Extrañarse in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of extrañarse — «to be surprised» — is the form you will reach for most often. It talks about habits, facts and what is happening right now, and it is the first tense to master for this verb. extrañarse is a regular -ar verb, reflexive verb, so the present follows the -ar endings. On this page you will find the full present-tense table, how the forms are built, five usage rules with examples, a comparison with the preterite, more example sentences, the mistakes learners make in this tense, an eight-question quiz and answers to common questions. A good first sentence is «Me extraño todos los días» — I be surprised every day.

Extrañarse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me extraño
tú te extrañas
él/ella/Ud. se extraña
nosotros/as nos extrañamos
vosotros/as os extrañáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se extrañan

Gerund: extrañando · Past participle: extrañado

How the present tense of extrañarse is formed

Take the stem extrañ — the infinitive extrañarse without its -ar ending and without -se — and add the present endings. The table below shows the build for every person, using the actual stem of each form:

Person Stem Ending Form
yo extrañ -o extraño
tú extrañ -as extrañas
él/ella/Ud. extrañ -a extraña
nosotros/as extrañ -amos extrañamos
vosotros/as extrañ -áis extrañáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. extrañ -an extrañan

Because extrañarse is reflexive, put the pronoun before the form: me extraño, te extrañas, se extraña, nos extrañamos, os extrañáis, se extrañan. The pronoun changes with the person, never with the tense.

The present is the only tense where the yo form ends in -o for all three verb classes, which makes it a useful anchor: if you know extraño, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of extrañarse

1. Daily routines and habits

The most common use: things you do regularly. Time words like todos los días, siempre and a veces are the giveaway.

Me extraño todos los días. — I be surprised every day.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. No time expression is needed — the statement stands on its own.

Se extraña con mi familia. — He bes surprised with my family.

3. What is happening right now

For an action in progress, the present works on its own in Spanish, and you can also use estar + the gerund extrañando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nos extrañamos por la mañana. — We be surprised in the morning.

4. Scheduled near-future plans

Spanish often uses the present for a fixed plan in the near future, where English would say «going to». A time expression such as mañana or la semana que viene makes the future meaning clear.

Te extrañas en el trabajo. — You be surprised at work.

5. Narrating and commenting

The present is the tense of live commentary and of stories told as if they were happening now. It keeps the listener in the moment, and it is the tense of instructions and explanations.

Se extrañan a veces. — They be surprised sometimes.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The present and the preterite answer different questions. The present says what happens in general or what is happening now; the preterite says what happened once and is over. Compare the pairs below — same verb, different time frame:

  • Present: Me extraño todos los días. — I be surprised every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer me extrañé por la tarde. — Yesterday I bed surprised in the afternoon.

  • A routine against a single finished event. The present describes the habit; the preterite reports the one time it happened.

  • Present: Se extraña por la mañana. — He bes surprised in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer se extrañó por la tarde. — Yesterday He bed surprised in the afternoon.

  • What happens in the morning in general, against what happened yesterday afternoon. The time expression decides the tense.

  • Present: Nos extrañamos con mi familia. — We be surprised with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nos extrañamos dos veces. — Last week We bed surprised twice.

  • A shared habit against a shared finished event. If the action repeats, use the present; if it happened once and ended, use the preterite.

Example sentences: extrañarse in the present

  1. Me extraño todos los días. — I be surprised every day.
  2. Te extrañas en el trabajo. — You be surprised at work.
  3. Se extraña con mi familia. — He bes surprised with my family.
  4. Nos extrañamos por la mañana. — We be surprised in the morning.
  5. Os extrañáis cuando hay tiempo. — You be surprised when there is time.
  6. Se extrañan a veces. — They be surprised sometimes.
  7. Me extraño en el trabajo. — I be surprised at work.
  8. Se extraña todos los días. — He bes surprised every day.

Common mistakes with extrañarse in the present

1. Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: Yo extraño todos los días.

Right: Me extraño todos los días.

Reflexive extrañarse needs its pronoun in the present as in every tense: me extraño. Without it the sentence uses the non-reflexive verb and means something else.

2. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros extrañais.

Right: Vosotros extrañáis.

The vosotros form extrañáis carries a written accent on the ending. Without it the word is misspelled, and in speech the stress falls in the wrong place.

3. Using the present for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo extraño.

Right: Ayer yo extrañé.

Ayer belongs with the preterite. The present extraño talks about now or about a habit; a finished yesterday needs extrañé.

4. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos extraño.

Right: Ellos extrañan.

Each person has its own form: ellos take extrañan, not the yo form extraño. The -n ending on extrañan is what marks the third-person plural.

5. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy extraño.

Right: Estoy extrañando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy extrañando. The conjugated present extraño never follows estar.

Quiz: extrañarse in the present

Test yourself on the present tense of extrañarse. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

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

- (a) extrañas
- (b) extraña
- (c) extrañamos
- (d) extraño

2. What is the nosotros/as form of extrañarse in the present indicative?

- (a) extrañamos
- (b) extraño
- (c) extraña
- (d) extrañas

3. What is the vosotros/as form of extrañarse in the present indicative?

- (a) extrañáis
- (b) extraño
- (c) extrañas
- (d) extraña

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of extrañarse in the present indicative?

- (a) extraño
- (b) extrañas
- (c) extraña
- (d) extrañan

5. What is the yo form of extrañarse in the present indicative?

- (a) extrañamos
- (b) extraño
- (c) extraña
- (d) extrañas

6. What is the tú form of extrañarse in the present indicative?

- (a) extrañamos
- (b) extraña
- (c) extraño
- (d) extrañas

7. What is the gerund of extrañarse?

- (a) extrañando
- (b) extrañado
- (c) extraño
- (d) extrañarse

8. What is the past participle of extrañarse?

- (a) extrañé
- (b) extrañado
- (c) extrañarse
- (d) extrañando

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of extrañarse is extraña. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of extrañarse is extrañamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of extrañarse is extrañáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of extrañarse is extrañan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the present indicative, the yo form of extrañarse is extraño. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present indicative, the tú form of extrañarse is extrañas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (a) — The gerund of extrañarse is extrañando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy extrañando». 8. (b) — The past participle of extrañarse is extrañado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he extrañado».

Frequently asked questions

Is extrañarse regular in the present?

Yes — extrañarse is regular in the present. The stem extrañ never changes and the endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an for -ar verbs (with the matching sets for -er and -ir verbs).

What is the yo form of extrañarse in the present?

It is extraño. With the reflexive pronoun: «Me extraño».

How is the present different from the preterite for extrañarse?

The present (extraño) describes habits and what is happening now; the preterite (extrañé) reports a single finished event. «Yo extraño todos los días» is a habit, while «Ayer yo extrañé» is one event that ended yesterday.

Can I use the present of extrañarse with estar and the gerund?

Yes — «Estoy extrañando» means «I am bing surprised right now», with the emphasis on the action in progress. The plain present «Yo extraño» is also correct for what is happening now; the gerund version simply stresses the moment.

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