Olvidarse in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of olvidarse — «to forget» — 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. olvidarse 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 olvido todos los días» — I forget every day.

Olvidarse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me olvido
tú te olvidas
él/ella/Ud. se olvida
nosotros/as nos olvidamos
vosotros/as os olvidáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se olvidan

Gerund: olvidando · Past participle: olvidado

How the present tense of olvidarse is formed

Take the stem olvid — the infinitive olvidarse 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 olvid -o olvido
tú olvid -as olvidas
él/ella/Ud. olvid -a olvida
nosotros/as olvid -amos olvidamos
vosotros/as olvid -áis olvidáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. olvid -an olvidan

Because olvidarse is reflexive, put the pronoun before the form: me olvido, te olvidas, se olvida, nos olvidamos, os olvidáis, se olvidan. 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 olvido, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of olvidarse

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 olvido todos los días. — I forget 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 olvida con mi familia. — He forgets 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 olvidando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nos olvidamos por la mañana. — We forget 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 olvidas en el trabajo. — You forget 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 olvidan a veces. — They forget 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 olvido todos los días. — I forget every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer me olvidé por la tarde. — Yesterday I forgot 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 olvida por la mañana. — He forgets in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer se olvidó por la tarde. — Yesterday He forgot in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nos olvidamos con mi familia. — We forget with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nos olvidamos dos veces. — Last week We forgot 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: olvidarse in the present

  1. Me olvido todos los días. — I forget every day.
  2. Te olvidas en el trabajo. — You forget at work.
  3. Se olvida con mi familia. — He forgets with my family.
  4. Nos olvidamos por la mañana. — We forget in the morning.
  5. Os olvidáis cuando hay tiempo. — You forget when there is time.
  6. Se olvidan a veces. — They forget sometimes.
  7. Me olvido en el trabajo. — I forget at work.
  8. Se olvida todos los días. — He forgets every day.

Common mistakes with olvidarse in the present

1. Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: Yo olvido todos los días.

Right: Me olvido todos los días.

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

2. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros olvidais.

Right: Vosotros olvidáis.

The vosotros form olvidáis 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 olvido.

Right: Ayer yo olvidé.

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

4. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos olvido.

Right: Ellos olvidan.

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

5. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy olvido.

Right: Estoy olvidando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy olvidando. The conjugated present olvido never follows estar.

Quiz: olvidarse in the present

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

1. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of olvidarse in the present indicative?

- (a) olvidan
- (b) olvido
- (c) olvidas
- (d) olvida

2. What is the yo form of olvidarse in the present indicative?

- (a) olvidamos
- (b) olvidas
- (c) olvido
- (d) olvida

3. What is the tú form of olvidarse in the present indicative?

- (a) olvida
- (b) olvidas
- (c) olvidamos
- (d) olvido

4. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of olvidarse in the present indicative?

- (a) olvidas
- (b) olvida
- (c) olvidamos
- (d) olvido

5. What is the nosotros/as form of olvidarse in the present indicative?

- (a) olvido
- (b) olvidas
- (c) olvida
- (d) olvidamos

6. What is the vosotros/as form of olvidarse in the present indicative?

- (a) olvido
- (b) olvidas
- (c) olvidáis
- (d) olvida

7. What is the gerund of olvidarse?

- (a) olvidarse
- (b) olvidando
- (c) olvidado
- (d) olvido

8. What is the past participle of olvidarse?

- (a) olvidé
- (b) olvidado
- (c) olvidando
- (d) olvidarse

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of olvidarse is olvidan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the present indicative, the yo form of olvidarse is olvido. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the present indicative, the tú form of olvidarse is olvidas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of olvidarse is olvida. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of olvidarse is olvidamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of olvidarse is olvidáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — The gerund of olvidarse is olvidando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy olvidando». 8. (b) — The past participle of olvidarse is olvidado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he olvidado».

Frequently asked questions

Is olvidarse regular in the present?

Yes — olvidarse is regular in the present. The stem olvid 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 olvidarse in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for olvidarse?

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

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

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

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