Impacientarse Present Tense in Spanish
impacientarse means "to get impatient" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for impacientarse, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo me impaciento con el retraso del tren. — "Every day, I get impatient at the train delay." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of impacientarse: full table
Every person of impacientarse in the present tense. The gerund is impacientándose and the past participle is impacientado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me impaciento |
| tú | te impacientas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se impacienta |
| nosotros/as | nos impacientamos |
| vosotros/as | os impacientáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se impacientan |
The gerund of impacientarse is impacientándose and the past participle is impacientado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy impacientándose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he impacientado). Because impacientarse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of impacientarse is formed
The present tense of impacientarse is built from the stem impacient- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo me impaciento, tú te impacientas, él se impacienta, nosotros nos impacientamos, vosotros os impacientáis and ellos se impacientan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me impaciento |
| tú | -as | te impacientas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se impacienta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos impacientamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os impacientáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se impacientan |
impacientarse is completely regular in the present tense: the stem never changes and every ending is the standard -ar ending. The only thing to watch is the accent on the vosotros form impacientáis.
impacientarse is a reflexive verb, so every form carries a reflexive pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se. The pronoun always goes before the conjugated verb in the present tense. The gerund is impacientándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is impacientado.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is impacientándose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy impacientándose. The past participle is impacientado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he impacientado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with impacientarse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me impaciento con el retraso del tren. — "Every day, I get impatient at the train delay." The complement in this sentence is about the train delay, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear impacientarse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te impacientas en la cola del banco. — "Now, you get impatient in the bank queue." The complement in this sentence is about the bank queue, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear impacientarse in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él se impacienta con su hermano en la tienda. — "Normally, he/she gets impatient with his brother in the shop." The complement in this sentence is about his brother in the shop, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear impacientarse in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros nos impacientamos por el tráfico de la mañana. — "Tomorrow, we get impatient over the morning traffic." The complement in this sentence is about the morning traffic, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear impacientarse in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos se impacientan con el retraso del tren. — "Always, they get impatient at the train delay." The complement in this sentence is about the train delay, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear impacientarse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: impacientarse
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with impacientarse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me impaciento con el retraso del tren. — "Every day, I get impatient at the train delay."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me impacienté con el retraso del tren. — "Yesterday, I got impatient at the train delay."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú te impacientas en la cola del banco. — "Every day, you get impatient in the bank queue."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te impacientaste en la cola del banco. — "Yesterday, you got impatient in the bank queue."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él se impacienta con su hermano en la tienda. — "Every day, he/she gets impatient with his brother in the shop."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se impacientó con su hermano en la tienda. — "Yesterday, he/she got impatient with his brother in the shop."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: impacientarse in the present tense
These eight sentences show impacientarse in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo me impaciento con el retraso del tren. — "I get impatient at the train delay."
- Tú te impacientas en la cola del banco. — "you get impatient in the bank queue."
- Él se impacienta con su hermano en la tienda. — "he/she gets impatient with his brother in the shop."
- Nosotros nos impacientamos por el tráfico de la mañana. — "we get impatient over the morning traffic."
- Vosotros os impacientáis con el retraso del tren. — "you (plural) get impatient at the train delay."
- Ellos se impacientan en la cola del banco. — "they get impatient in the bank queue."
- Yo me impaciento con su hermano en la tienda. — "I get impatient with his brother in the shop."
- Tú te impacientas por el tráfico de la mañana. — "you get impatient over the morning traffic."
Common mistakes with impacientarse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo impaciento con el retraso del tren.
- Right: Yo me impaciento con el retraso del tren.
- Why: impacientarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me impaciento con el retraso del tren.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os impacientais con el retraso del tren.
- Right: Vosotros os impacientáis con el retraso del tren.
- Why: The vosotros form impacientáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me impaciento en la cola del banco.
- Right: Ayer, yo me impacienté en la cola del banco.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me impacienté en la cola del banco. — "Yesterday, I got impatient in the bank queue." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo me impaciento con su hermano en la tienda.
- Right: Antes, yo me impacientaba con su hermano en la tienda.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me impacientaba con su hermano en la tienda. — "In the past, I used to get impatient with his brother in the shop." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos impacienta con el retraso del tren.
- Right: Nosotros nos impacientamos con el retraso del tren.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes impacientamos, while impacienta belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of impacientarse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of impacientarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of impacientarse in the present tense?
- (a) impaciento
- (b) impacientas
- (c) impacienta
- (d) impacientamos
Answer: (a) impaciento. The yo form is impaciento. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of impacientarse in the present tense?
- (a) impaciento
- (b) impacienta
- (c) impacientamos
- (d) impacientas
Answer: (d) impacientas. The tú form is impacientas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of impacientarse in the present tense?
- (a) impacientas
- (b) impacientamos
- (c) impacienta
- (d) impaciento
Answer: (c) impacienta. The él/ella form is impacienta. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of impacientarse in the present tense?
- (a) impacienta
- (b) impacientamos
- (c) impaciento
- (d) impacientas
Answer: (b) impacientamos. The nosotros form is impacientamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of impacientarse in the present tense?
- (a) impacientan
- (b) impaciento
- (c) impacientas
- (d) impacienta
Answer: (a) impacientan. The ellos/ellas form is impacientan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ con el retraso del tren.
- (a) impacientas
- (b) impacienta
- (c) impacientamos
- (d) impaciento
Answer: (d) impaciento. The sentence needs the yo form impaciento (Every day, I get impatient at the train delay.)
7. What is the gerund of impacientarse?
- (a) impacientado
- (b) impaciento
- (c) impacientarse
- (d) impacientando
Answer: (d) impacientando. The gerund is impacientando, used for the progressive: me estoy impacientando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Ayer, yo me impacienté en la cola del banco.
- (b) Mañana, yo me impacientaré en la cola del banco.
- (c) Cada día, yo me impaciento en la cola del banco.
- (d) Antes, yo me impacientaba en la cola del banco.
Answer: (c) Cada día, yo me impaciento en la cola del banco.. Cada día, yo me impaciento en la cola del banco. (Every day, I get impatient in the bank queue.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me impacienté en la cola del banco. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me impacientaré en la cola del banco. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of impacientarse
Is impacientarse regular in the present tense?
Yes. impacientarse is a regular -ar verb: impaciento, impacientas, impacienta, impacientamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'get impatient' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me impaciento con el retraso del tren. — "Every day, I get impatient at the train delay." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with impacientarse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me impaciento en la cola del banco. — "Every day, I get impatient in the bank queue." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me impacienté en la cola del banco. — "Yesterday, I got impatient in the bank queue." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with impacientarse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos impacientamos por el tráfico de la mañana. — "Tomorrow, we get impatient over the morning traffic." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.