Fijarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb fijarse means to notice, to pay attention, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Fijarse means to notice or to pay attention, and it is always used with en: fijarse en los detalles, fijarse en el precio. It is reflexive, and it is the natural verb for careful observation, from shopping to studying to driving. Like every Spanish verb, fijarse changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say me fijo en los detalles del contrato, and in the preterite you say me fijé en la fecha del examen. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: fijarse
  • English: to notice, to pay attention
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: fijando
  • Past participle: fijado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + fijado)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for fijarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Fijarse always takes en: me fijo en los detalles. Forgetting en is the most common mistake with this verb.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for fijarse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Pronoun Form
yo me fijo
tú te fijas
él/ella/Ud. se fija
nosotros/as nos fijamos
vosotros/as os fijáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se fijan

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me fijé
tú te fijaste
él/ella/Ud. se fijó
nosotros/as nos fijamos
vosotros/as os fijasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se fijaron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me fijaba
tú te fijabas
él/ella/Ud. se fijaba
nosotros/as nos fijábamos
vosotros/as os fijabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se fijaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me fijaré
tú te fijarás
él/ella/Ud. se fijará
nosotros/as nos fijaremos
vosotros/as os fijaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se fijarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me fijaría
tú te fijarías
él/ella/Ud. se fijaría
nosotros/as nos fijaríamos
vosotros/as os fijaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se fijarían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he fijado
tú te has fijado
él/ella/Ud. se ha fijado
nosotros/as nos hemos fijado
vosotros/as os habéis fijado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han fijado

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había fijado
tú te habías fijado
él/ella/Ud. se había fijado
nosotros/as nos habíamos fijado
vosotros/as os habíais fijado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían fijado

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré fijado
tú te habrás fijado
él/ella/Ud. se habrá fijado
nosotros/as nos habremos fijado
vosotros/as os habréis fijado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán fijado

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría fijado
tú te habrías fijado
él/ella/Ud. se habría fijado
nosotros/as nos habríamos fijado
vosotros/as os habríais fijado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían fijado

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me fije
tú te fijes
él/ella/Ud. se fije
nosotros/as nos fijemos
vosotros/as os fijéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se fijen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me fijara
tú te fijaras
él/ella/Ud. se fijara
nosotros/as nos fijáramos
vosotros/as os fijarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se fijaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te fija
él/ella/Ud. se fije
nosotros/as nos fijemos
vosotros/as os fijad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se fijen

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te fijes
él/ella/Ud. se fije
nosotros/as nos fijemos
vosotros/as os fijéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se fijen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund fijando with estar for the progressive: estoy fijando (or me estoy fijando for this reflexive verb)
Past participle fijado with haber for the perfect tenses: he fijado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fijarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me fijo en los detalles del contrato. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fijarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me fijé en el precio antes de comprar. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fijarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me fijaba en la fecha del examen. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fijarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me fijaré en cómo habla la gente. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fijarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me fijaría en los detalles del contrato si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fijarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he fijado en el precio antes de comprar. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fijarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había fijado en la fecha del examen antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fijarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré fijado en cómo habla la gente. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fijarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría fijado en los detalles del contrato con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fijarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se fije en el precio antes de comprar. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fijarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se fijara en la fecha del examen, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fijarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se fije en cómo habla la gente. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fijarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te fijes en los detalles del contrato. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with fijarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me fijo en los detalles del contrato. — I notice the details of the contract.
  2. Se fija en el precio antes de comprar. — He/she notices the price before buying.
  3. Ayer, me fijé en la fecha del examen. — Yesterday, I noticed the date of the exam.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos fijábamos en cómo habla la gente. — Before, we used to notice how people speak.
  5. Mañana, tú te fijarás en los detalles del contrato. — Tomorrow, you will notice the details of the contract.
  6. Yo me fijaría en el precio antes de comprar si tuviera más tiempo. — I would notice the price before buying if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha fijado en la fecha del examen. — He has noticed the date of the exam.
  8. Espero que él se fije en cómo habla la gente. — I hope he notices how people speak.
  9. Yo ya me había fijado en los detalles del contrato antes de salir. — I had already noticed the details of the contract before leaving.
  10. Ellos se fijaban en el precio antes de comprar cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to notice the price before buying when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo fijo en los detalles del contrato. — Right: Yo me fijo en los detalles del contrato. — Fijarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo fijo en el precio antes de comprar. — Right: Ayer yo fijé en el precio antes de comprar. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: fijo is happening now, while fijé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating fijarse and notar as identical in every context. — Right: Fijarse means to notice, to pay attention, while notar means to notice, without the reflexive pronoun. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: fijarse fits sentences such as Me fijo en los detalles del contrato, while notar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy fijado en el precio antes de comprar. — Right: Yo he fijado en el precio antes de comprar. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he fijado, has fijado, ha fijado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo fijé en la fecha del examen todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo fijaba en la fecha del examen todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (fijaba), not the preterite. The preterite (fijé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on fijarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en los detalles del contrato. (present tense) A. me fijo B. te fijas C. se fija D. nos fijamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ en el precio antes de comprar. (preterite) A. me fijé B. te fijaste C. se fijaron D. se fijó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en la fecha del examen. (imperfect) A. te fijabas B. se fijaban C. nos fijábamos D. me fijaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ en cómo habla la gente. (future) A. nos fijaremos B. te fijarás C. me fijaré D. se fijará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en los detalles del contrato si pudiera. (conditional) A. me fijaría B. te fijarías C. se fijaría D. se fijarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en el precio antes de comprar. (present subjunctive) A. me fije B. te fijes C. nos fijemos D. se fije

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en la fecha del examen, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se fijara B. nos fijáramos C. me fijara D. te fijaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en cómo habla la gente. (present perfect) A. se han fijado B. nos hemos fijado C. me he fijado D. te has fijado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ en los detalles del contrato. (negative imperative, tú) A. te fijes B. se fije C. nos fijemos D. os fijéis

  10. Which is the gerund of fijarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. fijado B. fijo C. fijé D. fijando

Answer key

  1. me fijo — The first-person present of fijarse is me fijo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se fijó — The third-person preterite of fijarse is se fijó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos fijábamos — The nosotros imperfect of fijarse is nos fijábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te fijarás — The second-person future of fijarse is te fijarás.
  5. me fijaría — The first-person conditional of fijarse is me fijaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se fije — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of fijarse is se fije.
  7. me fijara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of fijarse is me fijara.
  8. nos hemos fijado — The nosotros present perfect of fijarse is nos hemos fijado: hemos + fijado.
  9. te fijes — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te fijes.
  10. fijando — The gerund of fijarse is fijando: estoy fijando. The participle fijado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does fijarse mean in English?

Fijarse means to notice, to pay attention. It is used in everyday situations such as Me fijo en los detalles del contrato. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is fijarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Fijarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me fijo en los detalles del contrato and él se fija en el precio antes de comprar. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between fijarse and notar?

Fijarse means to notice, to pay attention, while notar means to notice, without the reflexive pronoun. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use fijarse when you mean to notice, to pay attention, as in Me fijo en los detalles del contrato, and use notar for to notice, without the reflexive pronoun. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I notice” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me fijé en el precio antes de comprar. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me fijaba en la fecha del examen. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he fijado en el precio antes de comprar.

How do I practise fijarse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the fijarse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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