Llamarse in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of llamarse — «to be called» — is the form you will reach for most often. It talks about habits, facts and what is happening right now, and it is the first tense to master for this verb. llamarse is a regular -ar verb, reflexive verb, so the present follows the -ar endings. On this page you will find the full present-tense table, how the forms are built, five usage rules with examples, a comparison with the preterite, more example sentences, the mistakes learners make in this tense, an eight-question quiz and answers to common questions. A good first sentence is «Me llamo todos los días» — I be called every day.

Llamarse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me llamo
tú te llamas
él/ella/Ud. se llama
nosotros/as nos llamamos
vosotros/as os llamáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se llaman

Gerund: llamando · Past participle: llamado

How the present tense of llamarse is formed

Take the stem llam — the infinitive llamarse without its -ar ending and without -se — and add the present endings. The table below shows the build for every person, using the actual stem of each form:

Person Stem Ending Form
yo llam -o llamo
tú llam -as llamas
él/ella/Ud. llam -a llama
nosotros/as llam -amos llamamos
vosotros/as llam -áis llamáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. llam -an llaman

Because llamarse is reflexive, put the pronoun before the form: me llamo, te llamas, se llama, nos llamamos, os llamáis, se llaman. The pronoun changes with the person, never with the tense.

The present is the only tense where the yo form ends in -o for all three verb classes, which makes it a useful anchor: if you know llamo, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of llamarse

1. Daily routines and habits

The most common use: things you do regularly. Time words like todos los días, siempre and a veces are the giveaway.

Me llamo todos los días. — I be called every day.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. No time expression is needed — the statement stands on its own.

Se llama con mi familia. — He bes called with my family.

3. What is happening right now

For an action in progress, the present works on its own in Spanish, and you can also use estar + the gerund llamando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nos llamamos por la mañana. — We be called in the morning.

4. Scheduled near-future plans

Spanish often uses the present for a fixed plan in the near future, where English would say «going to». A time expression such as mañana or la semana que viene makes the future meaning clear.

Te llamas en el trabajo. — You be called at work.

5. Narrating and commenting

The present is the tense of live commentary and of stories told as if they were happening now. It keeps the listener in the moment, and it is the tense of instructions and explanations.

Se llaman a veces. — They be called sometimes.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The present and the preterite answer different questions. The present says what happens in general or what is happening now; the preterite says what happened once and is over. Compare the pairs below — same verb, different time frame:

  • Present: Me llamo todos los días. — I be called every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer me llamé por la tarde. — Yesterday I bed called in the afternoon.

  • A routine against a single finished event. The present describes the habit; the preterite reports the one time it happened.

  • Present: Se llama por la mañana. — He bes called in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer se llamó por la tarde. — Yesterday He bed called in the afternoon.

  • What happens in the morning in general, against what happened yesterday afternoon. The time expression decides the tense.

  • Present: Nos llamamos con mi familia. — We be called with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nos llamamos dos veces. — Last week We bed called twice.

  • A shared habit against a shared finished event. If the action repeats, use the present; if it happened once and ended, use the preterite.

Example sentences: llamarse in the present

  1. Me llamo todos los días. — I be called every day.
  2. Te llamas en el trabajo. — You be called at work.
  3. Se llama con mi familia. — He bes called with my family.
  4. Nos llamamos por la mañana. — We be called in the morning.
  5. Os llamáis cuando hay tiempo. — You be called when there is time.
  6. Se llaman a veces. — They be called sometimes.
  7. Me llamo en el trabajo. — I be called at work.
  8. Se llama todos los días. — He bes called every day.

Common mistakes with llamarse in the present

1. Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: Yo llamo todos los días.

Right: Me llamo todos los días.

Reflexive llamarse needs its pronoun in the present as in every tense: me llamo. Without it the sentence uses the non-reflexive verb and means something else.

2. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros llamais.

Right: Vosotros llamáis.

The vosotros form llamáis carries a written accent on the ending. Without it the word is misspelled, and in speech the stress falls in the wrong place.

3. Using the present for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo llamo.

Right: Ayer yo llamé.

Ayer belongs with the preterite. The present llamo talks about now or about a habit; a finished yesterday needs llamé.

4. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos llamo.

Right: Ellos llaman.

Each person has its own form: ellos take llaman, not the yo form llamo. The -n ending on llaman is what marks the third-person plural.

5. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy llamo.

Right: Estoy llamando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy llamando. The conjugated present llamo never follows estar.

Quiz: llamarse in the present

Test yourself on the present tense of llamarse. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the nosotros/as form of llamarse in the present indicative?

- (a) llamas
- (b) llama
- (c) llamo
- (d) llamamos

2. What is the vosotros/as form of llamarse in the present indicative?

- (a) llamas
- (b) llamáis
- (c) llamo
- (d) llama

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of llamarse in the present indicative?

- (a) llamo
- (b) llamas
- (c) llaman
- (d) llama

4. What is the yo form of llamarse in the present indicative?

- (a) llamamos
- (b) llamas
- (c) llama
- (d) llamo

5. What is the tú form of llamarse in the present indicative?

- (a) llamamos
- (b) llama
- (c) llamo
- (d) llamas

6. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of llamarse in the present indicative?

- (a) llamamos
- (b) llamas
- (c) llama
- (d) llamo

7. What is the gerund of llamarse?

- (a) llamo
- (b) llamarse
- (c) llamado
- (d) llamando

8. What is the past participle of llamarse?

- (a) llamando
- (b) llamarse
- (c) llamé
- (d) llamado

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of llamarse is llamamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of llamarse is llamáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of llamarse is llaman. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the present indicative, the yo form of llamarse is llamo. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the present indicative, the tú form of llamarse is llamas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of llamarse is llama. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (d) — The gerund of llamarse is llamando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy llamando». 8. (d) — The past participle of llamarse is llamado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he llamado».

Frequently asked questions

Is llamarse regular in the present?

Yes — llamarse is regular in the present. The stem llam never changes and the endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an for -ar verbs (with the matching sets for -er and -ir verbs).

What is the yo form of llamarse in the present?

It is llamo. With the reflexive pronoun: «Me llamo».

How is the present different from the preterite for llamarse?

The present (llamo) describes habits and what is happening now; the preterite (llamé) reports a single finished event. «Yo llamo todos los días» is a habit, while «Ayer yo llamé» is one event that ended yesterday.

Can I use the present of llamarse with estar and the gerund?

Yes — «Estoy llamando» means «I am bing called right now», with the emphasis on the action in progress. The plain present «Yo llamo» is also correct for what is happening now; the gerund version simply stresses the moment.

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