Enfurecerse Present Tense in Spanish
enfurecerse means "to become furious" 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 enfurecerse, 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 me enfurezco por la injusticia del examen. — "Every day, I become furious at the injustice of the exam." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of enfurecerse: full table
Every person of enfurecerse in the present tense. The gerund is enfureciéndose and the past participle is enfurecido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me enfurezco |
| tú | te enfureces |
| él/ella/Ud. | se enfurece |
| nosotros/as | nos enfurecemos |
| vosotros/as | os enfurecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se enfurecen |
The gerund of enfurecerse is enfureciéndose and the past participle is enfurecido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy enfureciéndose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he enfurecido). Because enfurecerse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of enfurecerse is formed
The present tense of enfurecerse 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 me enfurezco, tú te enfureces, él se enfurece, nosotros nos enfurecemos, vosotros os enfurecéis and ellos se enfurecen. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me enfurezco |
| tú | -es | te enfureces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | se enfurece |
| nosotros/as | -emos | nos enfurecemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | os enfurecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | se 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.
enfurecerse is a reflexive verb, so every form carries a reflexive pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se. The pronoun always goes before the conjugated verb in the present tense. The gerund is enfureciéndose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is enfurecido.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is enfureciéndose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy enfureciéndose. The past participle is enfurecido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he enfurecido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with enfurecerse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me enfurezco por la injusticia del examen. — "Every day, I become furious at the injustice of the exam." The complement in this sentence is about the injustice of the exam, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enfurecerse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te enfureces con su hermano por la mentira. — "Now, you become furious with his brother over the lie." The complement in this sentence is about his brother over the lie, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enfurecerse 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 se enfurece por el retraso del tren. — "Normally, he/she becomes furious over the train delay." The complement in this sentence is about the train delay, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enfurecerse 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 nos enfurecemos cuando pierde el partido. — "Tomorrow, we become furious when he loses the match." The complement in this sentence is about when he loses the match, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enfurecerse 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 se enfurecen por la injusticia del examen. — "Always, they become furious at the injustice of the exam." The complement in this sentence is about the injustice of the exam, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enfurecerse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: enfurecerse
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 enfurecerse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me enfurezco por la injusticia del examen. — "Every day, I become furious at the injustice of the exam."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me enfurecí por la injusticia del examen. — "Yesterday, I became furious at the injustice of the exam."
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 te enfureces con su hermano por la mentira. — "Every day, you become furious with his brother over the lie."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te enfureciste con su hermano por la mentira. — "Yesterday, you became furious with his brother over the lie."
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 se enfurece por el retraso del tren. — "Every day, he/she becomes furious over the train delay."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se enfureció por el retraso del tren. — "Yesterday, he/she became furious over the train delay."
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: enfurecerse in the present tense
These eight sentences show enfurecerse 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 me enfurezco por la injusticia del examen. — "I become furious at the injustice of the exam."
- Tú te enfureces con su hermano por la mentira. — "you become furious with his brother over the lie."
- Él se enfurece por el retraso del tren. — "he/she becomes furious over the train delay."
- Nosotros nos enfurecemos cuando pierde el partido. — "we become furious when he loses the match."
- Vosotros os enfurecéis por la injusticia del examen. — "you (plural) become furious at the injustice of the exam."
- Ellos se enfurecen con su hermano por la mentira. — "they become furious with his brother over the lie."
- Yo me enfurezco por el retraso del tren. — "I become furious over the train delay."
- Tú te enfureces cuando pierde el partido. — "you become furious when he loses the match."
Common mistakes with enfurecerse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the zc spelling change
- Wrong: Yo me enfureco por la injusticia del examen.
- Right: Yo me enfurezco por la injusticia del examen.
- 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: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo enfurezco por la injusticia del examen.
- Right: Yo me enfurezco por la injusticia del examen.
- Why: enfurecerse is reflexive, so the pronoun comes before the verb: me enfurezco. The bare form alone is not a complete reflexive sentence.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me enfurezco con su hermano por la mentira.
- Right: Ayer, yo me enfurecí con su hermano por la mentira.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me enfurecí con su hermano por la mentira. — "Yesterday, I became furious with his brother over the lie." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo me enfurezco por el retraso del tren.
- Right: Antes, yo me enfurecía por el retraso del tren.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me enfurecía por el retraso del tren. — "In the past, I used to become furious over the train delay." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos enfurece por la injusticia del examen.
- Right: Nosotros nos enfurecemos por la injusticia del examen.
- 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 enfurecerse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of enfurecerse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of enfurecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enfurece
- (b) enfurecemos
- (c) enfurezco
- (d) enfureces
Answer: (c) 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 enfurecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enfurecemos
- (b) enfureces
- (c) enfurezco
- (d) enfurece
Answer: (b) 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 enfurecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enfurece
- (b) enfurezco
- (c) enfureces
- (d) enfurecemos
Answer: (a) 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 enfurecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enfurezco
- (b) enfureces
- (c) enfurece
- (d) enfurecemos
Answer: (d) 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 enfurecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enfureces
- (b) enfurece
- (c) enfurecen
- (d) enfurezco
Answer: (c) 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 ___ por la injusticia del examen.
- (a) enfurecemos
- (b) enfurezco
- (c) enfureces
- (d) enfurece
Answer: (b) enfurezco. The sentence needs the yo form enfurezco (Every day, I become furious at the injustice of the exam.)
7. What is the gerund of enfurecerse?
- (a) enfurecerse
- (b) enfureciendo
- (c) enfurecido
- (d) enfurezco
Answer: (b) enfureciendo. The gerund is enfureciendo, used for the progressive: me estoy enfureciendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, yo me enfurezco con su hermano por la mentira.
- (b) Antes, yo me enfurecía con su hermano por la mentira.
- (c) Ayer, yo me enfurecí con su hermano por la mentira.
- (d) Mañana, yo me enfureceré con su hermano por la mentira.
Answer: (a) Cada día, yo me enfurezco con su hermano por la mentira.. Cada día, yo me enfurezco con su hermano por la mentira. (Every day, I become furious with his brother over the lie.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me enfurecí con su hermano por la mentira. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me enfureceré con su hermano por la mentira. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of enfurecerse
Is enfurecerse regular in the present tense?
Almost. enfurecerse 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 enfurecerse and enfurecer?
enfurecerse means "to become furious", while enfurecer means "to infuriate". 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 enfurecerse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me enfurezco con su hermano por la mentira. — "Every day, I become furious with his brother over the lie." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me enfurecí con su hermano por la mentira. — "Yesterday, I became furious with his brother over the lie." 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 enfurecerse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos enfurecemos cuando pierde el partido. — "Tomorrow, we become furious when he loses the match." 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.