Enorgullecerse Present Tense in Spanish
enorgullecerse means "to take pride" 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 enorgullecerse, 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 enorgullezco de su hijo en la escuela. — "Every day, I take pride of his son at school." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of enorgullecerse: full table
Every person of enorgullecerse in the present tense. The gerund is enorgulleciéndose and the past participle is enorgullecido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me enorgullezco |
| tú | te enorgulleces |
| él/ella/Ud. | se enorgullece |
| nosotros/as | nos enorgullecemos |
| vosotros/as | os enorgullecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se enorgullecen |
The gerund of enorgullecerse is enorgulleciéndose and the past participle is enorgullecido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy enorgulleciéndose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he enorgullecido). Because enorgullecerse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of enorgullecerse is formed
The present tense of enorgullecerse is built from the stem enorgullec- 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 enorgullezco, tú te enorgulleces, él se enorgullece, nosotros nos enorgullecemos, vosotros os enorgullecéis and ellos se enorgullecen. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me enorgullezco |
| tú | -es | te enorgulleces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | se enorgullece |
| nosotros/as | -emos | nos enorgullecemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | os enorgullecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | se enorgullecen |
Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is enorgullezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example enorgullezca.
enorgullecerse 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 enorgulleciéndose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is enorgullecido.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is enorgulleciéndose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy enorgulleciéndose. The past participle is enorgullecido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he enorgullecido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with enorgullecerse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me enorgullezco de su hijo en la escuela. — "Every day, I take pride of his son at school." The complement in this sentence is about his son at school, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enorgullecerse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te enorgulleces de su trabajo en la fábrica. — "Now, you take pride of his work in the factory." The complement in this sentence is about his work in the factory, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enorgullecerse 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 enorgullece de su país en el extranjero. — "Normally, he/she takes pride of his country abroad." The complement in this sentence is about his country abroad, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enorgullecerse 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 enorgullecemos de su hija en el concurso. — "Tomorrow, we take pride of his daughter in the competition." The complement in this sentence is about his daughter in the competition, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enorgullecerse 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 enorgullecen de su hijo en la escuela. — "Always, they take pride of his son at school." The complement in this sentence is about his son at school, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enorgullecerse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: enorgullecerse
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 enorgullecerse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me enorgullezco de su hijo en la escuela. — "Every day, I take pride of his son at school."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me enorgullecí de su hijo en la escuela. — "Yesterday, I took pride of his son at school."
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 enorgulleces de su trabajo en la fábrica. — "Every day, you take pride of his work in the factory."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te enorgulleciste de su trabajo en la fábrica. — "Yesterday, you took pride of his work in the factory."
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 enorgullece de su país en el extranjero. — "Every day, he/she takes pride of his country abroad."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se enorgulleció de su país en el extranjero. — "Yesterday, he/she took pride of his country abroad."
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: enorgullecerse in the present tense
These eight sentences show enorgullecerse 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 enorgullezco de su hijo en la escuela. — "I take pride of his son at school."
- Tú te enorgulleces de su trabajo en la fábrica. — "you take pride of his work in the factory."
- Él se enorgullece de su país en el extranjero. — "he/she takes pride of his country abroad."
- Nosotros nos enorgullecemos de su hija en el concurso. — "we take pride of his daughter in the competition."
- Vosotros os enorgullecéis de su hijo en la escuela. — "you (plural) take pride of his son at school."
- Ellos se enorgullecen de su trabajo en la fábrica. — "they take pride of his work in the factory."
- Yo me enorgullezco de su país en el extranjero. — "I take pride of his country abroad."
- Tú te enorgulleces de su hija en el concurso. — "you take pride of his daughter in the competition."
Common mistakes with enorgullecerse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the zc spelling change
- Wrong: Yo me enorgulleco de su hijo en la escuela.
- Right: Yo me enorgullezco de su hijo en la escuela.
- Why: In the present tense the c becomes zc before o: the yo form is enorgullezco, never enorgulleco. The other persons keep the plain c: enorgulleces, enorgullece.
Mistake 2: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo enorgullezco de su hijo en la escuela.
- Right: Yo me enorgullezco de su hijo en la escuela.
- Why: enorgullecerse is reflexive, so the pronoun comes before the verb: me enorgullezco. The bare form alone is not a complete reflexive sentence.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me enorgullezco de su trabajo en la fábrica.
- Right: Ayer, yo me enorgullecí de su trabajo en la fábrica.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me enorgullecí de su trabajo en la fábrica. — "Yesterday, I took pride of his work in the factory." 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 enorgullezco de su país en el extranjero.
- Right: Antes, yo me enorgullecía de su país en el extranjero.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me enorgullecía de su país en el extranjero. — "In the past, I used to take pride of his country abroad." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos enorgullece de su hijo en la escuela.
- Right: Nosotros nos enorgullecemos de su hijo en la escuela.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes enorgullecemos, while enorgullece belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of enorgullecerse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of enorgullecerse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of enorgullecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enorgullecemos
- (b) enorgullezco
- (c) enorgulleces
- (d) enorgullece
Answer: (b) enorgullezco. The yo form is enorgullezco. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of enorgullecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enorgulleces
- (b) enorgullezco
- (c) enorgullece
- (d) enorgullecemos
Answer: (a) enorgulleces. The tú form is enorgulleces. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of enorgullecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enorgullezco
- (b) enorgulleces
- (c) enorgullecemos
- (d) enorgullece
Answer: (d) enorgullece. The él/ella form is enorgullece. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of enorgullecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enorgulleces
- (b) enorgullece
- (c) enorgullecemos
- (d) enorgullezco
Answer: (c) enorgullecemos. The nosotros form is enorgullecemos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of enorgullecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enorgullece
- (b) enorgullecen
- (c) enorgullezco
- (d) enorgulleces
Answer: (b) enorgullecen. The ellos/ellas form is enorgullecen. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ de su hijo en la escuela.
- (a) enorgullezco
- (b) enorgulleces
- (c) enorgullece
- (d) enorgullecemos
Answer: (a) enorgullezco. The sentence needs the yo form enorgullezco (Every day, I take pride of his son at school.)
7. What is the gerund of enorgullecerse?
- (a) enorgulleciendo
- (b) enorgullecido
- (c) enorgullezco
- (d) enorgullecerse
Answer: (a) enorgulleciendo. The gerund is enorgulleciendo, used for the progressive: me estoy enorgulleciendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Antes, yo me enorgullecía de su trabajo en la fábrica.
- (b) Ayer, yo me enorgullecí de su trabajo en la fábrica.
- (c) Mañana, yo me enorgulleceré de su trabajo en la fábrica.
- (d) Cada día, yo me enorgullezco de su trabajo en la fábrica.
Answer: (d) Cada día, yo me enorgullezco de su trabajo en la fábrica.. Cada día, yo me enorgullezco de su trabajo en la fábrica. (Every day, I take pride of his work in the factory.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me enorgullecí de su trabajo en la fábrica. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me enorgulleceré de su trabajo en la fábrica. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of enorgullecerse
Is enorgullecerse regular in the present tense?
Almost. enorgullecerse 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 enorgullezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example enorgullezca.
How do you say 'take pride' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me enorgullezco de su hijo en la escuela. — "Every day, I take pride of his son at school." 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 enorgullecerse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me enorgullezco de su trabajo en la fábrica. — "Every day, I take pride of his work in the factory." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me enorgullecí de su trabajo en la fábrica. — "Yesterday, I took pride of his work in the factory." 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 enorgullecerse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos enorgullecemos de su hija en el concurso. — "Tomorrow, we take pride of his daughter in the competition." 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.