Enternecerse Present Tense in Spanish
enternecerse means "to be moved" 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 enternecerse, 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 enternezco con la carta de su hija. — "Every day, I be moved at his daughter's letter." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of enternecerse: full table
Every person of enternecerse in the present tense. The gerund is enterneciéndose and the past participle is enternecido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me enternezco |
| tú | te enterneces |
| él/ella/Ud. | se enternece |
| nosotros/as | nos enternecemos |
| vosotros/as | os enternecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se enternecen |
The gerund of enternecerse is enterneciéndose and the past participle is enternecido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy enterneciéndose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he enternecido). Because enternecerse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of enternecerse is formed
The present tense of enternecerse is built from the stem enternec- 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 enternezco, tú te enterneces, él se enternece, nosotros nos enternecemos, vosotros os enternecéis and ellos se enternecen. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me enternezco |
| tú | -es | te enterneces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | se enternece |
| nosotros/as | -emos | nos enternecemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | os enternecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | se enternecen |
Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is enternezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example enternezca.
enternecerse 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 enterneciéndose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is enternecido.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is enterneciéndose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy enterneciéndose. The past participle is enternecido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he enternecido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with enternecerse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me enternezco con la carta de su hija. — "Every day, I be moved at his daughter's letter." The complement in this sentence is about his daughter's letter, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enternecerse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te enterneces al ver al bebé en la cuna. — "Now, you be moved on seeing the baby in the cradle." The complement in this sentence is about seeing the baby in the cradle, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enternecerse 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 enternece con la canción de su madre. — "Normally, he/she is moved at his mother's song." The complement in this sentence is about his mother's song, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enternecerse 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 enternecemos ante el gesto del niño. — "Tomorrow, we be moved at the child's gesture." The complement in this sentence is about the child's gesture, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enternecerse 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 enternecen con la carta de su hija. — "Always, they be moved at his daughter's letter." The complement in this sentence is about his daughter's letter, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear enternecerse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: enternecerse
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 enternecerse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me enternezco con la carta de su hija. — "Every day, I be moved at his daughter's letter."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me enternecí con la carta de su hija. — "Yesterday, I was moved at his daughter's letter."
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 enterneces al ver al bebé en la cuna. — "Every day, you be moved on seeing the baby in the cradle."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te enterneciste al ver al bebé en la cuna. — "Yesterday, you was moved on seeing the baby in the cradle."
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 enternece con la canción de su madre. — "Every day, he/she is moved at his mother's song."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se enterneció con la canción de su madre. — "Yesterday, he/she was moved at his mother's song."
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: enternecerse in the present tense
These eight sentences show enternecerse 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 enternezco con la carta de su hija. — "I be moved at his daughter's letter."
- Tú te enterneces al ver al bebé en la cuna. — "you be moved on seeing the baby in the cradle."
- Él se enternece con la canción de su madre. — "he/she is moved at his mother's song."
- Nosotros nos enternecemos ante el gesto del niño. — "we be moved at the child's gesture."
- Vosotros os enternecéis con la carta de su hija. — "you (plural) be moved at his daughter's letter."
- Ellos se enternecen al ver al bebé en la cuna. — "they be moved on seeing the baby in the cradle."
- Yo me enternezco con la canción de su madre. — "I be moved at his mother's song."
- Tú te enterneces ante el gesto del niño. — "you be moved at the child's gesture."
Common mistakes with enternecerse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the zc spelling change
- Wrong: Yo me enterneco con la carta de su hija.
- Right: Yo me enternezco con la carta de su hija.
- Why: In the present tense the c becomes zc before o: the yo form is enternezco, never enterneco. The other persons keep the plain c: enterneces, enternece.
Mistake 2: 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 comes before the verb: me enternezco. The bare form alone is not a complete reflexive sentence.
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." 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 enternezco con la canción de su madre.
- Right: Antes, yo me enternecía con la canción de su madre.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me enternecía con la canción de su madre. — "In the past, I used to be moved at his mother's song." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
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. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of enternecerse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of 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) enterneces
- (b) enternece
- (c) enternecemos
- (d) enternezco
Answer: (d) enternezco. The yo form is enternezco. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of enternecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enternece
- (b) enternecemos
- (c) enterneces
- (d) enternezco
Answer: (c) enterneces. The tú form is enterneces. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of enternecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enternecemos
- (b) enternece
- (c) enternezco
- (d) enterneces
Answer: (b) enternece. The él/ella form is enternece. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of enternecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enternecemos
- (b) enternezco
- (c) enterneces
- (d) enternece
Answer: (a) enternecemos. The nosotros form is enternecemos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of enternecerse in the present tense?
- (a) enternezco
- (b) enterneces
- (c) enternece
- (d) enternecen
Answer: (d) enternecen. The ellos/ellas form is enternecen. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. 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 (Every day, I be moved at his daughter's letter.)
7. What is the gerund of enternecerse?
- (a) enternezco
- (b) enternecerse
- (c) enterneciendo
- (d) enternecido
Answer: (c) enterneciendo. The gerund is enterneciendo, used for the progressive: me estoy enterneciendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Mañana, yo me enterneceré al ver al bebé en la cuna.
- (b) Cada día, yo me enternezco al ver al bebé en la cuna.
- (c) Antes, yo me enternecía al ver al bebé en la cuna.
- (d) Ayer, yo me enternecí al ver al bebé en la cuna.
Answer: (b) Cada día, yo me enternezco al ver al bebé en la cuna.. Cada día, yo me enternezco al ver al bebé en la cuna. (Every day, I be moved on seeing the baby in the cradle.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me enternecí al ver al bebé en la cuna. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me enterneceré al ver al bebé en la cuna. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of enternecerse
Is enternecerse regular in the present tense?
Almost. enternecerse 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 enternezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example enternezca.
How do you say 'be moved' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me enternezco con la carta de su hija. — "Every day, I be moved at his daughter's letter." 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 enternecerse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me enternezco al ver al bebé en la cuna. — "Every day, I be moved on seeing the baby in the cradle." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me enternecí al ver al bebé en la cuna. — "Yesterday, I was moved on seeing the baby in the cradle." 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 enternecerse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos enternecemos ante el gesto del niño. — "Tomorrow, we be moved at the child's gesture." 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.