Oponerse in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of oponerse — «to oppose» — 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. oponerse is a irregular -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 opongo todos los días» — I oppose every day.

Oponerse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me opongo
tú te opones
él/ella/Ud. se opone
nosotros/as nos oponemos
vosotros/as os oponéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se oponen

Gerund: oponiendo · Past participle: opuesto

How the present tense of oponerse is formed

Take the stem opon — the infinitive oponerse 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 opong -o opongo
tú opon -es opones
él/ella/Ud. opon -e opone
nosotros/as opon -emos oponemos
vosotros/as opon -éis oponéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. opon -en oponen

Because oponerse is reflexive, put the pronoun before the form: me opongo, te opones, se opone, nos oponemos, os oponéis, se oponen. 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 opongo, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of oponerse

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 opongo todos los días. — I oppose 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 opone con mi familia. — He opposes 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 oponiendo for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nos oponemos por la mañana. — We oppose 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 opones en el trabajo. — You oppose 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 oponen a veces. — They oppose 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 opongo todos los días. — I oppose every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer me opuse por la tarde. — Yesterday I opposed 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 opone por la mañana. — He opposes in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer se opuso por la tarde. — Yesterday He opposed in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nos oponemos con mi familia. — We oppose with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nos opusimos dos veces. — Last week We opposed 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: oponerse in the present

  1. Me opongo todos los días. — I oppose every day.
  2. Te opones en el trabajo. — You oppose at work.
  3. Se opone con mi familia. — He opposes with my family.
  4. Nos oponemos por la mañana. — We oppose in the morning.
  5. Os oponéis cuando hay tiempo. — You oppose when there is time.
  6. Se oponen a veces. — They oppose sometimes.
  7. Me opongo en el trabajo. — I oppose at work.
  8. Se opone todos los días. — He opposes every day.

Common mistakes with oponerse in the present

1. Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: Yo opongo todos los días.

Right: Me opongo todos los días.

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

2. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros oponeis.

Right: Vosotros oponéis.

The vosotros form oponéis 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 opongo.

Right: Ayer yo opuse.

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

4. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos opongo.

Right: Ellos oponen.

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

5. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy opongo.

Right: Estoy oponiendo.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy oponiendo. The conjugated present opongo never follows estar.

Quiz: oponerse in the present

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

1. What is the yo form of oponerse in the present indicative?

- (a) opongo
- (b) oponemos
- (c) opones
- (d) opone

2. What is the tú form of oponerse in the present indicative?

- (a) oponemos
- (b) opongo
- (c) opones
- (d) opone

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of oponerse in the present indicative?

- (a) oponemos
- (b) opone
- (c) opongo
- (d) opones

4. What is the nosotros/as form of oponerse in the present indicative?

- (a) opone
- (b) oponemos
- (c) opongo
- (d) opones

5. What is the vosotros/as form of oponerse in the present indicative?

- (a) oponéis
- (b) opones
- (c) opongo
- (d) opone

6. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of oponerse in the present indicative?

- (a) opone
- (b) oponen
- (c) opongo
- (d) opones

7. What is the gerund of oponerse?

- (a) opuesto
- (b) opongo
- (c) oponiendo
- (d) oponerse

8. What is the past participle of oponerse?

- (a) opuse
- (b) oponiendo
- (c) opuesto
- (d) oponerse

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the yo form of oponerse is opongo. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the present indicative, the tú form of oponerse is opones. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of oponerse is opone. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of oponerse is oponemos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of oponerse is oponéis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (b) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of oponerse is oponen. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (c) — The gerund of oponerse is oponiendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy oponiendo». 8. (c) — The past participle of oponerse is opuesto. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he opuesto».

Frequently asked questions

Is oponerse regular in the present?

No — the present of oponerse is irregular. The yo form is opongo, and the rest of the table is in the full conjugation page; learn the forms as a set rather than building them from the infinitive.

What is the yo form of oponerse in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for oponerse?

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

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

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

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