Preocuparse Conjugation in Spanish
preocuparse means "to worry" in English, and it is one of the Spanish verbs you will use again and again in everyday conversation. It is used for talking about worrying — about exams, health, money, family and the future, which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of preocuparse in every tense and mood — present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, the four perfect tenses, both subjunctive tenses and the imperative — with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. Preocuparse is a reflexive -ar verb verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: Yo me preocupo por el examen. — "I worry about the exam.". Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: preocuparse
- English: to worry
- Verb type: Reflexive -ar verb
- Gerund: preocupando
- Past participle: preocupado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all compound tenses use haber + preocupado)
- Reflexive: yes — always use it with the reflexive pronouns me, te, se, nos, os, se.
Full conjugation table
Every tense of preocuparse with all six persons. The gerund is preocupando and the past participle is preocupado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | preocupo |
| tú | preocupas |
| él/ella/Ud. | preocupa |
| nosotros/as | preocupamos |
| vosotros/as | preocupáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | preocupan |
Preterite (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | preocupé |
| tú | preocupaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | preocupó |
| nosotros/as | preocupamos |
| vosotros/as | preocupasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | preocuparon |
Imperfect (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | preocupaba |
| tú | preocupabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | preocupaba |
| nosotros/as | preocupábamos |
| vosotros/as | preocupabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | preocupaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | preocuparé |
| tú | preocuparás |
| él/ella/Ud. | preocupará |
| nosotros/as | preocuparemos |
| vosotros/as | preocuparéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | preocuparán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | preocuparía |
| tú | preocuparías |
| él/ella/Ud. | preocuparía |
| nosotros/as | preocuparíamos |
| vosotros/as | preocuparíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | preocuparían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he preocupado |
| tú | has preocupado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha preocupado |
| nosotros/as | hemos preocupado |
| vosotros/as | habéis preocupado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han preocupado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había preocupado |
| tú | habías preocupado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había preocupado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos preocupado |
| vosotros/as | habíais preocupado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían preocupado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré preocupado |
| tú | habrás preocupado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá preocupado |
| nosotros/as | habremos preocupado |
| vosotros/as | habréis preocupado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán preocupado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría preocupado |
| tú | habrías preocupado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría preocupado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos preocupado |
| vosotros/as | habríais preocupado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían preocupado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | preocupe |
| tú | preocupes |
| él/ella/Ud. | preocupe |
| nosotros/as | preocupemos |
| vosotros/as | preocupéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | preocupen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | preocupara |
| tú | preocuparas |
| él/ella/Ud. | preocupara |
| nosotros/as | preocupáramos |
| vosotros/as | preocuparais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | preocuparan |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | preocupa |
| él/ella/Ud. | preocupe |
| nosotros/as | preocupemos |
| vosotros/as | preocupad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | preocupen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | preocupes |
| él/ella/Ud. | preocupe |
| nosotros/as | preocupemos |
| vosotros/as | preocupéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | preocupen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Gerund | preocupando |
| Past participle | preocupado |
How to use each tense
Each tense below explains when to use it with preocuparse, with one example sentence. The example forms are taken from the tables above.
Present indicative
The present tense talks about what happens now, habits, routines and general truths. It is the first tense every learner needs, because it covers daily life: what you do, what you like, where you live. For most verbs the present is also the base for the present subjunctive, so learning it well pays off twice.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Yo me preocupo por el examen.
Preterite (past)
The preterite talks about finished actions in the past — things that started and ended at a specific moment. Use it for events, for what happened yesterday, last year, or at a particular time. It answers the question "what happened?" and it is the tense of stories told as a sequence of events.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Ayer yo me preocupé por el examen.
Imperfect (past)
The imperfect talks about the past as background: habits, repeated actions, descriptions, and things that were in progress when something else happened. Use it for "used to", for setting a scene, and for age, time and weather in the past. It answers "what was going on?" rather than "what happened?".
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: En aquella época, yo me preocupaba por el examen.
Future
The future tense talks about what will happen: plans, predictions and promises. In everyday speech Spanish speakers often use "ir a + infinitive" instead, but the future tense is essential for formal writing, for promises, and for guessing about the present ("¿Dónde estará?").
