Oponerse Conjugation in Spanish

Learning to conjugate oponerse — «to oppose» — opens up a whole set of sentences you will use every day. It is a irregular -er verb, reflexive verb, and this page covers it completely: thirteen tenses, the gerund oponiendo and the past participle opuesto, example sentences in every tense, the common mistakes and a quiz with an answer key. A good first sentence to learn is «Me opongo todos los días» — I oppose every day. Once you can say that, the rest of the table falls into place person by person.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: oponerse
  • English: to oppose
  • Verb type: irregular -er verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: oponiendo
  • Past participle: opuesto
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + opuesto)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.
  • Irregular in: present indicative, preterite, future, conditional, present subjunctive, imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), past participle, present perfect, pluperfect, future perfect, conditional perfect, imperative — affirmative, imperative — negative.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for oponerse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

oponerse is reflexive: Me opongo todos los días; te opones todos los días. Without the pronoun, the verb means doing the action to someone else rather than to yourself, so keep the pronoun with the form.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for oponerse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Gerund: oponiendo · Past participle: opuesto

Present Indicative

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

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For oponerse, the yo form is opongo, as in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths, and remember that Spanish often uses the present where English would use a progressive or a near future. This is one of the tenses where oponerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me opuse
tú te opusiste
él/ella/Ud. se opuso
nosotros/as nos opusimos
vosotros/as os opusisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se opusieron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo opuse» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time. This is one of the tenses where oponerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me oponía
tú te oponías
él/ella/Ud. se oponía
nosotros/as nos oponíamos
vosotros/as os oponíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se oponían

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo oponía» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me opondré
tú te opondrás
él/ella/Ud. se opondrá
nosotros/as nos opondremos
vosotros/as os opondréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se opondrán

The future tense states what will happen. For oponerse the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo opondré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive. This is one of the tenses where oponerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me opondría
tú te opondrías
él/ella/Ud. se opondría
nosotros/as nos opondríamos
vosotros/as os opondríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se opondrían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo opondría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings. This is one of the tenses where oponerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Present Perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he opuesto
tú te has opuesto
él/ella/Ud. se ha opuesto
nosotros/as nos hemos opuesto
vosotros/as os habéis opuesto
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han opuesto

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he opuesto». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred. This is one of the tenses where oponerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había opuesto
tú te habías opuesto
él/ella/Ud. se había opuesto
nosotros/as nos habíamos opuesto
vosotros/as os habíais opuesto
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían opuesto

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había opuesto». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place. This is one of the tenses where oponerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Future Perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré opuesto
tú te habrás opuesto
él/ella/Ud. se habrá opuesto
nosotros/as nos habremos opuesto
vosotros/as os habréis opuesto
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán opuesto

The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré opuesto» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing. This is one of the tenses where oponerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Conditional Perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría opuesto
tú te habrías opuesto
él/ella/Ud. se habría opuesto
nosotros/as nos habríamos opuesto
vosotros/as os habríais opuesto
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían opuesto

The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría opuesto si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances. This is one of the tenses where oponerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Present Subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me oponga
tú te opongas
él/ella/Ud. se oponga
nosotros/as nos opongamos
vosotros/as os opongáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se opongan

The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él oponga». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it. This is one of the tenses where oponerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me opusiera
tú te opusieras
él/ella/Ud. se opusiera
nosotros/as nos opusiéramos
vosotros/as os opusierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se opusieran

The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él opusiera, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem. This is one of the tenses where oponerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Imperative — Affirmative

Person Pronoun Form
tú te opón
él/ella/Ud. se oponga
nosotros/as nos opongamos
vosotros/as os oponed
ellos/ellas/Uds. se opongan

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

In real speech the reflexive pronoun attaches to the end of an affirmative command; the table shows the pronoun and the form separately so you can see both parts.

The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡opón!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally. This is one of the tenses where oponerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Imperative — Negative

Person Pronoun Form
tú te opongas
él/ella/Ud. se oponga
nosotros/as nos opongamos
vosotros/as os opongáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se opongan

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

In real speech the reflexive pronoun attaches to the end of an affirmative command; the table shows the pronoun and the form separately so you can see both parts.

