Introduction
Preguntarse means “to wonder”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Preguntarse means to wonder or to ask oneself, and it is the reflexive partner of preguntar: you ask yourself a question instead of asking someone else. It takes si or a question word: preguntarse si vendrá, preguntarse por qué. It is one of the most useful verbs for inner thoughts. This page shows preguntarse in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Me pregunto si vendrá mañana.” — I wonder whether he will come tomorrow.
Preguntarse in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how preguntarse is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use preguntarse in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Me pregunto si vendrá mañana.” — I wonder whether he will come tomorrow.
“¿Te preguntas por qué no llamó?” — Do you wonder why he did not call?
“Se pregunta qué hacer con el dinero.” — He/she wonders what to do with the money.
“Nosotros nos preguntamos dónde está la llave.” — We wonder where the key is.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show preguntarse in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo me pregunté si vendrá mañana.” — Yesterday, I wondered whether he will come tomorrow. (preterite)
“Antes, él se preguntaba por qué no llamó.” — Before, he used to wonder why he did not call. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of preguntarse stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros nos preguntaremos qué hacer con el dinero.” — Tomorrow, we will wonder what to do with the money. (future)
“¿Tú te has preguntado dónde está la llave?” — Have you wondered where the key is? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros os preguntáis si vendrá mañana.” — You wonder whether he will come tomorrow.
“Ellos se preguntan por qué no llamó.” — They wonder why he did not call.
“Yo me pregunto qué hacer con el dinero.” — I wonder what to do with the money.
“Mi padre se pregunta dónde está la llave.” — My father wonders where the key is.
Preguntarse in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how preguntarse appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú te preguntas por qué no llamó?” — Do you wonder why he did not call?
Pedro: “Sí, yo me pregunto si vendrá mañana.” — Yes, I wonder whether he will come tomorrow.
Marta: “Nosotros nos preguntamos dónde está la llave.” — We wonder where the key is.
Pedro: “Y ellos se preguntan por qué no llamó.” — And they wonder why he did not call.
Marta: “Vosotros os preguntáis qué hacer con el dinero.” — You wonder what to do with the money.
Pedro: “Sí, y él se pregunta si vendrá mañana.” — Yes, and he wonders whether he will come tomorrow.
A short paragraph
Se pregunta si vendrá mañana, y nosotros nos preguntamos dónde está la llave. Yo me pregunto por qué no llamó, y ellos se preguntan qué hacer con el dinero. Preguntarse is part of everyday life, because wonder is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with preguntarse
These are the errors learners actually make with preguntarse. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo pregunto si vendrá mañana.” Right: “Yo me pregunto si vendrá mañana.” Why: Preguntarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
Wrong: “Ayer yo pregunto por qué no llamó.” Right: “Ayer yo pregunté por qué no llamó.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: pregunto is happening now, while pregunté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating preguntarse and preguntar as identical in every context.” Right: “Preguntarse means to wonder, while preguntar means to ask someone else.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: preguntarse fits sentences such as Me pregunto si vendrá mañana, while preguntar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy preguntado por qué no llamó.” Right: “Yo he preguntado por qué no llamó.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he preguntado, has preguntado, ha preguntado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo pregunté qué hacer con el dinero todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo preguntaba qué hacer con el dinero todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (preguntaba), not the preterite. The preterite (pregunté) is for one finished action.
Quiz: preguntarse in use
Ten questions on preguntarse in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ si vendrá mañana.” (You wonder whether he will come tomorrow.)
- (a) os preguntáis
- (b) me pregunto
- (c) te preguntas
Answer: os preguntáis — The vosotros/as form of preguntarse in the present tense is os preguntáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ por qué no llamó.” (They wonder why he did not call.)
- (a) te preguntas
- (b) se preguntan
- (c) me pregunto
Answer: se preguntan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of preguntarse in the present tense is se preguntan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ si vendrá mañana.” (Yesterday I wondered whether he will come tomorrow.)
- (a) te preguntaste
- (b) se preguntó
- (c) me pregunté
Answer: me pregunté — In the preterite, the yo form of preguntarse is me pregunté.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ por qué no llamó.” (Before, he used to wonder why he did not call.)
- (a) se preguntaba
- (b) me pregunto
- (c) te preguntabas
Answer: se preguntaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of preguntarse is se preguntaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ qué hacer con el dinero.” (Tomorrow we will wonder what to do with the money.)
- (a) te preguntarás
- (b) nos preguntaremos
- (c) me preguntaré
Answer: nos preguntaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of preguntarse is nos preguntaremos.
6. What does preguntarse mean in English?
- (a) to wonder
- (b) to get ready
- (c) to ask someone else
Answer: to wonder — Preguntarse means “to wonder”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo pregunto si vendrá mañana.
- (b) Ellos se pregunta por qué no llamó.
- (c) Yo me pregunto si vendrá mañana.
Answer: Yo me pregunto si vendrá mañana. — “Yo me pregunto si vendrá mañana.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I wonder whether he will come tomorrow.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre se pregunta dónde está la llave.
- (b) Me pregunto si vendrá mañana.
- (c) Se preguntan si vendrá mañana.
Answer: Me pregunto si vendrá mañana. — “Me pregunto si vendrá mañana.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of preguntarse in the present tense?
- (a) me pregunto
- (b) te preguntas
- (c) nos preguntamos
Answer: nos preguntamos — The nosotros form is nos preguntamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros nos preguntaremos qué hacer con el dinero.
- (b) Me pregunto si vendrá mañana.
- (c) Ayer, yo me pregunté si vendrá mañana.
Answer: Me pregunto si vendrá mañana. — “Me pregunto si vendrá mañana.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I wonder whether he will come tomorrow' in Spanish?
Say 'Me pregunto si vendrá mañana'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Me pregunto si vendrá mañana todos los días'.
How do you say 'He wonders why he did not call' in Spanish?
Say 'Él se pregunta por qué no llamó'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes se pregunta.
What is the difference between preguntarse and preguntar?
Preguntarse means to wonder, while preguntar means to ask someone else. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use preguntarse when you mean to wonder, as in 'Me pregunto si vendrá mañana', and use preguntar for to ask someone else.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of preguntarse — every tense of preguntarse in one place.
- Preguntarse in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on preguntarse and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of preguntarse until they are automatic.