Enriquecerse Present Tense in Spanish
enriquecerse means "to get rich" 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 enriquecerse, 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 enriquezco con el negocio de la familia. — "Every day, I get rich with the family business." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of enriquecerse: full table
Every person of enriquecerse in the present tense. The gerund is enriqueciéndose and the past participle is enriquecido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me enriquezco |
| tú | te enriqueces |
| él/ella/Ud. | se enriquece |
| nosotros/as | nos enriquecemos |
| vosotros/as | os enriquecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se enriquecen |
The gerund of enriquecerse is enriqueciéndose and the past participle is enriquecido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy enriqueciéndose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he enriquecido). Because enriquecerse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of enriquecerse is formed
The present tense of enriquecerse is built from the stem enriquec- 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 enriquezco, tú te enriqueces, él se enriquece, nosotros nos enriquecemos, vosotros os enriquecéis and ellos se enriquecen. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me enriquezco |
| tú | -es | te enriqueces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | se enriquece |
| nosotros/as | -emos | nos enriquecemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | os enriquecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | se enriquecen |
Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is enriquezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example enriquezca.
enriquecerse 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 enriqueciéndose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is enriquecido.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is enriqueciéndose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy enriqueciéndose. The past participle is enriquecido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he enriquecido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with enriquecerse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me enriquezco con el negocio de la familia. — "Every day, I get rich with the family business." The complement in this sentence is about the family business, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enriquecerse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te enriqueces con la venta de la casa. — "Now, you get rich with the sale of the house." The complement in this sentence is about the sale of the house, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enriquecerse 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 enriquece con el trabajo en el extranjero. — "Normally, he/she gets rich with work abroad." The complement in this sentence is about work abroad, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enriquecerse 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 enriquecemos con los libros de su padre. — "Tomorrow, we get rich with his father's books." The complement in this sentence is about his father's books, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enriquecerse 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 enriquecen con el negocio de la familia. — "Always, they get rich with the family business." The complement in this sentence is about the family business, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enriquecerse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: enriquecerse
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 enriquecerse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me enriquezco con el negocio de la familia. — "Every day, I get rich with the family business."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me enriquecí con el negocio de la familia. — "Yesterday, I got rich with the family business."
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 enriqueces con la venta de la casa. — "Every day, you get rich with the sale of the house."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te enriqueciste con la venta de la casa. — "Yesterday, you got rich with the sale of the house."
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 enriquece con el trabajo en el extranjero. — "Every day, he/she gets rich with work abroad."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se enriqueció con el trabajo en el extranjero. — "Yesterday, he/she got rich with work 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: enriquecerse in the present tense
These eight sentences show enriquecerse 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 enriquezco con el negocio de la familia. — "I get rich with the family business."
- Tú te enriqueces con la venta de la casa. — "you get rich with the sale of the house."
- Él se enriquece con el trabajo en el extranjero. — "he/she gets rich with work abroad."
- Nosotros nos enriquecemos con los libros de su padre. — "we get rich with his father's books."
- Vosotros os enriquecéis con el negocio de la familia. — "you (plural) get rich with the family business."
- Ellos se enriquecen con la venta de la casa. — "they get rich with the sale of the house."
- Yo me enriquezco con el trabajo en el extranjero. — "I get rich with work abroad."
- Tú te enriqueces con los libros de su padre. — "you get rich with his father's books."
Common mistakes with enriquecerse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the zc spelling change
- Wrong: Yo me enriqueco con el negocio de la familia.
- Right: Yo me enriquezco con el negocio de la familia.
- Why: In the present tense the c becomes zc before o: the yo form is enriquezco, never enriqueco. The other persons keep the plain c: enriqueces, enriquece.
Mistake 2: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo enriquezco con el negocio de la familia.
- Right: Yo me enriquezco con el negocio de la familia.
- Why: enriquecerse is reflexive, so the pronoun comes before the verb: me enriquezco. The bare form alone is not a complete reflexive sentence.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me enriquezco con la venta de la casa.
- Right: Ayer, yo me enriquecí con la venta de la casa.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me enriquecí con la venta de la casa. — "Yesterday, I got rich with the sale of the house." 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 enriquezco con el trabajo en el extranjero.
- Right: Antes, yo me enriquecía con el trabajo en el extranjero.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me enriquecía con el trabajo en el extranjero. — "In the past, I used to get rich with work abroad." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos enriquece con el negocio de la familia.
- Right: Nosotros nos enriquecemos con el negocio de la familia.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes enriquecemos, while enriquece belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of enriquecerse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of enriquecerse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of enriquecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enriquece
- (b) enriquecemos
- (c) enriquezco
- (d) enriqueces
Answer: (c) enriquezco. The yo form is enriquezco. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of enriquecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enriquecemos
- (b) enriqueces
- (c) enriquezco
- (d) enriquece
Answer: (b) enriqueces. The tú form is enriqueces. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of enriquecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enriquece
- (b) enriquezco
- (c) enriqueces
- (d) enriquecemos
Answer: (a) enriquece. The él/ella form is enriquece. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of enriquecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enriquezco
- (b) enriqueces
- (c) enriquece
- (d) enriquecemos
Answer: (d) enriquecemos. The nosotros form is enriquecemos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of enriquecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enriqueces
- (b) enriquece
- (c) enriquecen
- (d) enriquezco
Answer: (c) enriquecen. The ellos/ellas form is enriquecen. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ con el negocio de la familia.
- (a) enriquecemos
- (b) enriquezco
- (c) enriqueces
- (d) enriquece
Answer: (b) enriquezco. The sentence needs the yo form enriquezco (Every day, I get rich with the family business.)
7. What is the gerund of enriquecerse?
- (a) enriquecerse
- (b) enriqueciendo
- (c) enriquecido
- (d) enriquezco
Answer: (b) enriqueciendo. The gerund is enriqueciendo, used for the progressive: me estoy enriqueciendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, yo me enriquezco con la venta de la casa.
- (b) Antes, yo me enriquecía con la venta de la casa.
- (c) Ayer, yo me enriquecí con la venta de la casa.
- (d) Mañana, yo me enriqueceré con la venta de la casa.
Answer: (a) Cada día, yo me enriquezco con la venta de la casa.. Cada día, yo me enriquezco con la venta de la casa. (Every day, I get rich with the sale of the house.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me enriquecí con la venta de la casa. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me enriqueceré con la venta de la casa. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of enriquecerse
Is enriquecerse regular in the present tense?
Almost. enriquecerse 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 enriquezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example enriquezca.
How do you say 'get rich' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me enriquezco con el negocio de la familia. — "Every day, I get rich with the family business." 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 enriquecerse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me enriquezco con la venta de la casa. — "Every day, I get rich with the sale of the house." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me enriquecí con la venta de la casa. — "Yesterday, I got rich with the sale of the house." 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 enriquecerse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos enriquecemos con los libros de su padre. — "Tomorrow, we get rich with his father's books." 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.