the gerund of enflaquecer?
- (a) enflaquecido
- (b) enflaquezco
- (c) enflaquecer
- (d) enflaqueciendo
Answer: (d) enflaqueciendo. The gerund is enflaqueciendo, used for the progressive: estoy enflaqueciendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Ayer, yo enflaquecí por la enfermedad en el hospital.
- (b) Mañana, yo enflaqueceré por la enfermedad en el hospital.
- (c) Cada día, yo enflaquezco por la enfermedad en el hospital.
- (d) Antes, yo enflaquecía por la enfermedad en el hospital.
Answer: (c) Cada día, yo enflaquezco por la enfermedad en el hospital.. Cada día, yo enflaquezco por la enfermedad en el hospital. (Every day, I lose weight from the illness in hospital.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo enflaquecí por la enfermedad en el hospital. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo enflaqueceré por la enfermedad en el hospital. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of enflaquecer
Is enflaquecer regular in the present tense?
Almost. enflaquecer is a spelling-changing (c → zc before o and a) -er verb, so its endings are regular, but watch the spelling: Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is enflaquezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example enflaquezca.
How do you say 'lose weight' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo enflaquezco con la dieta del médico. — "Every day, I lose weight on the doctor's diet." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with enflaquecer?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo enflaquezco por la enfermedad en el hospital. — "Every day, I lose weight from the illness in hospital." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo enflaquecí por la enfermedad en el hospital. — "Yesterday, I lost weight from the illness in hospital." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with enflaquecer?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros enflaquecemos después del verano. — "Tomorrow, we lose weight after the summer." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.