Enterarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

enterarse means to find out, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a regular -ar verb, reflexive verb, and this page puts it to work: real example sentences in several tenses, grouped by use, two short passages that show the verb in context, the mistakes learners make with it, a ten-question quiz and answers to common questions. If you only learn one sentence, make it «Me entero todos los días» — I find out every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use enterarse the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Enterarse in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

The present is where enterarse lives most of the time — routines, facts and what is happening now:

  1. Me entero todos los días. — I find out every day.
  2. Te enteras en el trabajo. — You find out at work.
  3. Se entera con mi familia. — He finds out with my family.
  4. Nos enteramos por la mañana. — We find out in the morning.

Talking about the past

In the past, choose the preterite for a finished event and the imperfect for a habit or background:

  1. Ayer me enteré por la tarde. — Yesterday I found out in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, me enteraba todos los días. — In the past, I used to find out every day.
  3. La semana pasada se enteró dos veces. — Last week He found out twice.

Plans and things already done

The future, the conditional and the present perfect round out the picture — plans, hypotheticals and recent events:

  1. Mañana me enteraré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will find out without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, me enteraría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would find out right now.
  3. Hoy me he enterado dos veces. — Today I have found out twice.

More everyday uses

The subjunctive, the imperative and the progressive cover wishes, commands and actions in progress:

  1. Espero que te enteres pronto. — I hope You find out soon.
  2. ¡No te enteres! — Don't find out!
  3. Ahora mismo me estoy enterando. — Right now I am finding out.

Enterarse in context

A short dialogue

Ana: «Me entero en el trabajo.» — I find out at work. Luis: «¡Qué bien! Me entero con mi familia.» — I find out with my family. Ana: «Mañana me enteraré sin falta.» — Tomorrow I will find out without fail. Luis: «Si tuviera más tiempo, me enteraría ahora mismo.» — If I had more time, I would find out right now. Ana: «Hoy me he enterado dos veces.» — Today I have found out twice.

A short paragraph

Ayer me enteré por la tarde. Antes, me enteraba todos los días. Hoy me he enterado dos veces. Mañana me enteraré sin falta.

Yesterday I found out in the afternoon. In the past, I used to find out every day. Today I have found out twice. Tomorrow I will find out without fail.

Common mistakes with enterarse

1. Forgetting the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: yo entero todos los días.

Right: me entero todos los días.

enterarse is reflexive: the pronoun me belongs before every conjugated form. Without it, you are using the non-reflexive verb, which means something different — doing the action to someone else instead of to yourself.

2. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer me enteraba.

Right: Ayer me enteré.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, enteré. The imperfect enteraba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

3. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que te enteras.

Right: Espero que te enteres.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: enteres, not the indicative enteras. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

4. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No te entera.

Right: No te enteres.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no enteres. The affirmative entera can never follow no.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He enterando.

Right: He enterado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he enterado. The gerund enterando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy enterando»), never with haber.

Quiz: enterarse in use

Test yourself on enterarse in use. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of enterarse in the present indicative?

- (a) enteramos
- (b) entero
- (c) entera
- (d) enteras

2. What is the nosotros/as form of enterarse in the preterite?

- (a) enteré
- (b) enteramos
- (c) enteraste
- (d) enteró

3. What is the vosotros/as form of enterarse in the future?

- (a) enteraréis
- (b) enteraré
- (c) enterarás
- (d) enterará

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of enterarse in the present perfect?

- (a) he enterado
- (b) han enterado
- (c) ha enterado
- (d) has enterado

5. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of enterarse in the imperfect?

- (a) enteraba
- (b) enteraba
- (c) enterábamos
- (d) enterabas

6. What is the gerund of enterarse?

- (a) enterando
- (b) enterarse
- (c) entero
- (d) enterado

7. What is the past participle of enterarse?

- (a) enterando
- (b) enterarse
- (c) enterado
- (d) enteré

8. Which sentence uses enterarse correctly?

- (a) *Me entero todos los días.* — I find out every day.
- (b) *Yo enteras todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo enterarse todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo entera todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses enterarse correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo entero por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo enteraba por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo enterarse por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer me enteré por la tarde.* — Yesterday I found out in the afternoon.

10. What does enterarse mean?

- (a) to deceive oneself
- (b) to rehearse
- (c) to train
- (d) to find out

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of enterarse is entera. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the preterite, the nosotros/as form of enterarse is enteramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the future, the vosotros/as form of enterarse is enteraréis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present perfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of enterarse is han enterado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of enterarse is enteraba. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — The gerund of enterarse is enterando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy enterando». 7. (c) — The past participle of enterarse is enterado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he enterado». 8. (a) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of enterarse; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of enterarse; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (d) — enterarse means «to find out».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I find out' in Spanish?

Say «Me entero todos los días». That is the present-tense yo form, and it is the sentence you will use most with this verb.

How do you say 'I found out' about yesterday?

Say «Ayer me enteré por la tarde». The preterite is the tense for a finished event: yesterday, last week, last night.

Is enterarse reflexive?

Yes — enterarse is reflexive, so every conjugated form takes its pronoun: me entero, te enteras, se entera. The pronoun always comes before the verb, except in affirmative commands, where it attaches to the end.

Which tense do learners find hardest with enterarse?

Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (enteré) for a single finished event and the imperfect (enteraba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.

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