Partirse in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of partirse — «to break, to split» — 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. partirse is a regular -ir verb, reflexive verb, so the present follows the -ir 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 parto todos los días» — I break every day.

Partirse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me parto
tú te partes
él/ella/Ud. se parte
nosotros/as nos partimos
vosotros/as os partís
ellos/ellas/Uds. se parten

Gerund: partiendo · Past participle: partido

How the present tense of partirse is formed

Take the stem part — the infinitive partirse without its -ir 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 part -o parto
tú part -es partes
él/ella/Ud. part -e parte
nosotros/as part -imos partimos
vosotros/as part -ís partís
ellos/ellas/Uds. part -en parten

Because partirse is reflexive, put the pronoun before the form: me parto, te partes, se parte, nos partimos, os partís, se parten. 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 parto, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of partirse

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 parto todos los días. — I break 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 parte con mi familia. — He breaks 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 partiendo for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nos partimos por la mañana. — We break 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 partes en el trabajo. — You break 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 parten a veces. — They break 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 parto todos los días. — I break every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer me partí por la tarde. — Yesterday I broke 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 parte por la mañana. — He breaks in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer se partió por la tarde. — Yesterday He broke in the afternoon.

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

  • Present: Nos partimos con mi familia. — We break with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nos partimos dos veces. — Last week We broke 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: partirse in the present

  1. Me parto todos los días. — I break every day.
  2. Te partes en el trabajo. — You break at work.
  3. Se parte con mi familia. — He breaks with my family.
  4. Nos partimos por la mañana. — We break in the morning.
  5. Os partís cuando hay tiempo. — You break when there is time.
  6. Se parten a veces. — They break sometimes.
  7. Me parto en el trabajo. — I break at work.
  8. Se parte todos los días. — He breaks every day.

Common mistakes with partirse in the present

1. Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: Yo parto todos los días.

Right: Me parto todos los días.

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

2. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros partis.

Right: Vosotros partís.

The vosotros form partís 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 parto.

Right: Ayer yo partí.

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

4. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos parto.

Right: Ellos parten.

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

5. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy parto.

Right: Estoy partiendo.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy partiendo. The conjugated present parto never follows estar.

Quiz: partirse in the present

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

1. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of partirse in the present indicative?

- (a) partimos
- (b) partes
- (c) parte
- (d) parto

2. What is the nosotros/as form of partirse in the present indicative?

- (a) parto
- (b) partes
- (c) parte
- (d) partimos

3. What is the vosotros/as form of partirse in the present indicative?

- (a) parte
- (b) parto
- (c) partís
- (d) partes

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of partirse in the present indicative?

- (a) partes
- (b) parte
- (c) parto
- (d) parten

5. What is the yo form of partirse in the present indicative?

- (a) parto
- (b) partimos
- (c) partes
- (d) parte

6. What is the tú form of partirse in the present indicative?

- (a) parto
- (b) parte
- (c) partimos
- (d) partes

7. What is the gerund of partirse?

- (a) partiendo
- (b) partido
- (c) partirse
- (d) parto

8. What is the past participle of partirse?

- (a) partiendo
- (b) partí
- (c) partido
- (d) partirse

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of partirse is parte. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of partirse is partimos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of partirse is partís. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of partirse is parten. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the present indicative, the yo form of partirse is parto. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present indicative, the tú form of partirse is partes. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (a) — The gerund of partirse is partiendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy partiendo». 8. (c) — The past participle of partirse is partido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he partido».

Frequently asked questions

Is partirse regular in the present?

Yes — partirse is regular in the present. The stem part 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 partirse in the present?

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

How is the present different from the preterite for partirse?

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

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

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

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