Herirse in the Present Tense

Herirse means “to hurt oneself”, and this page covers exactly one thing: herirse in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about routines, facts and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for herirse, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about herirse in the present. For example: “Yo me hiero en el accidente de coche.” — I hurt myself in the car accident. Everything on this page uses the forms of herirse exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Herirse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me hiero
tú te hieres
él/ella/Ud. se hiere
nosotros/as nos herimos
vosotros/as os herís
ellos/ellas/Uds. se hieren

Gerund: hiriendo · Past participle: herido

The gerund is hiriendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy hiriendo” means the action of herirse is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is herido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he herido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how herirse is used.

How the present of herirse is formed

Herirse does not use one regular stem in this tense, so the forms below do not follow the simple stem + endings pattern. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. Learn the six forms as a set: yo hiero, tú hieres, él/ella/Ud. hiere, nosotros/as herimos, vosotros/as herís, ellos/ellas/Uds. hieren. Because herirse is reflexive, put the pronoun before each form: me hiero, te hieres, se hiere, nos herimos, os herís, se hieren.

The stem change is the main point to learn here: herirse changes e → ie in the singular and the third-person plural, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. Say the six forms out loud in order — hiero, hieres, hiere, herimos, herís, hieren — and the pattern becomes automatic.

When to use the present of herirse

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use herirse in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Routines and habits

The present tense is the tense of what you do regularly. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the right choice, and herirse is no exception. Example: “Yo me hiero en el accidente de coche todos los días.” — I hurt myself in the car accident every day.

2. Facts and general truths

The present states facts that are true in general, not just right now. Use it to say what herirse means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Se hiere al caer de la bicicleta.” — He/she hurts himself on falling off the bicycle.

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes actions in progress at this very moment. When something is happening as you speak, the present tense says so directly. Example: “Yo me hiero en el partido del sábado ahora.” — I hurt myself in Saturday's match now.

4. Scheduled events in the near future

Spanish often uses the present for things that are already arranged, such as plans for tomorrow or next week. The present sounds more certain than the future in these cases. Example: “Nosotros nos herimos con el cuchillo en la cocina.” — We hurt ourselves with the knife in the kitchen.

5. Instructions and everyday speech

In everyday speech the present gives instructions, makes offers and states what someone does. It is the tense you will hear most often in conversation. Example: “Tú te hieres en el accidente de coche.” — You hurt yourself in the car accident.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present describes routines, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is a habit or a finished event. Time words help: todos los días and cada semana point to the present, while ayer and la semana pasada point to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Yo me hiero en el accidente de coche todos los días.” — I hurt myself in the car accident every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo me herí en el accidente de coche.” — Yesterday, I hurt myself in the car accident.

  • The present sentence describes a habit; the preterite sentence reports one finished action. Todos los días points to the present, ayer points to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Él se hiere al caer de la bicicleta cada semana.” — He/she hurts himself on falling off the bicycle every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él se hirió al caer de la bicicleta.” — Last week, he hurt himself on falling off the bicycle.

  • Cada semana describes a routine, so the present is right; la semana pasada names one finished week, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Nosotros nos herimos en el partido del sábado a menudo.” — We hurt ourselves in Saturday's match often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros nos herimos en el partido del sábado.” — Yesterday, we hurt ourselves in Saturday's match.

  • The present sentence counts no single event; the preterite sentence counts one finished action. That difference — habit versus finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: herirse in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Me hiero en el accidente de coche.” — I hurt myself in the car accident.

  2. “Te hieres al caer de la bicicleta.” — You hurt yourself on falling off the bicycle.

  3. “Se hiere en el partido del sábado.” — He/she hurts himself in Saturday's match.

  4. “Nos herimos con el cuchillo en la cocina.” — We hurt ourselves with the knife in the kitchen.

  5. “Os herís en el accidente de coche.” — You hurt yourselves in the car accident.

  6. “Se hieren al caer de la bicicleta.” — They hurt themselves on falling off the bicycle.

  7. “Me hiero en el partido del sábado.” — I hurt myself in Saturday's match.

  8. “Se hiere con el cuchillo en la cocina.” — He/she hurts himself with the knife in the kitchen.

Common mistakes with herirse in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Yo hiero en el accidente de coche.” Right: “Yo me hiero en el accidente de coche.” Why: Herirse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required before every form. Without it the sentence is incomplete.

  • Wrong: “Yo hero al caer de la bicicleta.” Right: “Yo hiero al caer de la bicicleta.” Why: Herirse is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros hieres en el partido del sábado.” Right: “Nosotros nos herimos en el partido del sábado.” Why: Nosotros needs nos herimos. The tú form hieres belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos hiero con el cuchillo en la cocina todos los días.” Right: “Ellos se hieren con el cuchillo en la cocina todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form se hieren, not the yo form hiero. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.

Quiz: herirse in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ en el accidente de coche.” (In the car accident.)

  • (a) me hiero
  • (b) te hieres
  • (c) se hiere

Answer: me hiero — The yo form of herirse in the present is me hiero. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ al caer de la bicicleta?” (On falling off the bicycle.)

  • (a) me hiero
  • (b) se hiere
  • (c) te hieres

Answer: te hieres — The tú form of herirse in the present is te hieres. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ en el partido del sábado.” (In saturday's match.)

  • (a) te hieres
  • (b) se hiere
  • (c) me hiero

Answer: se hiere — The él/ella/Ud. form of herirse in the present is se hiere. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ con el cuchillo en la cocina.” (With the knife in the kitchen.)

  • (a) nos herimos
  • (b) me hiero
  • (c) te hieres

Answer: nos herimos — The nosotros/as form of herirse in the present is nos herimos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of herirse in the present?

  • (a) me hiero
  • (b) te hieres
  • (c) os herís

Answer: os herís — From the table above: vosotros/as takes os herís. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros os herís en el accidente de coche.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ al caer de la bicicleta.” (On falling off the bicycle.)

  • (a) te hieres
  • (b) se hieren
  • (c) me hiero

Answer: se hieren — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of herirse in the present is se hieren. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

7. Which is the correct yo form of herirse in the present?

  • (a) me hiero
  • (b) te hieres
  • (c) se hiere

Answer: me hiero — The yo form is me hiero. The other two options are the forms for other persons.

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo me herí en el accidente de coche todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros nos heriremos en el accidente de coche mañana.
  • (c) Yo me hiero en el accidente de coche todos los días.

Answer: Yo me hiero en el accidente de coche todos los días. — “Yo me hiero en el accidente de coche todos los días.” describes a habit, so it takes the present. The second option reports a finished action in the past, and the third looks to the future.

Frequently asked questions

Is herirse regular in the present?

No. Herirse is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the present changes the stem in the singular and third-person plural: hiero, hieres, hiere, herimos, herís, hieren. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the original stem.

What is the past participle of herirse?

The past participle is herido: 'He herido' means 'I have hurt myself'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is hiriendo.

Does herirse take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Herirse changes e to ie in the present (me hiero) and e to i in the preterite third person (se hirió) and the gerund (hiriendo). In the examples on this page, herirse appears with complements such as en el accidente de coche and al caer de la bicicleta, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of herirse?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo me hiero, tú te hieres, él/ella/Ud. se hiere, nosotros/as nos herimos, vosotros/as os herís, ellos/ellas/Uds. se hieren. Then write three of your own sentences with herirse in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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