Lastimarse Present Tense in Spanish
lastimarse means "to hurt oneself" 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 lastimarse, 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 lastimo el dedo con el cuchillo. — "Every day, I hurt oneself his finger with the knife." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of lastimarse: full table
Every person of lastimarse in the present tense. The gerund is lastimándose and the past participle is lastimado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me lastimo |
| tú | te lastimas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se lastima |
| nosotros/as | nos lastimamos |
| vosotros/as | os lastimáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se lastiman |
The gerund of lastimarse is lastimándose and the past participle is lastimado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy lastimándose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he lastimado). Because lastimarse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of lastimarse is formed
The present tense of lastimarse is built from the stem lastim- 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 lastimo, tú te lastimas, él se lastima, nosotros nos lastimamos, vosotros os lastimáis and ellos se lastiman. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me lastimo |
| tú | -as | te lastimas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se lastima |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos lastimamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os lastimáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se lastiman |
lastimarse 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 lastimáis.
lastimarse 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 lastimándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is lastimado.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is lastimándose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy lastimándose. The past participle is lastimado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he lastimado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with lastimarse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me lastimo el dedo con el cuchillo. — "Every day, I hurt oneself his finger with the knife." The complement in this sentence is about his finger with the knife, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear lastimarse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te lastimas la rodilla en el parque. — "Now, you hurt oneself his knee in the park." The complement in this sentence is about his knee in the park, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear lastimarse 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 lastima la mano en la puerta. — "Normally, he/she hurts oneself his hand in the door." The complement in this sentence is about his hand in the door, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear lastimarse 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 lastimamos el pie con una piedra. — "Tomorrow, we hurt oneself his foot on a stone." The complement in this sentence is about his foot on a stone, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear lastimarse 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 lastiman el dedo con el cuchillo. — "Always, they hurt oneself his finger with the knife." The complement in this sentence is about his finger with the knife, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear lastimarse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: lastimarse
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 lastimarse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me lastimo el dedo con el cuchillo. — "Every day, I hurt oneself his finger with the knife."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me lastimé el dedo con el cuchillo. — "Yesterday, I hurt oneself his finger with the knife."
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 lastimas la rodilla en el parque. — "Every day, you hurt oneself his knee in the park."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te lastimaste la rodilla en el parque. — "Yesterday, you hurt oneself his knee in the park."
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 lastima la mano en la puerta. — "Every day, he/she hurts oneself his hand in the door."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se lastimó la mano en la puerta. — "Yesterday, he/she hurt oneself his hand in the door."
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: lastimarse in the present tense
These eight sentences show lastimarse 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 lastimo el dedo con el cuchillo. — "I hurt oneself his finger with the knife."
- Tú te lastimas la rodilla en el parque. — "you hurt oneself his knee in the park."
- Él se lastima la mano en la puerta. — "he/she hurts oneself his hand in the door."
- Nosotros nos lastimamos el pie con una piedra. — "we hurt oneself his foot on a stone."
- Vosotros os lastimáis el dedo con el cuchillo. — "you (plural) hurt oneself his finger with the knife."
- Ellos se lastiman la rodilla en el parque. — "they hurt oneself his knee in the park."
- Yo me lastimo la mano en la puerta. — "I hurt oneself his hand in the door."
- Tú te lastimas el pie con una piedra. — "you hurt oneself his foot on a stone."
Common mistakes with lastimarse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo lastimo el dedo con el cuchillo.
- Right: Yo me lastimo el dedo con el cuchillo.
- Why: lastimarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me lastimo el dedo con el cuchillo.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os lastimais el dedo con el cuchillo.
- Right: Vosotros os lastimáis el dedo con el cuchillo.
- Why: The vosotros form lastimáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me lastimo la rodilla en el parque.
- Right: Ayer, yo me lastimé la rodilla en el parque.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me lastimé la rodilla en el parque. — "Yesterday, I hurt oneself his knee in the park." 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 lastimo la mano en la puerta.
- Right: Antes, yo me lastimaba la mano en la puerta.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me lastimaba la mano en la puerta. — "In the past, I used to hurt oneself his hand in the door." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos lastima el dedo con el cuchillo.
- Right: Nosotros nos lastimamos el dedo con el cuchillo.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes lastimamos, while lastima belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of lastimarse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of lastimarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of lastimarse in the present tense?
- (a) lastimamos
- (b) lastimo
- (c) lastimas
- (d) lastima
Answer: (b) lastimo. The yo form is lastimo. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of lastimarse in the present tense?
- (a) lastimas
- (b) lastimo
- (c) lastima
- (d) lastimamos
Answer: (a) lastimas. The tú form is lastimas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of lastimarse in the present tense?
- (a) lastimo
- (b) lastimas
- (c) lastimamos
- (d) lastima
Answer: (d) lastima. The él/ella form is lastima. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of lastimarse in the present tense?
- (a) lastimas
- (b) lastima
- (c) lastimamos
- (d) lastimo
Answer: (c) lastimamos. The nosotros form is lastimamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of lastimarse in the present tense?
- (a) lastima
- (b) lastiman
- (c) lastimo
- (d) lastimas
Answer: (b) lastiman. The ellos/ellas form is lastiman. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ el dedo con el cuchillo.
- (a) lastimo
- (b) lastimas
- (c) lastima
- (d) lastimamos
Answer: (a) lastimo. The sentence needs the yo form lastimo (Every day, I hurt oneself his finger with the knife.)
7. What is the gerund of lastimarse?
- (a) lastimando
- (b) lastimado
- (c) lastimo
- (d) lastimarse
Answer: (a) lastimando. The gerund is lastimando, used for the progressive: me estoy lastimando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Antes, yo me lastimaba la rodilla en el parque.
- (b) Ayer, yo me lastimé la rodilla en el parque.
- (c) Mañana, yo me lastimaré la rodilla en el parque.
- (d) Cada día, yo me lastimo la rodilla en el parque.
Answer: (d) Cada día, yo me lastimo la rodilla en el parque.. Cada día, yo me lastimo la rodilla en el parque. (Every day, I hurt oneself his knee in the park.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me lastimé la rodilla en el parque. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me lastimaré la rodilla en el parque. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of lastimarse
Is lastimarse regular in the present tense?
Yes. lastimarse is a regular -ar verb: lastimo, lastimas, lastima, lastimamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
What is the difference between lastimarse and lastimar?
lastimarse means "to hurt oneself", while lastimar means "to hurt, to injure". The reflexive form is used when the action comes back to the subject, and the plain form is used when the action is done to someone or something else.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with lastimarse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me lastimo la rodilla en el parque. — "Every day, I hurt oneself his knee in the park." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me lastimé la rodilla en el parque. — "Yesterday, I hurt oneself his knee in the park." 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 lastimarse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos lastimamos el pie con una piedra. — "Tomorrow, we hurt oneself his foot on a stone." 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.