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Mañana yo me preocuparé por el examen.
Conditional
The conditional talks about what would happen: hypothetical situations, polite requests, and advice. It pairs with the imperfect subjunctive in "if" sentences ("Si pudiera, lo haría"). It is also the polite way to ask for things and to soften opinions.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Yo me preocuparía por el examen si pudiera.
Present perfect
The present perfect (haber + past participle) talks about the recent past and about experience: what you have done, what has just happened, what you have never tried. It connects the past to the present moment, so it often appears with "hoy", "esta semana", "ya" and "todavía no".
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Yo ya me he preocupado por el examen.
Pluperfect
The pluperfect (había + past participle) talks about the past before the past: what had already happened when something else happened. Use it to order two past events — the pluperfect one comes first in time. It appears constantly in stories and explanations.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Yo ya me había preocupado por el examen antes.
Future perfect
The future perfect (habré + past participle) talks about something that will already be finished by a future moment: "Para mañana ya habré terminado". It is also used to guess about the past: "¿Dónde habrá ido?". It is less common in speech but regular in writing.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Para mañana yo ya me habré preocupado por el examen.
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect (habría + past participle) talks about what would have happened: the past of the conditional. It appears in "if" sentences about a past that did not happen ("Si hubiera sabido, habría venido") and in polite regrets and reproaches.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Yo me habría preocupado por el examen si hubiera podido.
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is the mood of wishes, doubts, emotions and influence: what you want, hope, doubt or demand. It appears after "quiero que", "espero que", "es posible que", "ojalá" and after verbs of emotion and doubt. It never stands alone — a trigger in the main clause calls for it.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Espero que él se preocupe por el examen.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
The imperfect subjunctive is the past of the subjunctive: it follows past-tense triggers ("Quería que vinieras") and it is the tense of "if" clauses about unlikely or impossible situations ("Si tuviera dinero, viajaría"). The -ra forms shown here are the standard ones; -se forms exist too but -ra is far more common in speech.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: Si él se preocupara por el examen, sería perfecto.
Imperative (affirmative)
Affirmative commands tell someone to do something: "¡Ven aquí!", "¡Siéntate!". The tú and vosotros forms are the ones you will use most, and they are also the ones that break the regular pattern most often — the tú affirmative command comes from the él/ella present form, not from the infinitive.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
In affirmative commands the reflexive pronoun attaches to the end of the verb. The table above gives the verb part of the command; add the pronoun (te, se, nos, os) after it.
Imperative (negative)
Negative commands tell someone not to do something: "¡No hables!", "¡No te vayas!". Unlike affirmative commands, negative commands always use the subjunctive forms, for every person. If you know the present subjunctive, you already know the negative imperative.
Remember the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes before the verb in these forms.
Example: No te preocupes por el examen.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with preocuparse, covering different tenses and persons. Read the Spanish first, then check the English.
- Yo me preocupo por el examen. — "I worry about the exam."
- ¿Tú te preocupas por el examen? — "Do you worry about the exam?"
- Ayer me preocupé por el examen. — "Yesterday I worried about the exam."
- Ella se preocupaba por el examen cada semana. — "She used to worry about the exam every week."
- Mañana yo me preocuparé por el examen. — "Tomorrow I will worry about the exam."
- Yo me preocuparía por el examen si no estudiara. — "I would worry about the exam if I didn't study."
- Ya me he preocupado por el examen. — "I have already worried about the exam."
- Espero que no te preocupes por el examen. — "I hope you don't worry about the exam."
Common mistakes
The errors learners actually make with preocuparse — and how to fix them.
- Wrong: *Yo preocupo por el examen — the pronoun is often forgotten. → Right: Yo me preocupo por el examen.. Preocuparse is reflexive: me preocupo, te preocupas, se preocupa. Without the pronoun, preocupar means to worry someone else: El examen me preocupa.
- Wrong: *Estoy preocupado por el examen — learners sometimes write estoy preocupando to say "I am worried". → Right: Estoy preocupado por el examen.. The participle preocupado works as an adjective: Estoy preocupado means "I am worried". Estoy preocupando would mean "I am worrying (someone)", which is different.
