Nutrirse Present Tense in Spanish
nutrirse means "to nourish 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 nutrirse, 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 nutro de verduras frescas. — "Every day, I nourish oneself on fresh vegetables." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of nutrirse: full table
Every person of nutrirse in the present tense. The gerund is nutriéndose and the past participle is nutrido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me nutro |
| tú | te nutres |
| él/ella/Ud. | se nutre |
| nosotros/as | nos nutrimos |
| vosotros/as | os nutrís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se nutren |
The gerund of nutrirse is nutriéndose and the past participle is nutrido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy nutriéndose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he nutrido). Because nutrirse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of nutrirse is formed
The present tense of nutrirse is built from the stem nutr- plus the regular -ir endings: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en. Take the infinitive, remove the -ir ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo me nutro, tú te nutres, él se nutre, nosotros nos nutrimos, vosotros os nutrís and ellos se nutren. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ir verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me nutro |
| tú | -es | te nutres |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | se nutre |
| nosotros/as | -imos | nos nutrimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | os nutrís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | se nutren |
nutrirse is completely regular in the present tense: the stem never changes and every ending is the standard -ir ending. The only thing to watch is the accent on the vosotros form nutrís.
nutrirse 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 nutriéndose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is nutrido.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is nutriéndose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy nutriéndose. The past participle is nutrido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he nutrido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with nutrirse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me nutro de verduras frescas. — "Every day, I nourish oneself on fresh vegetables." The complement in this sentence is about fresh vegetables, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear nutrirse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te nutres de frutas y cereales. — "Now, you nourish oneself on fruit and cereals." The complement in this sentence is about fruit and cereals, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear nutrirse 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 nutre de comida casera. — "Normally, he/she nourishes oneself on home cooking." The complement in this sentence is about home cooking, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear nutrirse 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 nutrimos de proteínas después del deporte. — "Tomorrow, we nourish oneself on protein after sport." The complement in this sentence is about protein after sport, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear nutrirse 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 nutren de verduras frescas. — "Always, they nourish oneself on fresh vegetables." The complement in this sentence is about fresh vegetables, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear nutrirse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: nutrirse
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 nutrirse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me nutro de verduras frescas. — "Every day, I nourish oneself on fresh vegetables."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me nutrí de verduras frescas. — "Yesterday, I nourished oneself on fresh vegetables."
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 nutres de frutas y cereales. — "Every day, you nourish oneself on fruit and cereals."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te nutriste de frutas y cereales. — "Yesterday, you nourished oneself on fruit and cereals."
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 nutre de comida casera. — "Every day, he/she nourishes oneself on home cooking."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se nutrió de comida casera. — "Yesterday, he/she nourished oneself on home cooking."
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: nutrirse in the present tense
These eight sentences show nutrirse 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 nutro de verduras frescas. — "I nourish oneself on fresh vegetables."
- Tú te nutres de frutas y cereales. — "you nourish oneself on fruit and cereals."
- Él se nutre de comida casera. — "he/she nourishes oneself on home cooking."
- Nosotros nos nutrimos de proteínas después del deporte. — "we nourish oneself on protein after sport."
- Vosotros os nutrís de verduras frescas. — "you (plural) nourish oneself on fresh vegetables."
- Ellos se nutren de frutas y cereales. — "they nourish oneself on fruit and cereals."
- Yo me nutro de comida casera. — "I nourish oneself on home cooking."
- Tú te nutres de proteínas después del deporte. — "you nourish oneself on protein after sport."
Common mistakes with nutrirse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo nutro de verduras frescas.
- Right: Yo me nutro de verduras frescas.
- Why: nutrirse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me nutro de verduras frescas.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os nutris de verduras frescas.
- Right: Vosotros os nutrís de verduras frescas.
- Why: The vosotros form nutrís carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me nutro de frutas y cereales.
- Right: Ayer, yo me nutrí de frutas y cereales.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me nutrí de frutas y cereales. — "Yesterday, I nourished oneself on fruit and cereals." 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 nutro de comida casera.
- Right: Antes, yo me nutría de comida casera.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me nutría de comida casera. — "In the past, I used to nourish oneself on home cooking." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos nutre de verduras frescas.
- Right: Nosotros nos nutrimos de verduras frescas.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes nutrimos, while nutre belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of nutrirse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of nutrirse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of nutrirse in the present tense?
- (a) nutres
- (b) nutre
- (c) nutrimos
- (d) nutro
Answer: (d) nutro. The yo form is nutro. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of nutrirse in the present tense?
- (a) nutre
- (b) nutrimos
- (c) nutres
- (d) nutro
Answer: (c) nutres. The tú form is nutres. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of nutrirse in the present tense?
- (a) nutrimos
- (b) nutre
- (c) nutro
- (d) nutres
Answer: (b) nutre. The él/ella form is nutre. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of nutrirse in the present tense?
- (a) nutrimos
- (b) nutro
- (c) nutres
- (d) nutre
Answer: (a) nutrimos. The nosotros form is nutrimos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of nutrirse in the present tense?
- (a) nutro
- (b) nutres
- (c) nutre
- (d) nutren
Answer: (d) nutren. The ellos/ellas form is nutren. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ de verduras frescas.
- (a) nutre
- (b) nutrimos
- (c) nutro
- (d) nutres
Answer: (c) nutro. The sentence needs the yo form nutro (Every day, I nourish oneself on fresh vegetables.)
7. What is the gerund of nutrirse?
- (a) nutro
- (b) nutrirse
- (c) nutriendo
- (d) nutrido
Answer: (c) nutriendo. The gerund is nutriendo, used for the progressive: me estoy nutriendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Mañana, yo me nutriré de frutas y cereales.
- (b) Cada día, yo me nutro de frutas y cereales.
- (c) Antes, yo me nutría de frutas y cereales.
- (d) Ayer, yo me nutrí de frutas y cereales.
Answer: (b) Cada día, yo me nutro de frutas y cereales.. Cada día, yo me nutro de frutas y cereales. (Every day, I nourish oneself on fruit and cereals.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me nutrí de frutas y cereales. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me nutriré de frutas y cereales. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of nutrirse
Is nutrirse regular in the present tense?
Yes. nutrirse is a regular -ir verb: nutro, nutres, nutre, nutrimos. 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 nutrirse and nutrir?
nutrirse means "to nourish oneself", while nutrir means "to nourish". 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 nutrirse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me nutro de frutas y cereales. — "Every day, I nourish oneself on fruit and cereals." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me nutrí de frutas y cereales. — "Yesterday, I nourished oneself on fruit and cereals." 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 nutrirse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos nutrimos de proteínas después del deporte. — "Tomorrow, we nourish oneself on protein after sport." 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.