Jactarse Present Tense in Spanish
jactarse means "to boast" 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 jactarse, 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 jacto de su nuevo coche. — "Every day, I boast about his new car." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of jactarse: full table
Every person of jactarse in the present tense. The gerund is jactándose and the past participle is jactado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me jacto |
| tú | te jactas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se jacta |
| nosotros/as | nos jactamos |
| vosotros/as | os jactáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se jactan |
The gerund of jactarse is jactándose and the past participle is jactado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy jactándose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he jactado). Because jactarse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of jactarse is formed
The present tense of jactarse is built from the stem jact- 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 jacto, tú te jactas, él se jacta, nosotros nos jactamos, vosotros os jactáis and ellos se jactan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me jacto |
| tú | -as | te jactas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se jacta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos jactamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os jactáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se jactan |
jactarse 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 jactáis.
jactarse 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 jactándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is jactado.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is jactándose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy jactándose. The past participle is jactado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he jactado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with jactarse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me jacto de su nuevo coche. — "Every day, I boast about his new car." The complement in this sentence is about his new car, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear jactarse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te jactas de sus notas en la escuela. — "Now, you boast about his school grades." The complement in this sentence is about his school grades, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear jactarse 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 jacta de su trabajo en la oficina. — "Normally, he/she boasts about his job in the office." The complement in this sentence is about his job in the office, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear jactarse 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 jactamos de su fortuna en el pueblo. — "Tomorrow, we boast about his fortune in the village." The complement in this sentence is about his fortune in the village, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear jactarse 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 jactan de su nuevo coche. — "Always, they boast about his new car." The complement in this sentence is about his new car, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear jactarse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: jactarse
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 jactarse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me jacto de su nuevo coche. — "Every day, I boast about his new car."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me jacté de su nuevo coche. — "Yesterday, I boasted about his new car."
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 jactas de sus notas en la escuela. — "Every day, you boast about his school grades."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te jactaste de sus notas en la escuela. — "Yesterday, you boasted about his school grades."
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 jacta de su trabajo en la oficina. — "Every day, he/she boasts about his job in the office."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se jactó de su trabajo en la oficina. — "Yesterday, he/she boasted about his job in the office."
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: jactarse in the present tense
These eight sentences show jactarse 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 jacto de su nuevo coche. — "I boast about his new car."
- Tú te jactas de sus notas en la escuela. — "you boast about his school grades."
- Él se jacta de su trabajo en la oficina. — "he/she boasts about his job in the office."
- Nosotros nos jactamos de su fortuna en el pueblo. — "we boast about his fortune in the village."
- Vosotros os jactáis de su nuevo coche. — "you (plural) boast about his new car."
- Ellos se jactan de sus notas en la escuela. — "they boast about his school grades."
- Yo me jacto de su trabajo en la oficina. — "I boast about his job in the office."
- Tú te jactas de su fortuna en el pueblo. — "you boast about his fortune in the village."
Common mistakes with jactarse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo jacto de su nuevo coche.
- Right: Yo me jacto de su nuevo coche.
- Why: jactarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me jacto de su nuevo coche.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os jactais de su nuevo coche.
- Right: Vosotros os jactáis de su nuevo coche.
- Why: The vosotros form jactáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me jacto de sus notas en la escuela.
- Right: Ayer, yo me jacté de sus notas en la escuela.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me jacté de sus notas en la escuela. — "Yesterday, I boasted about his school grades." 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 jacto de su trabajo en la oficina.
- Right: Antes, yo me jactaba de su trabajo en la oficina.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me jactaba de su trabajo en la oficina. — "In the past, I used to boast about his job in the office." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos jacta de su nuevo coche.
- Right: Nosotros nos jactamos de su nuevo coche.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes jactamos, while jacta belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of jactarse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of jactarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of jactarse in the present tense?
- (a) jactamos
- (b) jacto
- (c) jactas
- (d) jacta
Answer: (b) jacto. The yo form is jacto. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of jactarse in the present tense?
- (a) jactas
- (b) jacto
- (c) jacta
- (d) jactamos
Answer: (a) jactas. The tú form is jactas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of jactarse in the present tense?
- (a) jacto
- (b) jactas
- (c) jactamos
- (d) jacta
Answer: (d) jacta. The él/ella form is jacta. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of jactarse in the present tense?
- (a) jactas
- (b) jacta
- (c) jactamos
- (d) jacto
Answer: (c) jactamos. The nosotros form is jactamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of jactarse in the present tense?
- (a) jacta
- (b) jactan
- (c) jacto
- (d) jactas
Answer: (b) jactan. The ellos/ellas form is jactan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ de su nuevo coche.
- (a) jacto
- (b) jactas
- (c) jacta
- (d) jactamos
Answer: (a) jacto. The sentence needs the yo form jacto (Every day, I boast about his new car.)
7. What is the gerund of jactarse?
- (a) jactando
- (b) jactado
- (c) jacto
- (d) jactarse
Answer: (a) jactando. The gerund is jactando, used for the progressive: me estoy jactando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Antes, yo me jactaba de sus notas en la escuela.
- (b) Ayer, yo me jacté de sus notas en la escuela.
- (c) Mañana, yo me jactaré de sus notas en la escuela.
- (d) Cada día, yo me jacto de sus notas en la escuela.
Answer: (d) Cada día, yo me jacto de sus notas en la escuela.. Cada día, yo me jacto de sus notas en la escuela. (Every day, I boast about his school grades.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me jacté de sus notas en la escuela. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me jactaré de sus notas en la escuela. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of jactarse
Is jactarse regular in the present tense?
Yes. jactarse is a regular -ar verb: jacto, jactas, jacta, jactamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'boast' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me jacto de su nuevo coche. — "Every day, I boast about his new car." 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 jactarse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me jacto de sus notas en la escuela. — "Every day, I boast about his school grades." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me jacté de sus notas en la escuela. — "Yesterday, I boasted about his school grades." 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 jactarse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos jactamos de su fortuna en el pueblo. — "Tomorrow, we boast about his fortune in the village." 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.