- Wrong: *Me preocupé por el examen — the accent is often dropped: me preocupe. → Right: Me preocupé por el examen.. The preterite yo form is me preocupé, with an accent on the final e. The pronoun goes before the verb: me preocupé, te preocupaste, se preocupó.
- Wrong: *No te preocupas por el examen — learners sometimes use the indicative preocupas in a negative command. → Right: No te preocupes por el examen.. Negative commands use the subjunctive: No te preocupes, not No te preocupas.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on preocuparse. Answers are at the end, with a short explanation for each.
What is the yo form of preocuparse in the present indicative?
- a) preocupamos
- b) preocupa
- c) preocupo
- d) preocupas
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of preocuparse in the preterite (past)?
- a) preocupó
- b) preocupaste
- c) preocupamos
- d) preocupé
What is the nosotros/as form of preocuparse in the imperfect (past)?
- a) preocupabas
- b) preocupábamos
- c) preocupaba
- d) preocupaba
What is the tú form of preocuparse in the future?
- a) preocupará
- b) preocuparás
- c) preocuparemos
- d) preocuparé
What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of preocuparse in the conditional?
- a) preocuparía
- b) preocuparías
- c) preocuparía
- d) preocuparían
What is the yo form of preocuparse in the present subjunctive?
- a) preocupemos
- b) preocupes
- c) preocupe
- d) preocupe
What is the gerund of preocuparse?
- a) preocupa
- b) preocupando
- c) preocuparse
- d) preocupado
What is the past participle of preocuparse?
- a) he preocupado
- b) preocupo
- c) preocupado
- d) preocupando
What does preocuparse mean in English?
- a) to worry
- b) to get stressed
- c) to grow
- d) to forget
The form preocupé belongs to which tense?
- a) Imperfect
- b) Future
- c) Present
- d) Preterite
Answer key
- preocupo — The yo form in the present indicative is preocupo — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- preocupó — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite (past) is preocupó — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- preocupábamos — The nosotros/as form in the imperfect (past) is preocupábamos — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- preocuparás — The tú form in the future is preocuparás — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- preocuparían — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the conditional is preocuparían — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- preocupe — The yo form in the present subjunctive is preocupe — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- preocupando — The gerund is preocupando — it is the form used with estar for the progressive (estoy preocupando). The past participle is preocupado.
- preocupado — The past participle is preocupado — it is the form used after haber in the perfect tenses (he preocupado).
- to worry — preocuparse means "to worry".
- Preterite — preocupé is the yo form of the preterite of preocuparse — a finished past action. The imperfect yo form is preocupaba.
Frequently asked questions
Is preocuparse reflexive?
Yes. Preocuparse always takes a reflexive pronoun: me preocupo, te preocupas, se preocupa, nos preocupamos, os preocupáis, se preocupan. The non-reflexive preocupar means to worry someone else: Su salud me preocupa.
What is the difference between preocuparse and estar preocupado?
Preocuparse describes the process of worrying (Me preocupo por el examen), while estar preocupado describes the state (Estoy preocupado). The participle preocupado is the adjective you use most often.
How do you say "Don't worry" in Spanish?
No te preocupes — the negative command of preocuparse. It is one of the most useful phrases in Spanish, and it uses the subjunctive form preocupes.
Does preocuparse take a preposition?
Yes, por for the thing you worry about (Me preocupo por el examen) and de for the cause in some regions (Me preocupo de su salud). Por is the standard preposition for preocuparse.
Related pages
- Preocuparse in the present tense — the present tense of preocuparse in depth, with its own examples and quiz.
- Preocuparse examples and quiz — more everyday sentences with preocuparse and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub: every verb, every tense guide and every tool in one place.
- Preocupar conjugation — another verb in the same family as preocuparse.
- Calmarse conjugation — another verb in the same family as preocuparse.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise preocuparse with this tool.
- Reflexive Verb Conjugator — practise preocuparse with this tool.
- Present tense guide — how the present tense works for regular and irregular verbs.