The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No opongas!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no. This is one of the tenses where oponerse does not follow the regular pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Example sentences

  1. Me opongo todos los días. — I oppose every day.
  2. Ayer me opuse por la tarde. — Yesterday I opposed in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, me oponía todos los días. — In the past, I used to oppose every day.
  4. Mañana me opondré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will oppose without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, me opondría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would oppose right now.
  6. Hoy me he opuesto dos veces. — Today I have opposed twice.
  7. Espero que te opongas pronto. — I hope You oppose soon.
  8. Si me opusiera, todo sería distinto. — If I opposed, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo me estoy oponiendo. — Right now I am opposing.
  10. ¡No te opongas! — Don't oppose!

Common mistakes

1. Forgetting the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: yo opongo todos los días.

Right: me opongo todos los días.

oponerse is reflexive: the pronoun me belongs before every conjugated form. Without it, you are using the non-reflexive verb, which means something different — doing the action to someone else instead of to yourself.

2. Treating oponerse as fully regular in the present

Wrong: Yo opono.

Right: Yo opongo.

oponerse is irregular in the present tense, so the regular pattern does not apply. The yo form is opongo — learn it as a separate word rather than building it from the infinitive.

3. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer me oponía.

Right: Ayer me opuse.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, opuse. The imperfect oponía describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que te opones.

Right: Espero que te opongas.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: opongas, not the indicative opones. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

5. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No te opón.

Right: No te opongas.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no opongas. The affirmative opón can never follow no.

6. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He oponiendo.

Right: He opuesto.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he opuesto. The gerund oponiendo goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy oponiendo»), never with haber.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

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

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

2. What is the tú form of oponerse in the preterite?

- (a) opusimos
- (b) opuso
- (c) opusiste
- (d) opuse

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

- (a) oponías
- (b) oponía
- (c) oponíamos
- (d) oponía

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

- (a) opondré
- (b) opondrás
- (c) opondrá
- (d) opondremos

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

- (a) opondrías
- (b) opondría
- (c) opondríais
- (d) opondría

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

- (a) han opuesto
- (b) ha opuesto
- (c) he opuesto
- (d) has opuesto

7. What is the yo form of oponerse in the present subjunctive?

- (a) opongamos
- (b) opongas
- (c) oponga
- (d) oponga

8. What is the tú form of oponerse in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?

- (a) opusieras
- (b) opusiera
- (c) opusiéramos
- (d) opusiera

9. What is the gerund of oponerse?

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

10. What is the past participle of oponerse?

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

Answer key

1. (c) — 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 preterite, the tú form of oponerse is opusiste. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of oponerse is oponía. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the future, the nosotros/as form of oponerse is opondremos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the conditional, the vosotros/as form of oponerse is opondríais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — In the present perfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of oponerse is han opuesto. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (c) — In the present subjunctive, the yo form of oponerse is oponga. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (a) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the tú form of oponerse is opusieras. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (c) — The gerund of oponerse is oponiendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy oponiendo». 10. (a) — The past participle of oponerse is opuesto. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he opuesto».

Frequently asked questions

Is oponerse regular or irregular?

No — oponerse is irregular. The tenses that break the regular pattern are: present indicative, preterite, future, conditional, present subjunctive, imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), past participle, present perfect, pluperfect, future perfect, conditional perfect, imperative — affirmative, imperative — negative. Learn those forms as a set, and use the regular pattern for the rest.

What are the gerund and past participle of oponerse?

The gerund is oponiendo and the past participle is opuesto. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy oponiendo») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he opuesto»).

How do I say «I oppose» in Spanish?

Say «Me opongo todos los días». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.

What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of oponerse?

Use the preterite (opuse) for a single finished event and the imperfect (oponía) for habits and background. «Ayer yo opuse» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo oponía» describes what used to happen.

When do I use the subjunctive with oponerse?

Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú opongas». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.

What does the -se in oponerse mean?

The -se marks oponerse as reflexive: the action comes back to the subject. You always pair the form with its pronoun — me, te, se, nos, os, se — placed before the conjugated verb. Dropping the pronoun changes the meaning, so treat the pronoun as part of the verb.

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