Entristecer Present Tense in Spanish
Introduction
entristecer means "to sadden" 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 entristecer, 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, me entristece la película triste. — "Every day, the sad film makes me sad." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of entristecer: full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| Yo | entristezco |
| Tú | entristeces |
| Él / Ella | entristece |
| Nosotros | entristecemos |
| Vosotros | entristecéis |
| Ellos | entristecen |
The gerund of entristecer is entristeciendo and the past participle is entristecido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy entristeciendo), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he entristecido).
How the present tense of entristecer is formed
The present tense of entristecer is built from the stem entristec- 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 entristezco, tú entristeces, él entristece, nosotros entristecemos, vosotros entristecéis and ellos entristecen. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
There is also a spelling change in the yo form: entristezco. Verbs ending in -ecer change c to zc before o, to keep the soft c sound. The other persons are regular: entristeces, entristece, entristecen.
In everyday use, entristecer usually works like gustar: the thing that produces the feeling is the subject of the sentence, and you are the indirect object. So you say me entristece la película triste — literally, the thing is the subject and you are the person it affects — rather than starting with yo. The verb agrees with the thing, not with you: one thing takes the singular form entristece, and several things take the plural form entristecen. The full table above still matters, because the transitive use (for example, entristecer a alguien) uses the ordinary persons.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is entristeciendo, used for the progressive with estar: estoy entristeciendo. The past participle is entristecido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he entristecido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with entristecer
1. Films and songs
Me entristece la película triste is the most natural use of this verb. The film is the subject, and you are the person it saddens, which is why Spanish says me entristece and not yo entristezco. For example: Me entristece la película triste. — "The sad film makes me sad."
2. Old photos and farewells
Me entristecen las fotos antiguas shows the plural agreement. Las fotos is plural, so the verb is entristecen. It is how Spanish speakers talk about nostalgia and loss. For example: Te entristece la noticia de su marcha. — "The news of his departure makes you sad."
3. Becoming sad yourself
Me entristezco cuando pienso en él shows the reflexive use. Here you are the subject, and the pronoun me is reflexive. It means I become sad, not something saddens me. For example: Le entristecen las fotos antiguas. — "The old photos make him sad."
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, to talk about tomorrow's plan you can use the future — Mañana, me entristecerá la canción melancólica. — "Tomorrow, the melancholy song will sadden me." — but in conversation you will also hear the present used the same way.
5. General truths and routines
Finally, the present tense states general truths and routines: what usually happens, what is always true, what people normally do. It is the tense of habits and of facts that do not belong to one moment. For example: Normalmente, le entristece la película triste. — "Normally, the sad film makes him sad."
Present vs preterite: entristecer
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 entristecer.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, me entristece la película triste. — "Every day, the sad film makes me sad."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, me entristeció la película triste. — "Yesterday, the sad film saddened me."
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, me entristece la noticia de su marcha. — "Every day, the news of his departure makes me sad."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, me entristeció la noticia de su marcha. — "Yesterday, the news of his departure saddened me."
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, me entristecen las fotos antiguas. — "Every day, the old photos make me sad."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, me entristecieron las fotos antiguas. — "Yesterday, the old photos saddened me."
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: entristecer in the present tense
These six sentences show entristecer 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.
- Me entristece la película triste. — "The sad film makes me sad."
- Te entristece la noticia de su marcha. — "The news of his departure makes you sad."
- Le entristecen las fotos antiguas. — "The old photos make him sad."
- Nos entristece la canción melancólica. — "The melancholy song makes us sad."
- Os entristece la película triste. — "The sad film makes you sad."
- Les entristece la noticia de su marcha. — "The news of his departure makes them sad."
Common mistakes with entristecer in the present tense
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo entristeco la película.
- Right: Me entristece la película.
- Why: Two errors here: the yo form is entristezco, with a z, and the structure is gustar-like, so say me entristece la película.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Me entristece las fotos.
- Right: Me entristecen las fotos.
- Why: The verb agrees with the subject. Las fotos is plural, so the verb must be entristecen.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Entristecer es lo mismo que estar triste.
- Right: Entristecer means to make sad; estar triste means to be sad.
- Why: Entristecer describes the cause: the film makes you sad. Estar triste describes the state that follows.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Ayer, me entristece la película triste.
- Right: Ayer, me entristeció la película triste.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite. The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Me entristeceis la película triste.
- Right: Me entristecéis la película triste.
- Why: The form is entristecéis, with a written accent. The accent is part of the spelling, and without it the word is misspelled.
Quiz: the present tense of entristecer
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of entristecer. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of entristecer in the present tense?
- (a) entristezco
- (b) entristeces
- (c) entristece
- (d) entristecemos
Answer: (a) entristezco. The i form is entristezco. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the you form of entristecer in the present tense?
- (a) entristezco
- (b) entristece
- (c) entristecemos
- (d) entristeces
Answer: (d) entristeces. The you form is entristeces. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the he / she form of entristecer in the present tense?
- (a) entristeces
- (b) entristecemos
- (c) entristece
- (d) entristezco
Answer: (c) entristece. The he / she form is entristece. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the we form of entristecer in the present tense?
- (a) entristece
- (b) entristecemos
- (c) entristezco
- (d) entristeces
Answer: (b) entristecemos. The we form is entristecemos. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the they form of entristecer in the present tense?
- (a) entristecen
- (b) entristezco
- (c) entristeces
- (d) entristece
Answer: (a) entristecen. The they form is entristecen. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, me ___ la película triste.
- (a) entristeció
- (b) entristecía
- (c) entristece
- (d) entristecen
Answer: (c) entristece. The sentence needs the third-person form entristece (Every day, the sad film makes me sad.)
7. What is the gerund of entristecer?
- (a) entristecido
- (b) entristecer
- (c) entristece
- (d) entristeciendo
Answer: (d) entristeciendo. The gerund is entristeciendo, used for the progressive: estoy entristeciendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, me entristece la noticia de su marcha.
- (b) Antes, me entristecía la noticia de su marcha.
- (c) Ayer, me entristeció la noticia de su marcha.
- (d) Mañana, me entristecerá la noticia de su marcha.
Answer: (a) Cada día, me entristece la noticia de su marcha.. Cada día, me entristece la noticia de su marcha. (Every day, the news of his departure makes me sad.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, me entristeció la noticia de su marcha. is a single completed action, and Mañana, me entristecerá la noticia de su marcha. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of entristecer
Why does the yo form have a z: entristezco?
Because -ecer verbs change c to zc before o: entristezco, ofrezco, agradezco. It keeps the soft c sound, and it is a spelling change, not an irregularity.
What is the difference between me entristece and me entristezco?
Me entristece la película means the film makes me sad; the film is the subject. Me entristezco means I become sad; you are the subject.
Is entristecer regular?
Almost. It is a regular -er verb with the -zc- spelling change in the yo form: entristezco. All other present forms are regular.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with entristecer?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, me entristece la película triste. — "Every day, the sad film makes me sad." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, me entristeció la película triste. — "Yesterday, the sad film saddened me." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.