Excederse Present Tense in Spanish
excederse means "to go too far" 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 excederse, 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 excedo con la comida en la fiesta. — "Every day, I go too far with the food at the party." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of excederse: full table
Every person of excederse in the present tense. The gerund is excediéndose and the past participle is excedido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me excedo |
| tú | te excedes |
| él/ella/Ud. | se excede |
| nosotros/as | nos excedemos |
| vosotros/as | os excedéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se exceden |
The gerund of excederse is excediéndose and the past participle is excedido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy excediéndose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he excedido). Because excederse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of excederse is formed
The present tense of excederse is built from the stem exced- 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 excedo, tú te excedes, él se excede, nosotros nos excedemos, vosotros os excedéis and ellos se exceden. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me excedo |
| tú | -es | te excedes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | se excede |
| nosotros/as | -emos | nos excedemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | os excedéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | se exceden |
excederse is completely regular in the present tense: the stem never changes and every ending is the standard -er ending. The only thing to watch is the accent on the vosotros form excedéis.
excederse 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 excediéndose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is excedido.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is excediéndose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy excediéndose. The past participle is excedido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he excedido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with excederse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me excedo con la comida en la fiesta. — "Every day, I go too far with the food at the party." The complement in this sentence is about the food at the party, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear excederse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te excedes con el gasto en las vacaciones. — "Now, you go too far with the spending on holiday." The complement in this sentence is about the spending on holiday, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear excederse 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 excede con la bebida en la cena. — "Normally, he/she gos too far with the drink at dinner." The complement in this sentence is about the drink at dinner, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear excederse 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 excedemos con las palabras en la discusión. — "Tomorrow, we go too far with his words in the argument." The complement in this sentence is about his words in the argument, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear excederse 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 exceden con la comida en la fiesta. — "Always, they go too far with the food at the party." The complement in this sentence is about the food at the party, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear excederse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: excederse
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 excederse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me excedo con la comida en la fiesta. — "Every day, I go too far with the food at the party."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me excedí con la comida en la fiesta. — "Yesterday, I went too far with the food at the party."
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 excedes con el gasto en las vacaciones. — "Every day, you go too far with the spending on holiday."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te excediste con el gasto en las vacaciones. — "Yesterday, you went too far with the spending on holiday."
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 excede con la bebida en la cena. — "Every day, he/she gos too far with the drink at dinner."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se excedió con la bebida en la cena. — "Yesterday, he/she went too far with the drink at dinner."
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: excederse in the present tense
These eight sentences show excederse 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 excedo con la comida en la fiesta. — "I go too far with the food at the party."
- Tú te excedes con el gasto en las vacaciones. — "you go too far with the spending on holiday."
- Él se excede con la bebida en la cena. — "he/she gos too far with the drink at dinner."
- Nosotros nos excedemos con las palabras en la discusión. — "we go too far with his words in the argument."
- Vosotros os excedéis con la comida en la fiesta. — "you (plural) go too far with the food at the party."
- Ellos se exceden con el gasto en las vacaciones. — "they go too far with the spending on holiday."
- Yo me excedo con la bebida en la cena. — "I go too far with the drink at dinner."
- Tú te excedes con las palabras en la discusión. — "you go too far with his words in the argument."
Common mistakes with excederse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo excedo con la comida en la fiesta.
- Right: Yo me excedo con la comida en la fiesta.
- Why: excederse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me excedo con la comida en la fiesta.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os excedeis con la comida en la fiesta.
- Right: Vosotros os excedéis con la comida en la fiesta.
- Why: The vosotros form excedéis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me excedo con el gasto en las vacaciones.
- Right: Ayer, yo me excedí con el gasto en las vacaciones.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me excedí con el gasto en las vacaciones. — "Yesterday, I went too far with the spending on holiday." 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 excedo con la bebida en la cena.
- Right: Antes, yo me excedía con la bebida en la cena.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me excedía con la bebida en la cena. — "In the past, I used to go too far with the drink at dinner." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos excede con la comida en la fiesta.
- Right: Nosotros nos excedemos con la comida en la fiesta.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes excedemos, while excede belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of excederse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of excederse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of excederse in the present tense?
- (a) excedo
- (b) excedes
- (c) excede
- (d) excedemos
Answer: (a) excedo. The yo form is excedo. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of excederse in the present tense?
- (a) excedo
- (b) excede
- (c) excedemos
- (d) excedes
Answer: (d) excedes. The tú form is excedes. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of excederse in the present tense?
- (a) excedes
- (b) excedemos
- (c) excede
- (d) excedo
Answer: (c) excede. The él/ella form is excede. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of excederse in the present tense?
- (a) excede
- (b) excedemos
- (c) excedo
- (d) excedes
Answer: (b) excedemos. The nosotros form is excedemos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of excederse in the present tense?
- (a) exceden
- (b) excedo
- (c) excedes
- (d) excede
Answer: (a) exceden. The ellos/ellas form is exceden. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ con la comida en la fiesta.
- (a) excedes
- (b) excede
- (c) excedemos
- (d) excedo
Answer: (d) excedo. The sentence needs the yo form excedo (Every day, I go too far with the food at the party.)
7. What is the gerund of excederse?
- (a) excedido
- (b) excedo
- (c) excederse
- (d) excediendo
Answer: (d) excediendo. The gerund is excediendo, used for the progressive: me estoy excediendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Ayer, yo me excedí con el gasto en las vacaciones.
- (b) Mañana, yo me excederé con el gasto en las vacaciones.
- (c) Cada día, yo me excedo con el gasto en las vacaciones.
- (d) Antes, yo me excedía con el gasto en las vacaciones.
Answer: (c) Cada día, yo me excedo con el gasto en las vacaciones.. Cada día, yo me excedo con el gasto en las vacaciones. (Every day, I go too far with the spending on holiday.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me excedí con el gasto en las vacaciones. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me excederé con el gasto en las vacaciones. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of excederse
Is excederse regular in the present tense?
Yes. excederse is a regular -er verb: excedo, excedes, excede, excedemos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'go too far' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me excedo con la comida en la fiesta. — "Every day, I go too far with the food at the party." 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 excederse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me excedo con el gasto en las vacaciones. — "Every day, I go too far with the spending on holiday." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me excedí con el gasto en las vacaciones. — "Yesterday, I went too far with the spending on holiday." 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 excederse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos excedemos con las palabras en la discusión. — "Tomorrow, we go too far with his words in the argument." 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.