Enfurecer Present Tense in Spanish
enfurecer means "to infuriate" 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 enfurecer, 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 enfurezco a su jefe con la noticia. — "Every day, I infuriate his boss with the news." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of enfurecer: full table
Every person of enfurecer in the present tense. The gerund is enfureciendo and the past participle is enfurecido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enfurezco |
| tú | enfureces |
| él/ella/Ud. | enfurece |
| nosotros/as | enfurecemos |
| vosotros/as | enfurecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfurecen |
The gerund of enfurecer is enfureciendo and the past participle is enfurecido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy enfureciendo), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he enfurecido).
How the present tense of enfurecer is formed
The present tense of enfurecer is built from the stem enfurec- 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 enfurezco, tú enfureces, él enfurece, nosotros enfurecemos, vosotros enfurecéis and ellos enfurecen. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | enfurezco |
| tú | -es | enfureces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | enfurece |
| nosotros/as | -emos | enfurecemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | enfurecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | enfurecen |
Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is enfurezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example enfurezca.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is enfureciendo, used for the progressive with estar: estoy enfureciendo. The past participle is enfurecido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he enfurecido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with enfurecer
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo enfurezco a su jefe con la noticia. — "Every day, I infuriate his boss with the news." The complement in this sentence is about his boss with the news, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enfurecer in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú enfureces a su madre con su respuesta. — "Now, you infuriate his mother with his answer." The complement in this sentence is about his mother with his answer, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enfurecer 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 enfurece a los vecinos con el ruido. — "Normally, he/she infuriates the neighbours with the noise." The complement in this sentence is about the neighbours with the noise, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enfurecer 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 enfurecemos a su hermano con la broma. — "Tomorrow, we infuriate his brother with the joke." The complement in this sentence is about his brother with the joke, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enfurecer 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 enfurecen a su jefe con la noticia. — "Always, they infuriate his boss with the news." The complement in this sentence is about his boss with the news, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enfurecer in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: enfurecer
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 enfurecer.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo enfurezco a su jefe con la noticia. — "Every day, I infuriate his boss with the news."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo enfurecí a su jefe con la noticia. — "Yesterday, I infuriated his boss with the news."
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 enfureces a su madre con su respuesta. — "Every day, you infuriate his mother with his answer."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú enfureciste a su madre con su respuesta. — "Yesterday, you infuriated his mother with his answer."
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 enfurece a los vecinos con el ruido. — "Every day, he/she infuriates the neighbours with the noise."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él enfureció a los vecinos con el ruido. — "Yesterday, he/she infuriated the neighbours with the noise."
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: enfurecer in the present tense
These eight sentences show enfurecer 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 enfurezco a su jefe con la noticia. — "I infuriate his boss with the news."
- Tú enfureces a su madre con su respuesta. — "you infuriate his mother with his answer."
- Él enfurece a los vecinos con el ruido. — "he/she infuriates the neighbours with the noise."
- Nosotros enfurecemos a su hermano con la broma. — "we infuriate his brother with the joke."
- Vosotros enfurecéis a su jefe con la noticia. — "you (plural) infuriate his boss with the news."
- Ellos enfurecen a su madre con su respuesta. — "they infuriate his mother with his answer."
- Yo enfurezco a los vecinos con el ruido. — "I infuriate the neighbours with the noise."
- Tú enfureces a su hermano con la broma. — "you infuriate his brother with the joke."
Common mistakes with enfurecer in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the zc spelling change
- Wrong: Yo enfureco a su jefe con la noticia.
- Right: Yo enfurezco a su jefe con la noticia.
- Why: In the present tense the c becomes zc before o: the yo form is enfurezco, never enfureco. The other persons keep the plain c: enfureces, enfurece.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me enfurezco a su jefe con la noticia.
- Right: Yo enfurezco a su jefe con la noticia.
- Why: enfurecer 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 enfurezco a su madre con su respuesta.
- Right: Ayer, yo enfurecí a su madre con su respuesta.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo enfurecí a su madre con su respuesta. — "Yesterday, I infuriated his mother with his answer." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo enfurezco a los vecinos con el ruido.
- Right: Antes, yo enfurecía a los vecinos con el ruido.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo enfurecía a los vecinos con el ruido. — "In the past, I used to infuriate the neighbours with the noise." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros enfurece a su jefe con la noticia.
- Right: Nosotros enfurecemos a su jefe con la noticia.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes enfurecemos, while enfurece belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of enfurecer
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of enfurecer. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of enfurecer in the present tense?
- (a) enfurecemos
- (b) enfurezco
- (c) enfureces
- (d) enfurece
Answer: (b) enfurezco. The yo form is enfurezco. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of enfurecer in the present tense?
- (a) enfureces
- (b) enfurezco
- (c) enfurece
- (d) enfurecemos
Answer: (a) enfureces. The tú form is enfureces. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of enfurecer in the present tense?
- (a) enfurezco
- (b) enfureces
- (c) enfurecemos
- (d) enfurece
Answer: (d) enfurece. The él/ella form is enfurece. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of enfurecer in the present tense?
- (a) enfureces
- (b) enfurece
- (c) enfurecemos
- (d) enfurezco
Answer: (c) enfurecemos. The nosotros form is enfurecemos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of enfurecer in the present tense?
- (a) enfurece
- (b) enfurecen
- (c) enfurezco
- (d) enfureces
Answer: (b) enfurecen. The ellos/ellas form is enfurecen. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ a su jefe con la noticia.
- (a) enfurezco
- (b) enfureces
- (c) enfurece
- (d) enfurecemos
Answer: (a) enfurezco. The sentence needs the yo form enfurezco (Every day, I infuriate his boss with the news.)
7. What is the gerund of enfurecer?
- (a) enfureciendo
- (b) enfurecido
- (c) enfurezco
- (d) enfurecer
Answer: (a) enfureciendo. The gerund is enfureciendo, used for the progressive: estoy enfureciendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Antes, yo enfurecía a su madre con su respuesta.
- (b) Ayer, yo enfurecí a su madre con su respuesta.
- (c) Mañana, yo enfureceré a su madre con su respuesta.
- (d) Cada día, yo enfurezco a su madre con su respuesta.
Answer: (d) Cada día, yo enfurezco a su madre con su respuesta.. Cada día, yo enfurezco a su madre con su respuesta. (Every day, I infuriate his mother with his answer.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo enfurecí a su madre con su respuesta. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo enfureceré a su madre con su respuesta. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of enfurecer
Is enfurecer regular in the present tense?
Almost. enfurecer 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 enfurezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example enfurezca.
What is the difference between enfurecer and enfurecerse?
enfurecer means "to infuriate", while enfurecerse means "to become furious". The reflexive form is used when the action comes back to the subject, and the plain form is used when the action is done to someone or something else.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with enfurecer?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo enfurezco a su madre con su respuesta. — "Every day, I infuriate his mother with his answer." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo enfurecí a su madre con su respuesta. — "Yesterday, I infuriated his mother with his answer." 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 enfurecer?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros enfurecemos a su hermano con la broma. — "Tomorrow, we infuriate his brother with the joke." 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.