Meterse in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of meterse — «to get into, to meddle» — 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. meterse is a regular -er verb, reflexive verb, so the present follows the -er 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 meto todos los días» — I get into every day.

Meterse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me meto
tú te metes
él/ella/Ud. se mete
nosotros/as nos metemos
vosotros/as os metéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se meten

Gerund: metiendo · Past participle: metido

How the present tense of meterse is formed

Take the stem met — the infinitive meterse without its -er 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 met -o meto
tú met -es metes
él/ella/Ud. met -e mete
nosotros/as met -emos metemos
vosotros/as met -éis metéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. met -en meten

Because meterse is reflexive, put the pronoun before the form: me meto, te metes, se mete, nos metemos, os metéis, se meten. 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 meto, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of meterse

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 meto todos los días. — I get into 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 mete con mi familia. — He gets into 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 metiendo for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nos metemos por la mañana. — We get into 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 metes en el trabajo. — You get into 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 meten a veces. — They get into 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 meto todos los días. — I get into every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer me metí por la tarde. — Yesterday I got into 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 mete por la mañana. — He gets into in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer se metió por la tarde. — Yesterday He got into in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nos metemos con mi familia. — We get into with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nos metimos dos veces. — Last week We got into 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: meterse in the present

  1. Me meto todos los días. — I get into every day.
  2. Te metes en el trabajo. — You get into at work.
  3. Se mete con mi familia. — He gets into with my family.
  4. Nos metemos por la mañana. — We get into in the morning.
  5. Os metéis cuando hay tiempo. — You get into when there is time.
  6. Se meten a veces. — They get into sometimes.
  7. Me meto en el trabajo. — I get into at work.
  8. Se mete todos los días. — He gets into every day.

Common mistakes with meterse in the present

1. Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: Yo meto todos los días.

Right: Me meto todos los días.

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

2. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros meteis.

Right: Vosotros metéis.

The vosotros form metéis 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 meto.

Right: Ayer yo metí.

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

4. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos meto.

Right: Ellos meten.

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

5. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy meto.

Right: Estoy metiendo.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy metiendo. The conjugated present meto never follows estar.

Quiz: meterse in the present

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

1. What is the vosotros/as form of meterse in the present indicative?

- (a) meto
- (b) metéis
- (c) mete
- (d) metes

2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of meterse in the present indicative?

- (a) metes
- (b) mete
- (c) meten
- (d) meto

3. What is the yo form of meterse in the present indicative?

- (a) mete
- (b) metes
- (c) metemos
- (d) meto

4. What is the tú form of meterse in the present indicative?

- (a) metemos
- (b) metes
- (c) mete
- (d) meto

5. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of meterse in the present indicative?

- (a) metemos
- (b) meto
- (c) metes
- (d) mete

6. What is the nosotros/as form of meterse in the present indicative?

- (a) meto
- (b) metes
- (c) mete
- (d) metemos

7. What is the gerund of meterse?

- (a) metiendo
- (b) meto
- (c) metido
- (d) meterse

8. What is the past participle of meterse?

- (a) meterse
- (b) metí
- (c) metido
- (d) metiendo

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of meterse is metéis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of meterse is meten. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the present indicative, the yo form of meterse is meto. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present indicative, the tú form of meterse is metes. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of meterse is mete. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of meterse is metemos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (a) — The gerund of meterse is metiendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy metiendo». 8. (c) — The past participle of meterse is metido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he metido».

Frequently asked questions

Is meterse regular in the present?

Yes — meterse is regular in the present. The stem met 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 meterse in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for meterse?

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

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

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

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