Extraviarse Present Tense in Spanish
extraviarse means "to get lost" 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 extraviarse, 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 extravío en el bosque por la noche. — "Every day, I get lost in the forest at night." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of extraviarse: full table
Every person of extraviarse in the present tense. The gerund is extraviándose and the past participle is extraviado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me extravío |
| tú | te extravías |
| él/ella/Ud. | se extravía |
| nosotros/as | nos extraviamos |
| vosotros/as | os extraviáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se extravían |
The gerund of extraviarse is extraviándose and the past participle is extraviado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy extraviándose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he extraviado). Because extraviarse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of extraviarse is formed
The present tense of extraviarse is built from the stem extravi- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo me extravío, tú te extravías, él se extravía, nosotros nos extraviamos, vosotros os extraviáis and ellos se extravían. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me extravío |
| tú | -as | te extravías |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se extravía |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos extraviamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os extraviáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se extravían |
extraviarse is completely regular in the present tense: the stem never changes and every ending is the standard -ar ending. The only thing to watch is the accent on the vosotros form extraviáis.
extraviarse 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 extraviándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is extraviado.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is extraviándose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy extraviándose. The past participle is extraviado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he extraviado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with extraviarse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me extravío en el bosque por la noche. — "Every day, I get lost in the forest at night." The complement in this sentence is about the forest at night, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear extraviarse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te extravías en la ciudad sin mapa. — "Now, you get lost in the city without a map." The complement in this sentence is about the city without a map, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear extraviarse 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 extravía en el centro comercial. — "Normally, he/she gets lost in the shopping centre." The complement in this sentence is about the shopping centre, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear extraviarse 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 extraviamos por las calles del pueblo. — "Tomorrow, we get lost through the village streets." The complement in this sentence is about the village streets, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear extraviarse 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 extravían en el bosque por la noche. — "Always, they get lost in the forest at night." The complement in this sentence is about the forest at night, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear extraviarse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: extraviarse
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 extraviarse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me extravío en el bosque por la noche. — "Every day, I get lost in the forest at night."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me extravié en el bosque por la noche. — "Yesterday, I got lost in the forest at night."
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 extravías en la ciudad sin mapa. — "Every day, you get lost in the city without a map."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te extraviaste en la ciudad sin mapa. — "Yesterday, you got lost in the city without a map."
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 extravía en el centro comercial. — "Every day, he/she gets lost in the shopping centre."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se extravió en el centro comercial. — "Yesterday, he/she got lost in the shopping centre."
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: extraviarse in the present tense
These eight sentences show extraviarse 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 extravío en el bosque por la noche. — "I get lost in the forest at night."
- Tú te extravías en la ciudad sin mapa. — "you get lost in the city without a map."
- Él se extravía en el centro comercial. — "he/she gets lost in the shopping centre."
- Nosotros nos extraviamos por las calles del pueblo. — "we get lost through the village streets."
- Vosotros os extraviáis en el bosque por la noche. — "you (plural) get lost in the forest at night."
- Ellos se extravían en la ciudad sin mapa. — "they get lost in the city without a map."
- Yo me extravío en el centro comercial. — "I get lost in the shopping centre."
- Tú te extravías por las calles del pueblo. — "you get lost through the village streets."
Common mistakes with extraviarse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo extravío en el bosque por la noche.
- Right: Yo me extravío en el bosque por la noche.
- Why: extraviarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me extravío en el bosque por la noche.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os extraviais en el bosque por la noche.
- Right: Vosotros os extraviáis en el bosque por la noche.
- Why: The vosotros form extraviáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me extravío en la ciudad sin mapa.
- Right: Ayer, yo me extravié en la ciudad sin mapa.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me extravié en la ciudad sin mapa. — "Yesterday, I got lost in the city without a map." 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 extravío en el centro comercial.
- Right: Antes, yo me extraviaba en el centro comercial.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me extraviaba en el centro comercial. — "In the past, I used to get lost in the shopping centre." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos extravía en el bosque por la noche.
- Right: Nosotros nos extraviamos en el bosque por la noche.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes extraviamos, while extravía belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of extraviarse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of extraviarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of extraviarse in the present tense?
- (a) extravía
- (b) extraviamos
- (c) extravío
- (d) extravías
Answer: (c) extravío. The yo form is extravío. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of extraviarse in the present tense?
- (a) extraviamos
- (b) extravías
- (c) extravío
- (d) extravía
Answer: (b) extravías. The tú form is extravías. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of extraviarse in the present tense?
- (a) extravía
- (b) extravío
- (c) extravías
- (d) extraviamos
Answer: (a) extravía. The él/ella form is extravía. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of extraviarse in the present tense?
- (a) extravío
- (b) extravías
- (c) extravía
- (d) extraviamos
Answer: (d) extraviamos. The nosotros form is extraviamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of extraviarse in the present tense?
- (a) extravías
- (b) extravía
- (c) extravían
- (d) extravío
Answer: (c) extravían. The ellos/ellas form is extravían. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ en el bosque por la noche.
- (a) extraviamos
- (b) extravío
- (c) extravías
- (d) extravía
Answer: (b) extravío. The sentence needs the yo form extravío (Every day, I get lost in the forest at night.)
7. What is the gerund of extraviarse?
- (a) extraviarse
- (b) extraviando
- (c) extraviado
- (d) extravío
Answer: (b) extraviando. The gerund is extraviando, used for the progressive: me estoy extraviando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, yo me extravío en la ciudad sin mapa.
- (b) Antes, yo me extraviaba en la ciudad sin mapa.
- (c) Ayer, yo me extravié en la ciudad sin mapa.
- (d) Mañana, yo me extraviaré en la ciudad sin mapa.
Answer: (a) Cada día, yo me extravío en la ciudad sin mapa.. Cada día, yo me extravío en la ciudad sin mapa. (Every day, I get lost in the city without a map.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me extravié en la ciudad sin mapa. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me extraviaré en la ciudad sin mapa. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of extraviarse
Is extraviarse regular in the present tense?
Yes. extraviarse is a regular -ar verb: extravío, extravías, extravía, extraviamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
What is the difference between extraviarse and extraviar?
extraviarse means "to get lost", while extraviar means "to misplace". The reflexive form is used when the action comes back to the subject, and the plain form is used when the action is done to someone or something else.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with extraviarse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me extravío en la ciudad sin mapa. — "Every day, I get lost in the city without a map." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me extravié en la ciudad sin mapa. — "Yesterday, I got lost in the city without a map." 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 extraviarse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos extraviamos por las calles del pueblo. — "Tomorrow, we get lost through the village streets." 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.