Graduarse in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of graduarse — «to graduate» — 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. graduarse 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 gradúo todos los días» — I graduate every day.

Graduarse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me gradúo
tú te gradúas
él/ella/Ud. se gradúa
nosotros/as nos graduamos
vosotros/as os graduáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se gradúan

Gerund: graduando · Past participle: graduado

How the present tense of graduarse is formed

Take the stem gradu — the infinitive graduarse 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 gradú -o gradúo
tú gradú -as gradúas
él/ella/Ud. gradú -a gradúa
nosotros/as gradu -amos graduamos
vosotros/as gradu -áis graduáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. gradú -an gradúan

Because graduarse is reflexive, put the pronoun before the form: me gradúo, te gradúas, se gradúa, nos graduamos, os graduáis, se gradúan. 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 gradúo, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of graduarse

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 gradúo todos los días. — I graduate 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 gradúa con mi familia. — He graduates 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 graduando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nos graduamos por la mañana. — We graduate 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 gradúas en el trabajo. — You graduate 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 gradúan a veces. — They graduate 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 gradúo todos los días. — I graduate every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer me gradué por la tarde. — Yesterday I graduated 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 gradúa por la mañana. — He graduates in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer se graduó por la tarde. — Yesterday He graduated in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nos graduamos con mi familia. — We graduate with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nos graduamos dos veces. — Last week We graduated 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: graduarse in the present

  1. Me gradúo todos los días. — I graduate every day.
  2. Te gradúas en el trabajo. — You graduate at work.
  3. Se gradúa con mi familia. — He graduates with my family.
  4. Nos graduamos por la mañana. — We graduate in the morning.
  5. Os graduáis cuando hay tiempo. — You graduate when there is time.
  6. Se gradúan a veces. — They graduate sometimes.
  7. Me gradúo en el trabajo. — I graduate at work.
  8. Se gradúa todos los días. — He graduates every day.

Common mistakes with graduarse in the present

1. Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: Yo gradúo todos los días.

Right: Me gradúo todos los días.

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

2. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros graduais.

Right: Vosotros graduáis.

The vosotros form graduáis 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 gradúo.

Right: Ayer yo gradué.

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

4. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos gradúo.

Right: Ellos gradúan.

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

5. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy gradúo.

Right: Estoy graduando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy graduando. The conjugated present gradúo never follows estar.

Quiz: graduarse in the present

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

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

- (a) graduamos
- (b) gradúa
- (c) gradúas
- (d) gradúo

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

- (a) gradúo
- (b) graduamos
- (c) gradúa
- (d) gradúas

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

- (a) graduáis
- (b) gradúas
- (c) gradúo
- (d) gradúa

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

- (a) gradúo
- (b) gradúan
- (c) gradúa
- (d) gradúas

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

- (a) gradúas
- (b) gradúo
- (c) graduamos
- (d) gradúa

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

- (a) gradúa
- (b) gradúas
- (c) graduamos
- (d) gradúo

7. What is the gerund of graduarse?

- (a) graduarse
- (b) graduando
- (c) graduado
- (d) gradúo

8. What is the past participle of graduarse?

- (a) gradué
- (b) graduando
- (c) graduado
- (d) graduarse

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of graduarse is gradúa. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of graduarse is graduamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of graduarse is graduáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of graduarse is gradúan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the present indicative, the yo form of graduarse is gradúo. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — In the present indicative, the tú form of graduarse is gradúas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — The gerund of graduarse is graduando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy graduando». 8. (c) — The past participle of graduarse is graduado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he graduado».

Frequently asked questions

Is graduarse regular in the present?

Yes — graduarse is regular in the present. The stem gradu 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 graduarse in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for graduarse?

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

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

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

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