Preocuparse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of preocuparse — "to worry" in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for preocuparse with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Yo me preocupo por el dinero. — "I worry about money.".
Present tense conjugation table: preocuparse
Every person of preocuparse in the present tense. The gerund is preocupándose and the past participle is preocupado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me preocupo |
| tú | te preocupas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se preocupa |
| nosotros/as | nos preocupamos |
| vosotros/as | os preocupáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se preocupan |
How the present indicative of preocuparse is formed
The present indicative of preocuparse is built from the stem preocup- plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me preocupo |
| tú | -as | te preocupas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se preocupa |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos preocupamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os preocupáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se preocupan |
preocuparse is a reflexive verb, so every form carries a reflexive pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se. The verb itself is a regular -ar verb built on the stem preocup-, so the only extra work is matching the pronoun to the person — me preocupo for yo, te preocupas for tú, se preocupa for él/ella, nos preocupamos for nosotros, os preocupáis for vosotros and se preocupan for ellos/ellas. The pronoun always goes before the conjugated verb in the present tense. The gerund is preocupándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is preocupado.
The gerund of preocuparse is preocupándose and the past participle is preocupado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of preocuparse
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and preocuparse appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Worrying about something
Preocuparse por + noun names the cause of the worry.
"Yo me preocupo por el dinero." — "I worry about money."
Worrying about someone
Preocuparse por alguien names the person you worry about.
"Mi madre se preocupa por mí." — "My mother worries about me."
Worrying too much
The present states a general habit of worrying.
"Tú te preocupas demasiado." — "You worry too much."
Telling someone not to worry
No te preocupes is the standard reassurance.
"No te te preocupas, todo saldrá bien." — "Don't worry, everything will be fine."
Worrying about the future
The present describes worry about what is coming.
"Nosotros nos preocupamos por el futuro." — "We worry about the future."
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Yo me preocupo por mi salud. — "I worry about my health."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo me preocupé por mi salud. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Tú te preocupas por tus hijos. — "You worry about your children."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú te preocupabas por tus hijos. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Ella se preocupa por el examen. — "She worries about the exam."
- Future — what will happen: Ella se preocupará por el examen. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: preocuparse in the present tense
Seven sentences that show preocuparse in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo me preocupo por mi salud. — "I worry about my health."
- Tú te preocupas por tus hijos. — "You worry about your children."
- Ella se preocupa por el examen. — "She worries about the exam."
- Nosotros nos preocupamos por el trabajo. — "We worry about work."
- Vosotros os preocupáis por nada. — "You worry about nothing."
- Ellos se preocupan por la economía. — "They worry about the economy."
- Mi padre se preocupa por mi hermano. — "My father worries about my brother."
Common mistakes with preocuparse in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with preocuparse in the present tense. Each one shows 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 the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of preocuparse. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of preocuparse for tú?
- a) se preocupa
- b) me preocupo
- c) te preocupas
- d) se preocupan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ por mi salud. — "I worry about my health."
- a) me preocupé
- b) se preocupan
- c) te preocupas
- d) me preocupo
3. Complete the sentence: Mi madre ______ por mí. — "My mother worries about me."
- a) te preocupas
- b) se preocupa
- c) se preocupó
- d) nos preocupamos
4. Which is the correct present tense form of preocuparse for nosotros?
- a) se preocupan
- b) me preocupo
- c) nos preocupamos
- d) te preocupas
5. Which sentence uses preocuparse correctly in the present tense?
- a) Ella se preocupó por el examen.
- b) Ella se preocupa por el examen.
- c) Ella te preocupas por el examen.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of preocuparse for yo, including the reflexive pronoun?
- a) preocupo
- b) te preocupas
- c) se preocupa
- d) me preocupo
7. Complete the sentence: No te ______, todo saldrá bien. — "Don't worry, everything will be fine."
- a) se preocupan
- b) me preocupo
- c) te preocupas
- d) te preocupaste
8. What is the gerund of preocuparse?
- a) preocupandose
- b) preocupamos
- c) preocupándose
- d) preocupado
Answer key
c) te preocupas — The tú form is te preocupas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; me preocupo is yo, se preocupa is él/ella and se preocupan is ellos/ellas.
d) me preocupo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: me preocupo. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
b) se preocupa — The subject is él/ella/Ud., so the present form is se preocupa.
c) nos preocupamos — Nosotros takes nos preocupamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem preocup-.
b) Ella se preocupa por el examen. — Ella se preocupa por el examen. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) me preocupo — Reflexive verbs need the pronoun: me preocupo. Without me the verb means something else, and the other options belong to different persons.
c) te preocupas — The subject is tú, so the present form is te preocupas.
c) preocupándose — The gerund is preocupándose. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle preocupado.
Frequently asked questions
Is preocuparse regular in the present tense?
The verb itself is regular — it is a normal -ar verb — but it is reflexive, so every form carries a pronoun: me preocupo, te preocupas, se preocupa, nos preocupamos, os preocupáis and se preocupan. The pronoun is part of the verb, not an optional extra.
What is the gerund and the past participle of preocuparse?
The gerund is preocupándose and the past participle is preocupado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to worry" in Spanish?
Say me preocupo. For example: Yo me preocupo por mi salud. — "I worry about my health.".
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". The full conjugation of calmarse is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of preocuparse — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- preocuparse examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.