Preocuparse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

preocuparse means "to worry" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Preocuparse means "to worry" — about money, about health, about children, about the future. It is the reflexive partner of preocupar (to worry someone): el examen me preocupa (the exam worries me) versus me preocupo por el examen (I worry about the exam). Preocuparse por + noun names what you worry about, and preocuparse de is used in Spain for looking after something. It is a regular -ar verb: me preocupo, te preocupas, se preocupa, nos preocupamos, os preocupáis, se preocupan. The phrase no te preocupes (don't worry) is one of the most useful phrases in the whole language. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by meaning, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of preocuparse; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the preocuparse present tense page.

preocuparse in everyday use: examples with translations

Worrying about money and health

  1. Yo me preocupo por el dinero. — "I worry about money."
  2. Yo me preocupo por mi salud. — "I worry about my health."
  3. Ayer yo me preocupé mucho por el examen. — "Yesterday I worried a lot about the exam."
  4. De niño, yo me preocupaba poco. — "As a child, I used to worry little."

Worrying about people

  1. Mi madre se preocupa por mí. — "My mother worries about me."
  2. Tú te preocupas por tus hijos. — "You worry about your children."
  3. Yo me preocuparé por ti si no llamas. — "I will worry about you if you don't call."
  4. Yo me he preocupado mucho esta semana. — "I have worried a lot this week."

Don't worry

  1. No te te preocupas, todo saldrá bien. — "Don't worry, everything will be fine."
  2. Tú te preocupas demasiado. — "You worry too much."
  3. Yo me preocuparía si no tuviera trabajo. — "I would worry if I didn't have work."
  4. Nosotros nos preocupamos por el futuro. — "We worry about the future."

preocuparse in conversation

Two short dialogues that use preocuparse the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

A mother reassures her daughter before an exam.

  • Madre: Mi madre se preocupa por mí. — "My mother worries about me."
  • Hija: Yo me preocupo por el examen. — "I worry about the exam."
  • Madre: No te te preocupas, todo saldrá bien. — "Don't worry, everything will be fine."
  • Hija: Ayer yo me preocupé mucho por el examen. — "Yesterday I worried a lot about the exam."

Two friends talk about money.

  • Ana: Yo me preocupo por el dinero. — "I worry about money."
  • Bea: ¿Tú te preocupas demasiado? — "Do you worry too much?"
  • Ana: Nosotros nos preocupamos por el futuro. — "We worry about the future."
  • Bea: Ellos se preocupan por la economía. — "They worry about the economy."

Common mistakes with preocuparse

The errors learners actually make with preocuparse, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo preocupo por el dinero (dropping the pronoun).

✓ Correct: Yo me preocupo por el dinero.

Preocuparse is reflexive: me preocupo. Yo preocupo means "I worry (someone else)".

✗ *Tú preocupas demasiado (missing te).

✓ Correct: Tú te preocupas demasiado.

The pronoun is obligatory: te preocupas, not preocupas.

✗ *No preocupes, todo saldrá bien (missing te in the reassurance).

✓ Correct: No te te preocupas, todo saldrá bien.

The phrase is no te preocupes, with the pronoun. Without te it is the wrong verb form and the wrong meaning.

✗ *Vosotros preocupáis por nada (missing os).

✓ Correct: Vosotros os preocupáis por nada.

Vosotros needs os: os preocupáis. And preocupáis carries the written accent on the á.

Quiz: preocuparse in use

Ten questions on preocuparse — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ por el dinero. — "I worry about money."

  • a) me preocupo
  • b) se preocupa
  • c) me preocupé
  • d) te preocupas

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer yo ______ mucho por el examen. — "Yesterday I worried a lot about the exam."

  • a) me preocupo
  • b) me preocupé
  • c) te preocupaste
  • d) se preocupó

3. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ por tus hijos. — "You worry about your children."

  • a) te preocupas
  • b) te preocupaste
  • c) me preocupo
  • d) se preocupa

4. Complete the sentence: No te ______, todo saldrá bien. — "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

  • a) te preocupas
  • b) se preocupa
  • c) me preocupo
  • d) te preocupaste

5. Which is the correct present tense form of preocuparse for yo?

  • a) nos preocupamos
  • b) me preocupo
  • c) se preocupa
  • d) te preocupas

6. Which is the correct present tense form of preocuparse for tú?

  • a) te preocupas
  • b) se preocupa
  • c) me preocupo
  • d) nos preocupamos

7. Which is the correct present tense form of preocuparse for ellos/ellas/Uds.?

  • a) me preocupo
  • b) se preocupa
  • c) se preocupan
  • d) te preocupas

8. Which sentence uses preocuparse correctly?

  • a) Nosotros se preocupa por el trabajo.
  • b) Nosotros nos preocupamos por el trabajo.
  • c) Nosotros preocupamos por el trabajo.

9. What is the past participle of preocuparse?

  • a) preocupado
  • b) preocupo
  • c) preocupándose
  • d) preocupó

10. What does preocuparse mean in English?

  • a) to have
  • b) to worry
  • c) to calm down
  • d) to go

Answer key

  1. a) me preocupo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: me preocupo.

  2. b) me preocupé — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: me preocupé.

  3. a) te preocupas — The sentence needs the tú form in the present: te preocupas.

  4. a) te preocupas — The sentence needs the tú form in the present: te preocupas.

  5. b) me preocupo — The present tense form for yo is me preocupo.

  6. a) te preocupas — The present tense form for tú is te preocupas.

  7. c) se preocupan — The present tense form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is se preocupan.

  8. b) Nosotros nos preocupamos por el trabajo. — Nosotros nos preocupamos por el trabajo. is correct. The other sentences use the wrong person, the wrong tense, or the wrong pattern for this verb.

  9. a) preocupado — The past participle is preocupado. You need it for every perfect tense with haber: he preocupado, has preocupado, ha preocupado.

  10. b) to worry — preocuparse means "to worry".

Frequently asked questions

How do I use preocuparse in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as preocuparse por algo and no te preocupes. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between preocuparse and calmarse?

preocuparse means "to worry", while calmarse means "to calm down". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use preocuparse when you mean "to worry" and calmarse when you mean "to calm down".

Which tense do I need most with preocuparse?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use preocuparse most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is preocuparse formal or informal?

preocuparse is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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