Herirse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb herirse means to hurt oneself, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Herirse means to hurt yourself, and it is used for injuring yourself in an accident, in sport or at work. It is a stem-changing verb, e to ie in the present and e to i in the preterite third person and the gerund, so it rewards careful study. Like every Spanish verb, herirse 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 hiero en el accidente de coche, and in the preterite you say me herí en el partido del sábado. 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: herirse
  • English: to hurt oneself
  • Verb type: irregular verb, reflexive, stem-changing (e → ie)
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: hiriendo
  • Past participle: herido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + herido)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.
  • Stem change: e → ie in the present, present subjunctive and imperative; nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for herirse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. 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).

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for herirse. 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 hiero
tú te hieres
él/ella/Ud. se hiere
nosotros/as nos herimos
vosotros/as os herís
ellos/ellas/Uds. se hieren

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me herí
tú te heriste
él/ella/Ud. se hirió
nosotros/as nos herimos
vosotros/as os heristeis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se hirieron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me hería
tú te herías
él/ella/Ud. se hería
nosotros/as nos heríamos
vosotros/as os heríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se herían

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me heriré
tú te herirás
él/ella/Ud. se herirá
nosotros/as nos heriremos
vosotros/as os heriréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se herirán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me heriría
tú te herirías
él/ella/Ud. se heriría
nosotros/as nos heriríamos
vosotros/as os heriríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se herirían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me hiera
tú te hieras
él/ella/Ud. se hiera
nosotros/as nos hiramos
vosotros/as os hiráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se hieran

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me hiriera
tú te hirieras
él/ella/Ud. se hiriera
nosotros/as nos hiriéramos
vosotros/as os hirierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se hirieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te hiere
él/ella/Ud. se hiera
nosotros/as nos hiramos
vosotros/as os herid
ellos/ellas/Uds. se hieran

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te hieras
él/ella/Ud. se hiera
nosotros/as nos hiramos
vosotros/as os hiráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se hieran

Gerund and past participle

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

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. 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. For herirse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me hiero en el accidente de coche. 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem vowel changes in the third-person forms, as in hirió, and in the gerund (hiriendo). Learn the forms in the table rather than applying the regular endings. For herirse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me herí al caer de la bicicleta. 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 herirse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me hería en el partido del sábado. 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 herirse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me heriré con el cuchillo en la cocina. 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 herirse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me heriría en el accidente de coche 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 herirse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he herido al caer de la bicicleta. 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 herirse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había herido en el partido del sábado 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 herirse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré herido con el cuchillo en la cocina. 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 herirse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría herido en el accidente de coche 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. 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. For herirse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se hiera al caer de la bicicleta. 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. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem vowel changes in the third-person forms, as in hiriera, and in the gerund (hiriendo). Learn the forms in the table rather than applying the regular endings. For herirse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se hiriera en el partido del sábado, 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. 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. For herirse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se hiera con el cuchillo en la cocina. 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. 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. For herirse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te hieras en el accidente de coche. 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 herirse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me hiero en el accidente de coche. — I hurt myself in the car accident.
  2. Se hiere al caer de la bicicleta. — He/she hurts himself on falling off the bicycle.
  3. Ayer, me herí en el partido del sábado. — Yesterday, I hurt myself in Saturday's match.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos heríamos con el cuchillo en la cocina. — Before, we used to hurt ourselves with the knife in the kitchen.
  5. Mañana, tú te herirás en el accidente de coche. — Tomorrow, you will hurt yourself in the car accident.
  6. Yo me heriría al caer de la bicicleta si tuviera más tiempo. — I would hurt myself on falling off the bicycle if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha herido en el partido del sábado. — He has hurt himself in Saturday's match.
  8. Espero que él se hiera con el cuchillo en la cocina. — I hope he hurts himself with the knife in the kitchen.
  9. Yo ya me había herido en el accidente de coche antes de salir. — I had already hurt myself in the car accident before leaving.
  10. Ellos se herían al caer de la bicicleta cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to hurt themselves on falling off the bicycle when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo hiero en el accidente de coche. — Right: Yo me hiero en el accidente de coche. — Herirse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Yo hero al caer de la bicicleta. — Right: Yo hiero al caer de la bicicleta. — Herirse is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
  3. Wrong: Treating herirse and cortarse as identical in every context. — Right: Herirse means to hurt oneself, while cortarse means to cut oneself. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: herirse fits sentences such as Me hiero en el accidente de coche, while cortarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy herido al caer de la bicicleta. — Right: Yo he herido al caer de la bicicleta. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he herido, has herido, ha herido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo herí en el partido del sábado todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo hería en el partido del sábado todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (hería), not the preterite. The preterite (herí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el accidente de coche. (present tense) A. me hiero B. te hieres C. se hiere D. nos herimos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ al caer de la bicicleta. (preterite) A. me herí B. te heriste C. se hirieron D. se hirió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en el partido del sábado. (imperfect) A. te herías B. se herían C. nos heríamos D. me hería

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ con el cuchillo en la cocina. (future) A. nos heriremos B. te herirás C. me heriré D. se herirá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el accidente de coche si pudiera. (conditional) A. me heriría B. te herirías C. se heriría D. se herirían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ al caer de la bicicleta. (present subjunctive) A. me hiera B. te hieras C. nos hiramos D. se hiera

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en el partido del sábado, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se hiriera B. nos hiriéramos C. me hiriera D. te hirieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ con el cuchillo en la cocina. (present perfect) A. se han herido B. nos hemos herido C. me he herido D. te has herido

  9. Complete the command: No ___ en el accidente de coche. (negative imperative, tú) A. te hieras B. se hiera C. nos hiramos D. os hiráis

  10. Which is the gerund of herirse, used with estar for the progressive? A. herido B. hiero C. herí D. hiriendo

Answer key

  1. me hiero — The first-person present of herirse is me hiero. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se hirió — The third-person preterite of herirse is se hirió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos heríamos — The nosotros imperfect of herirse is nos heríamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te herirás — The second-person future of herirse is te herirás.
  5. me heriría — The first-person conditional of herirse is me heriría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se hiera — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of herirse is se hiera.
  7. me hiriera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of herirse is me hiriera.
  8. nos hemos herido — The nosotros present perfect of herirse is nos hemos herido: hemos + herido.
  9. te hieras — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te hieras.
  10. hiriendo — The gerund of herirse is hiriendo: estoy hiriendo. The participle herido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does herirse mean in English?

Herirse means to hurt oneself. It is used in everyday situations such as Me hiero en el accidente de coche. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is herirse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Herirse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me hiero en el accidente de coche and él se hiere al caer de la bicicleta. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between herirse and cortarse?

Herirse means to hurt oneself, while cortarse means to cut oneself. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use herirse when you mean to hurt oneself, as in Me hiero en el accidente de coche, and use cortarse for to cut oneself. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I hurt oneself” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me herí al caer de la bicicleta. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me hería en el partido del sábado. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he herido al caer de la bicicleta.

How do I practise herirse?

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

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