Preguntarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb preguntarse means to wonder, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, preguntarse changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say me pregunto si vendrá mañana, and in the preterite you say me pregunté qué hacer con el dinero. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: preguntarse
  • English: to wonder
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: preguntando
  • Past participle: preguntado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + preguntado)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for preguntarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Preguntarse is reflexive: me pregunto si vendrá. Without the pronoun, preguntar asks someone else.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for preguntarse. 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.

Present indicative

Person Pronoun Form
yo me pregunto
tú te preguntas
él/ella/Ud. se pregunta
nosotros/as nos preguntamos
vosotros/as os preguntáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se preguntan

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me pregunté
tú te preguntaste
él/ella/Ud. se preguntó
nosotros/as nos preguntamos
vosotros/as os preguntasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se preguntaron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me preguntaba
tú te preguntabas
él/ella/Ud. se preguntaba
nosotros/as nos preguntábamos
vosotros/as os preguntabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se preguntaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me preguntaré
tú te preguntarás
él/ella/Ud. se preguntará
nosotros/as nos preguntaremos
vosotros/as os preguntaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se preguntarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me preguntaría
tú te preguntarías
él/ella/Ud. se preguntaría
nosotros/as nos preguntaríamos
vosotros/as os preguntaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se preguntarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me pregunte
tú te preguntes
él/ella/Ud. se pregunte
nosotros/as nos preguntemos
vosotros/as os preguntéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se pregunten

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me preguntara
tú te preguntaras
él/ella/Ud. se preguntara
nosotros/as nos preguntáramos
vosotros/as os preguntarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se preguntaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te pregunta
él/ella/Ud. se pregunte
nosotros/as nos preguntemos
vosotros/as os preguntad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se pregunten

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te preguntes
él/ella/Ud. se pregunte
nosotros/as nos preguntemos
vosotros/as os preguntéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se pregunten

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund preguntando with estar for the progressive: estoy preguntando (or me estoy preguntando for this reflexive verb)
Past participle preguntado with haber for the perfect tenses: he preguntado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For preguntarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me pregunto si vendrá mañana. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For preguntarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me pregunté por qué no llamó. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For preguntarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me preguntaba qué hacer con el dinero. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For preguntarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me preguntaré dónde está la llave. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For preguntarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me preguntaría si vendrá mañana si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For preguntarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he preguntado por qué no llamó. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For preguntarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había preguntado qué hacer con el dinero antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For preguntarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré preguntado dónde está la llave. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For preguntarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría preguntado si vendrá mañana con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For preguntarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se pregunte por qué no llamó. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For preguntarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se preguntara qué hacer con el dinero, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For preguntarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se pregunte dónde está la llave. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For preguntarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te preguntes si vendrá mañana. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with preguntarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me pregunto si vendrá mañana. — I wonder whether he will come tomorrow.
  2. Se pregunta por qué no llamó. — He/she wonders why he did not call.
  3. Ayer, me pregunté qué hacer con el dinero. — Yesterday, I wondered what to do with the money.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos preguntábamos dónde está la llave. — Before, we used to wonder where the key is.
  5. Mañana, tú te preguntarás si vendrá mañana. — Tomorrow, you will wonder whether he will come tomorrow.
  6. Yo me preguntaría por qué no llamó si tuviera más tiempo. — I would wonder why he did not call if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha preguntado qué hacer con el dinero. — He has wondered what to do with the money.
  8. Espero que él se pregunte dónde está la llave. — I hope he wonders where the key is.
  9. Yo ya me había preguntado si vendrá mañana antes de salir. — I had already wondered whether he will come tomorrow before leaving.
  10. Ellos se preguntaban por qué no llamó cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to wonder why he did not call when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo pregunto si vendrá mañana. — Right: Yo me pregunto si vendrá mañana. — Preguntarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo pregunto por qué no llamó. — Right: Ayer yo pregunté por qué no llamó. — 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.
  3. Wrong: Treating preguntarse and preguntar as identical in every context. — Right: Preguntarse means to wonder, while preguntar means to ask someone else. — 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.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy preguntado por qué no llamó. — Right: Yo he preguntado por qué no llamó. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he preguntado, has preguntado, ha preguntado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. 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. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (preguntaba), not the preterite. The preterite (pregunté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on preguntarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ si vendrá mañana. (present tense) A. me pregunto B. te preguntas C. se pregunta D. nos preguntamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ por qué no llamó. (preterite) A. me pregunté B. te preguntaste C. nos preguntamos D. se preguntó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ qué hacer con el dinero. (imperfect) A. te preguntabas B. se preguntaba C. nos preguntábamos D. me preguntaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ dónde está la llave. (future) A. nos preguntaremos B. te preguntarás C. me preguntaré D. se preguntará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ si vendrá mañana si pudiera. (conditional) A. me preguntaría B. te preguntarías C. se preguntaría D. nos preguntaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ por qué no llamó. (present subjunctive) A. me pregunte B. te preguntes C. nos preguntemos D. se pregunte

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ qué hacer con el dinero, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se preguntara B. nos preguntáramos C. me preguntara D. te preguntaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ dónde está la llave. (present perfect) A. se ha preguntado B. nos hemos preguntado C. me he preguntado D. te has preguntado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ si vendrá mañana. (negative imperative, tú) A. te preguntes B. se pregunte C. nos preguntemos D. os preguntéis

  10. Which is the gerund of preguntarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. preguntado B. pregunto C. pregunté D. preguntando

Answer key

  1. me pregunto — The yo present tense of preguntarse is me pregunto.
  2. se preguntó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of preguntarse is se preguntó.
  3. nos preguntábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of preguntarse is nos preguntábamos.
  4. te preguntarás — The tú future of preguntarse is te preguntarás.
  5. me preguntaría — The yo conditional of preguntarse is me preguntaría.
  6. se pregunte — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of preguntarse is se pregunte.
  7. me preguntara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of preguntarse is me preguntara.
  8. nos hemos preguntado — The nosotros/as present perfect of preguntarse is nos hemos preguntado.
  9. te preguntes — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te preguntes.
  10. preguntando — The gerund of preguntarse is preguntando: estoy preguntando. The participle preguntado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does preguntarse mean in English?

Preguntarse means to wonder. It is used in everyday situations such as Me pregunto si vendrá mañana. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is preguntarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Preguntarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me pregunto si vendrá mañana and él se pregunta por qué no llamó. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

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. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I wonder” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me pregunté por qué no llamó. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me preguntaba qué hacer con el dinero. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he preguntado por qué no llamó.

How do I practise preguntarse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the preguntarse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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