Enternecerse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
enternecerse means "to be moved" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see enternecerse with his daughter's letter, seeing the baby in the cradle, his mother's song and the child's gesture — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo me enternezco con la carta de su hija. — "Every day, I be moved at his daughter's letter." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
enternecerse in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with enternecerse, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo me enternezco con la carta de su hija. — "Every day, I be moved at his daughter's letter." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo me enternecí al ver al bebé en la cuna. — "Yesterday, I was moved on seeing the baby in the cradle." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo me enternecía con la canción de su madre. — "In the past, I used to be moved at his mother's song." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros nos enterneceremos ante el gesto del niño. — "Tomorrow, we will be moved at the child's gesture." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú te enternecerías con la carta de su hija. — "If you could, you would be moved at his daughter's letter." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo me he enternecido al ver al bebé en la cuna. — "I have been moved on seeing the baby in the cradle." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él se enternece con la canción de su madre. — "Normally, he/she is moved at his mother's song." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él se enterneció ante el gesto del niño. — "Yesterday, he/she was moved at the child's gesture." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros nos enternecíamos con la carta de su hija. — "In the past, we used to be moved at his daughter's letter." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo me enterneceré al ver al bebé en la cuna. — "Tomorrow, I will be moved on seeing the baby in the cradle." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él se enternezca con la canción de su madre. — "I hope that he/she is moved at his mother's song." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡No te enternezcas ante el gesto del niño! — "Do not be moved at the child's gesture!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using enternecerse naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: his daughter's letter, seeing the baby in the cradle, his mother's song and the child's gesture.
Dialogue 1: talking about his daughter's letter
Lucía: ¿Tú te enterneces con la carta de su hija? — "Do you be moved at his daughter's letter?" Pedro: Sí, yo me enternezco con la carta de su hija. — "I be moved at his daughter's letter." Lucía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Pedro: Ayer, yo me enternecí al ver al bebé en la cuna. — "Yesterday, I was moved on seeing the baby in the cradle." Lucía: Mañana, nosotros nos enterneceremos con la canción de su madre. — "Tomorrow, we will be moved at his mother's song." Pedro: Si pudiera, yo me enternecería ante el gesto del niño. — "If I could, I would be moved at the child's gesture." Lucía: Antes, yo me enternecía al ver al bebé en la cuna. — "In the past, I used to be moved on seeing the baby in the cradle." Pedro: Yo me he enternecido con la carta de su hija. — "I have been moved at his daughter's letter." Lucía: ¡No te enternezcas con la canción de su madre! — "Do not be moved at his mother's song!"
In this dialogue enternecerse appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about his mother's song
Lucía: Él se enternece con la canción de su madre. — "he/she is moved at his mother's song." Pedro: ¿De verdad? ¿Él se enternece con la canción de su madre todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she is moved at his mother's song every day?" Lucía: Sí, y ellos se enternecen ante el gesto del niño. — "they be moved at the child's gesture." Pedro: Ayer, ellos se enternecieron con la canción de su madre. — "Yesterday, they was moved at his mother's song." Lucía: Espero que él se enternezca ante el gesto del niño. — "I hope that he/she is moved at the child's gesture." Pedro: Mañana, él se enternecerá con la canción de su madre. — "Tomorrow, he/she will be moved at his mother's song." Lucía: Antes, nosotros nos enternecíamos ante el gesto del niño. — "In the past, we used to be moved at the child's gesture." Pedro: Nosotros nos enternecemos con la carta de su hija también. — "we be moved at his daughter's letter too."
This dialogue shows enternecerse in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with enternecerse
The errors learners actually make with enternecerse in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo enternezco con la carta de su hija.
- Right: Yo me enternezco con la carta de su hija.
- Why: enternecerse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me enternezco con la carta de su hija.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo enternecerse con la carta de su hija.
- Right: Yo me enternezco con la carta de su hija.
- Why: The infinitive enternecerse is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form enternezco.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me enternezco al ver al bebé en la cuna.
- Right: Ayer, yo me enternecí al ver al bebé en la cuna.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me enternecí al ver al bebé en la cuna. — "Yesterday, I was moved on seeing the baby in the cradle."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Me estoy enternecido con la canción de su madre.
- Right: Me estoy enterneciendo con la canción de su madre.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund enterneciendo for the progressive. The participle enternecido goes with haber in the perfect tenses (me he enternecido), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos enternece con la carta de su hija.
- Right: Nosotros nos enternecemos con la carta de su hija.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes enternecemos, while enternece belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: enternecerse in use
Test yourself with ten questions on enternecerse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of enternecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enternecemos
- (b) enternezco
- (c) enterneces
- (d) enternece
Answer: (b) enternezco. The yo form is enternezco.
2. What is the tú form of enternecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enterneces
- (b) enternezco
- (c) enternece
- (d) enternecemos
Answer: (a) enterneces. The tú form is enterneces.
3. What is the él/ella form of enternecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enternezco
- (b) enterneces
- (c) enternecemos
- (d) enternece
Answer: (d) enternece. The él/ella form is enternece.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ con la carta de su hija.
- (a) enternece
- (b) enternecemos
- (c) enternezco
- (d) enterneces
Answer: (c) enternezco. The sentence needs the yo form enternezco.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ al ver al bebé en la cuna.
- (a) enternecimos
- (b) enternecí
- (c) enterneciste
- (d) enterneció
Answer: (b) enternecí. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is enternecí.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ con la canción de su madre.
- (a) enternecía
- (b) enternecías
- (c) enternecíamos
- (d) enternecíais
Answer: (a) enternecía. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is enternecía.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ ante el gesto del niño.
- (a) enternecerás
- (b) enternecerá
- (c) enterneceremos
- (d) enterneceré
Answer: (d) enterneceré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is enterneceré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con la carta de su hija.
- (a) te has enternecido
- (b) se ha enternecido
- (c) nos hemos enternecido
- (d) me he enternecido
Answer: (d) me he enternecido. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: me he enternecido.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ con la canción de su madre.
- (a) enternecáis
- (b) enternezca
- (c) enternezcas
- (d) enternezcamos
Answer: (b) enternezca. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is enternezca.
10. What does enternecerse mean in English?
- (a) to minimise
- (b) to be moved
- (c) to locate
- (d) to materialise
Answer: (b) to be moved. enternecerse means "to be moved" in English.
Frequently asked questions about enternecerse
What does enternecerse mean?
enternecerse means "to be moved" in English. Use it when you talk about his daughter's letter, seeing the baby in the cradle, his mother's song and the child's gesture — for example: Cada día, yo me enternezco con la carta de su hija. — "Every day, I be moved at his daughter's letter."
Is enternecerse reflexive?
Yes. enternecerse is reflexive, so it always travels with a pronoun: me, te, se, nos, os, se. Cada día, yo me enternezco con la carta de su hija. — "Every day, I be moved at his daughter's letter." If you drop the pronoun, the sentence is incomplete.
What is the most common mistake with enternecerse?
Forgetting the reflexive pronoun. Learners write the bare form — for example, Yo enternezco con la carta de su hija — when the verb needs its pronoun: Cada día, yo me enternezco con la carta de su hija. — "Every day, I be moved at his daughter's letter." Keep the pronoun with the verb and the mistake disappears.
How can I practise enternecerse?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.