Introduction

Prepararse means “to get ready”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Prepararse means to get ready, and it is the reflexive partner of preparar: you prepare yourself for an exam, a trip, a party or a match. It takes para: prepararse para el examen. It is a daily verb, in school, sport and travel. This page shows prepararse 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 preparo para el examen de mañana.” — I get ready for tomorrow's exam.

Prepararse in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how prepararse 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 prepararse in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Me preparo para el examen de mañana.” — I get ready for tomorrow's exam.

  2. “¿Te preparas para el viaje a Madrid?” — Do you get ready for the trip to Madrid?

  3. “Se prepara con tiempo para la fiesta.” — He/she gets ready in good time for the party.

  4. “Nosotros nos preparamos para el partido del domingo.” — We get ready for Sunday's match.

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show prepararse in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.

  1. “Ayer, yo me preparé para el examen de mañana.” — Yesterday, I got ready for tomorrow's exam. (preterite)

  2. “Antes, él se preparaba para el viaje a Madrid.” — Before, he used to get ready for the trip to Madrid. (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 prepararse stays the same.

  1. “Mañana, nosotros nos prepararemos con tiempo para la fiesta.” — Tomorrow, we will get ready in good time for the party. (future)

  2. “¿Tú te has preparado para el partido del domingo?” — Have you got ready for Sunday's match? (present perfect)

More everyday uses

Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.

  1. “Vosotros os preparáis para el examen de mañana.” — You get ready for tomorrow's exam.

  2. “Ellos se preparan para el viaje a Madrid.” — They get ready for the trip to Madrid.

  3. “Yo me preparo con tiempo para la fiesta.” — I get ready in good time for the party.

  4. “Mi padre se prepara para el partido del domingo.” — My father gets ready for Sunday's match.

Prepararse 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 prepararse appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

A short dialogue

  • Marta: “¿Tú te preparas para el viaje a Madrid?” — Do you get ready for the trip to Madrid?

  • Pedro: “Sí, yo me preparo para el examen de mañana.” — Yes, I get ready for tomorrow's exam.

  • Marta: “Nosotros nos preparamos para el partido del domingo.” — We get ready for Sunday's match.

  • Pedro: “Y ellos se preparan para el viaje a Madrid.” — And they get ready for the trip to Madrid.

  • Marta: “Vosotros os preparáis con tiempo para la fiesta.” — You get ready in good time for the party.

  • Pedro: “Sí, y él se prepara para el examen de mañana.” — Yes, and he gets ready for tomorrow's exam.

A short paragraph

Se prepara para el examen de mañana, y nosotros nos preparamos para el partido del domingo. Yo me preparo para el viaje a Madrid, y ellos se preparan con tiempo para la fiesta. Prepararse is part of everyday life, because get ready is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.

Common mistakes with prepararse

These are the errors learners actually make with prepararse. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Yo preparo para el examen de mañana.” Right: “Yo me preparo para el examen de mañana.” Why: Prepararse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.

  • Wrong: “Ayer yo preparo para el viaje a Madrid.” Right: “Ayer yo preparé para el viaje a Madrid.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: preparo is happening now, while preparé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

  • Wrong: “Treating prepararse and preparar as identical in every context.” Right: “Prepararse means to get ready, while preparar means to prepare something else.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: prepararse fits sentences such as Me preparo para el examen de mañana, while preparar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

  • Wrong: “Yo soy preparado para el viaje a Madrid.” Right: “Yo he preparado para el viaje a Madrid.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he preparado, has preparado, ha preparado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

  • Wrong: “De niño, yo preparé con tiempo para la fiesta todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo preparaba con tiempo para la fiesta todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (preparaba), not the preterite. The preterite (preparé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: prepararse in use

Ten questions on prepararse in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ para el examen de mañana.” (You get ready for tomorrow's exam.)

  • (a) os preparáis
  • (b) me preparo
  • (c) te preparas

Answer: os preparáis — The vosotros/as form of prepararse in the present tense is os preparáis.

2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ para el viaje a Madrid.” (They get ready for the trip to Madrid.)

  • (a) te preparas
  • (b) se preparan
  • (c) me preparo

Answer: se preparan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of prepararse in the present tense is se preparan.

3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ para el examen de mañana.” (Yesterday I got ready for tomorrow's exam.)

  • (a) te preparaste
  • (b) se preparó
  • (c) me preparé

Answer: me preparé — In the preterite, the yo form of prepararse is me preparé.

4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ para el viaje a Madrid.” (Before, he used to get ready for the trip to Madrid.)

  • (a) se preparaba
  • (b) me preparo
  • (c) te preparabas

Answer: se preparaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of prepararse is se preparaba.

5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ con tiempo para la fiesta.” (Tomorrow we will get ready in good time for the party.)

  • (a) te prepararás
  • (b) nos prepararemos
  • (c) me prepararé

Answer: nos prepararemos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of prepararse is nos prepararemos.

6. What does prepararse mean in English?

  • (a) to get ready
  • (b) to wonder
  • (c) to prepare something else

Answer: to get ready — Prepararse means “to get ready”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • (a) Yo preparo para el examen de mañana.
  • (b) Ellos se prepara para el viaje a Madrid.
  • (c) Yo me preparo para el examen de mañana.

Answer: Yo me preparo para el examen de mañana. — “Yo me preparo para el examen de mañana.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.

8. How do you say “I get ready for tomorrow's exam.” in Spanish?

  • (a) Mi padre se prepara para el partido del domingo.
  • (b) Me preparo para el examen de mañana.
  • (c) Se preparan para el examen de mañana.

Answer: Me preparo para el examen de mañana. — “Me preparo para el examen de mañana.” is the correct translation.

9. What is the nosotros form of prepararse in the present tense?

  • (a) me preparo
  • (b) te preparas
  • (c) nos preparamos

Answer: nos preparamos — The nosotros form is nos preparamos.

10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?

  • (a) Mañana, nosotros nos prepararemos con tiempo para la fiesta.
  • (b) Me preparo para el examen de mañana.
  • (c) Ayer, yo me preparé para el examen de mañana.

Answer: Me preparo para el examen de mañana. — “Me preparo para el examen de mañana.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I get ready for tomorrow's exam' in Spanish?

Say 'Me preparo para el examen de mañana'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Me preparo para el examen de mañana todos los días'.

How do you say 'He gets ready for the trip to Madrid' in Spanish?

Say 'Él se prepara para el viaje a Madrid'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes se prepara.

What is the difference between prepararse and preparar?

Prepararse means to get ready, while preparar means to prepare something else. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use prepararse when you mean to get ready, as in 'Me preparo para el examen de mañana', and use preparar for to prepare something else.

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