Introduction
Informarse means “to find out”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Informarse means to find out or to get informed, and it is the reflexive verb for checking facts before deciding: timetables, prices, rules, news. It usually takes sobre or de: informarse sobre el horario, informarse de las noticias. The non-reflexive informar means to inform someone else. This page shows informarse in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Me informo sobre el horario del tren.” — I find out about the train timetable.
Informarse in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how informarse is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use informarse in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Me informo sobre el horario del tren.” — I find out about the train timetable.
“¿Te informas de las noticias cada mañana?” — Do you find out about the news every morning?
“Se informa antes de comprar el billete.” — He/she finds out before buying the ticket.
“Nosotros nos informamos en la oficina de turismo.” — We find out at the tourist office.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show informarse in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo me informé sobre el horario del tren.” — Yesterday, I found out about the train timetable. (preterite)
“Antes, él se informaba de las noticias cada mañana.” — Before, he used to find out about the news every morning. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of informarse stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros nos informaremos antes de comprar el billete.” — Tomorrow, we will find out before buying the ticket. (future)
“¿Tú te has informado en la oficina de turismo?” — Have you found out at the tourist office? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros os informáis sobre el horario del tren.” — You find out about the train timetable.
“Ellos se informan de las noticias cada mañana.” — They find out about the news every morning.
“Yo me informo antes de comprar el billete.” — I find out before buying the ticket.
“Mi padre se informa en la oficina de turismo.” — My father finds out at the tourist office.
Informarse in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how informarse appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú te informas de las noticias cada mañana?” — Do you find out about the news every morning?
Pedro: “Sí, yo me informo sobre el horario del tren.” — Yes, I find out about the train timetable.
Marta: “Nosotros nos informamos en la oficina de turismo.” — We find out at the tourist office.
Pedro: “Y ellos se informan de las noticias cada mañana.” — And they find out about the news every morning.
Marta: “Vosotros os informáis antes de comprar el billete.” — You find out before buying the ticket.
Pedro: “Sí, y él se informa sobre el horario del tren.” — Yes, and he finds out about the train timetable.
A short paragraph
Se informa sobre el horario del tren, y nosotros nos informamos en la oficina de turismo. Yo me informo de las noticias cada mañana, y ellos se informan antes de comprar el billete. Informarse is part of everyday life, because find out is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with informarse
These are the errors learners actually make with informarse. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo informo sobre el horario del tren.” Right: “Yo me informo sobre el horario del tren.” Why: Informarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
Wrong: “Ayer yo informo de las noticias cada mañana.” Right: “Ayer yo informé de las noticias cada mañana.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: informo is happening now, while informé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating informarse and informar as identical in every context.” Right: “Informarse means to find out, while informar means to inform someone else.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: informarse fits sentences such as Me informo sobre el horario del tren, while informar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy informado de las noticias cada mañana.” Right: “Yo he informado de las noticias cada mañana.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he informado, has informado, ha informado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo informé antes de comprar el billete todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo informaba antes de comprar el billete todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (informaba), not the preterite. The preterite (informé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: informarse in use
Ten questions on informarse in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ sobre el horario del tren.” (You find out about the train timetable.)
- (a) os informáis
- (b) me informo
- (c) te informas
Answer: os informáis — The vosotros/as form of informarse in the present tense is os informáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ de las noticias cada mañana.” (They find out about the news every morning.)
- (a) te informas
- (b) se informan
- (c) me informo
Answer: se informan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of informarse in the present tense is se informan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ sobre el horario del tren.” (Yesterday I found out about the train timetable.)
- (a) te informaste
- (b) se informó
- (c) me informé
Answer: me informé — In the preterite, the yo form of informarse is me informé.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ de las noticias cada mañana.” (Before, he used to find out about the news every morning.)
- (a) se informaba
- (b) me informo
- (c) te informabas
Answer: se informaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of informarse is se informaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ antes de comprar el billete.” (Tomorrow we will find out before buying the ticket.)
- (a) te informarás
- (b) nos informaremos
- (c) me informaré
Answer: nos informaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of informarse is nos informaremos.
6. What does informarse mean in English?
- (a) to find out
- (b) to lean, to bow
- (c) to inform someone else
Answer: to find out — Informarse means “to find out”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo informo sobre el horario del tren.
- (b) Ellos se informa de las noticias cada mañana.
- (c) Yo me informo sobre el horario del tren.
Answer: Yo me informo sobre el horario del tren. — “Yo me informo sobre el horario del tren.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I find out about the train timetable.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre se informa en la oficina de turismo.
- (b) Me informo sobre el horario del tren.
- (c) Se informan sobre el horario del tren.
Answer: Me informo sobre el horario del tren. — “Me informo sobre el horario del tren.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of informarse in the present tense?
- (a) me informo
- (b) te informas
- (c) nos informamos
Answer: nos informamos — The nosotros form is nos informamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros nos informaremos antes de comprar el billete.
- (b) Me informo sobre el horario del tren.
- (c) Ayer, yo me informé sobre el horario del tren.
Answer: Me informo sobre el horario del tren. — “Me informo sobre el horario del tren.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I find out about the train timetable' in Spanish?
Say 'Me informo sobre el horario del tren'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Me informo sobre el horario del tren todos los días'.
How do you say 'He finds out about the news every morning' in Spanish?
Say 'Él se informa de las noticias cada mañana'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes se informa.
What is the difference between informarse and informar?
Informarse means to find out, while informar means to inform someone else. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use informarse when you mean to find out, as in 'Me informo sobre el horario del tren', and use informar for to inform someone else.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of informarse — every tense of informarse in one place.
- Informarse in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on informarse and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of informarse until they are automatic.