Formarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb formarse means to be formed, to train, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. It is a regular -ar verb, reflexive verb: the stem is form and the endings follow the -ar pattern, with the exceptions noted in the tables below. 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 formo todos los días», which means «I be formed every day». 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: formarse
  • English: to be formed, to train
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: formando
  • Past participle: formado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + formado)
  • 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 formarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

formarse is reflexive: Me formo todos los días; te formas todos los días. Without the pronoun, the verb means doing the action to someone else rather than to yourself, so keep the pronoun with the form.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for formarse. 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.

Gerund: formando · Past participle: formado

Present Indicative

Person Pronoun Form
yo me formo
tú te formas
él/ella/Ud. se forma
nosotros/as nos formamos
vosotros/as os formáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se forman

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For formarse, the yo form is formo, as in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths, and remember that Spanish often uses the present where English would use a progressive or a near future.

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me formé
tú te formaste
él/ella/Ud. se formó
nosotros/as nos formamos
vosotros/as os formasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se formaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo formé» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me formaba
tú te formabas
él/ella/Ud. se formaba
nosotros/as nos formábamos
vosotros/as os formabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se formaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo formaba» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me formaré
tú te formarás
él/ella/Ud. se formará
nosotros/as nos formaremos
vosotros/as os formaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se formarán

The future tense states what will happen. For formarse the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo formaré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me formaría
tú te formarías
él/ella/Ud. se formaría
nosotros/as nos formaríamos
vosotros/as os formaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se formarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo formaría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he formado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había formado». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré formado» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría formado si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.

Present Subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me forme
tú te formes
él/ella/Ud. se forme
nosotros/as nos formemos
vosotros/as os forméis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se formen

The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él forme». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me formara
tú te formaras
él/ella/Ud. se formara
nosotros/as nos formáramos
vosotros/as os formarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se formaran

The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él formara, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.

Imperative — Affirmative

Person Pronoun Form
tú te forma
él/ella/Ud. se forme
nosotros/as nos formemos
vosotros/as os formad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se formen

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

In real speech the reflexive pronoun attaches to the end of an affirmative command; the table shows the pronoun and the form separately so you can see both parts.

The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡forma!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.

Imperative — Negative

Person Pronoun Form
tú te formes
él/ella/Ud. se forme
nosotros/as nos formemos
vosotros/as os forméis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se formen

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

In real speech the reflexive pronoun attaches to the end of an affirmative command; the table shows the pronoun and the form separately so you can see both parts.

The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No formes!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.

Example sentences

  1. Me formo todos los días. — I be formed every day.
  2. Ayer me formé por la tarde. — Yesterday I bed formed in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, me formaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to be formed every day.
  4. Mañana me formaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will be formed without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, me formaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would be formed right now.
  6. Hoy me he formado dos veces. — Today I have bed formed twice.
  7. Espero que te formes pronto. — I hope You be formed soon.
  8. Si me formara, todo sería distinto. — If I bed formed, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo me estoy formando. — Right now I am bing formed.
  10. ¡No te formes! — Don't be formed!

Common mistakes

1. Forgetting the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: yo formo todos los días.

Right: me formo todos los días.

formarse is reflexive: the pronoun me belongs before every conjugated form. Without it, you are using the non-reflexive verb, which means something different — doing the action to someone else instead of to yourself.

2. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer me formaba.

Right: Ayer me formé.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, formé. The imperfect formaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

3. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que te formas.

Right: Espero que te formes.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: formes, not the indicative formas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

4. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No te forma.

Right: No te formes.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no formes. The affirmative forma can never follow no.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He formando.

Right: He formado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he formado. The gerund formando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy formando»), never with haber.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the nosotros/as form of formarse in the present indicative?

- (a) formo
- (b) forma
- (c) formas
- (d) formamos

2. What is the vosotros/as form of formarse in the preterite?

- (a) formó
- (b) formaste
- (c) formasteis
- (d) formé

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of formarse in the imperfect?

- (a) formabas
- (b) formaba
- (c) formaba
- (d) formaban

4. What is the yo form of formarse in the future?

- (a) formaré
- (b) formarás
- (c) formará
- (d) formaremos

5. What is the tú form of formarse in the conditional?

- (a) formarías
- (b) formaríamos
- (c) formaría
- (d) formaría

6. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of formarse in the present perfect?

- (a) he formado
- (b) hemos formado
- (c) has formado
- (d) ha formado

7. What is the nosotros/as form of formarse in the present subjunctive?

- (a) formes
- (b) forme
- (c) formemos
- (d) forme

8. What is the vosotros/as form of formarse in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?

- (a) formara
- (b) formara
- (c) formaras
- (d) formarais

9. What is the gerund of formarse?

- (a) formando
- (b) formarse
- (c) formo
- (d) formado

10. What is the past participle of formarse?

- (a) formé
- (b) formarse
- (c) formando
- (d) formado

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of formarse is formamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the preterite, the vosotros/as form of formarse is formasteis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the imperfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of formarse is formaban. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the future, the yo form of formarse is formaré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the conditional, the tú form of formarse is formarías. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present perfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of formarse is ha formado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (c) — In the present subjunctive, the nosotros/as form of formarse is formemos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (d) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the vosotros/as form of formarse is formarais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (a) — The gerund of formarse is formando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy formando». 10. (d) — The past participle of formarse is formado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he formado».

Frequently asked questions

Is formarse regular or irregular?

Yes — formarse is a regular -ar verb and reflexive. Learn the endings once and they work in every tense, with the stem form unchanged throughout.

What are the gerund and past participle of formarse?

The gerund is formando and the past participle is formado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy formando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he formado»).

How do I say «I be formed» in Spanish?

Say «Me formo todos los días». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.

What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of formarse?

Use the preterite (formé) for a single finished event and the imperfect (formaba) for habits and background. «Ayer yo formé» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo formaba» describes what used to happen.

When do I use the subjunctive with formarse?

Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú formes». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.

What does the -se in formarse mean?

The -se marks formarse as reflexive: the action comes back to the subject. You always pair the form with its pronoun — me, te, se, nos, os, se — placed before the conjugated verb. Dropping the pronoun changes the meaning, so treat the pronoun as part of the verb.

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