Presentarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb presentarse means to introduce oneself, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Presentarse means to introduce oneself, and it is the verb you use at the start of a meeting, a class or a job interview: me presento, soy María. It also means to show up or to turn up somewhere, as in presentarse en la oficina a las nueve, and both senses are reflexive. Like every Spanish verb, presentarse 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 presento en la reunión de trabajo, and in the preterite you say me presenté en la oficina a las nueve. 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: presentarse
  • English: to introduce oneself
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: presentando
  • Past participle: presentado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + presentado)
  • 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 presentarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Presentarse is reflexive: me presento means I introduce myself, while presentar a María means introducing María to someone else.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for presentarse. 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 presento
tú te presentas
él/ella/Ud. se presenta
nosotros/as nos presentamos
vosotros/as os presentáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se presentan

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me presenté
tú te presentaste
él/ella/Ud. se presentó
nosotros/as nos presentamos
vosotros/as os presentasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se presentaron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me presentaba
tú te presentabas
él/ella/Ud. se presentaba
nosotros/as nos presentábamos
vosotros/as os presentabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se presentaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me presentaré
tú te presentarás
él/ella/Ud. se presentará
nosotros/as nos presentaremos
vosotros/as os presentaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se presentarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me presentaría
tú te presentarías
él/ella/Ud. se presentaría
nosotros/as nos presentaríamos
vosotros/as os presentaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se presentarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me presente
tú te presentes
él/ella/Ud. se presente
nosotros/as nos presentemos
vosotros/as os presentéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se presenten

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me presentara
tú te presentaras
él/ella/Ud. se presentara
nosotros/as nos presentáramos
vosotros/as os presentarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se presentaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te presenta
él/ella/Ud. se presente
nosotros/as nos presentemos
vosotros/as os presentad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se presenten

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te presentes
él/ella/Ud. se presente
nosotros/as nos presentemos
vosotros/as os presentéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se presenten

Gerund and past participle

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

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 presentarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me presento en la reunión de trabajo. 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 presentarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me presenté a los compañeros de trabajo. 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 presentarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me presentaba en la oficina a las nueve. 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 presentarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me presentaré con una sonrisa y un apretón de manos. 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 presentarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me presentaría en la reunión de trabajo 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 presentarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he presentado a los compañeros de trabajo. 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 presentarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había presentado en la oficina a las nueve 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 presentarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré presentado con una sonrisa y un apretón de manos. 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 presentarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría presentado en la reunión de trabajo 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 presentarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se presente a los compañeros de trabajo. 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 presentarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se presentara en la oficina a las nueve, 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 presentarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se presente con una sonrisa y un apretón de manos. 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 presentarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te presentes en la reunión de trabajo. 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 presentarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me presento en la reunión de trabajo. — I introduce myself at the work meeting.
  2. Se presenta a los compañeros de trabajo. — He/she introduces himself to work colleagues.
  3. Ayer, me presenté en la oficina a las nueve. — Yesterday, I introduced myself at the office at nine.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos presentábamos con una sonrisa y un apretón de manos. — Before, we used to introduce ourselves with a smile and a handshake.
  5. Mañana, tú te presentarás en la reunión de trabajo. — Tomorrow, you will introduce yourself at the work meeting.
  6. Yo me presentaría a los compañeros de trabajo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would introduce myself to work colleagues if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha presentado en la oficina a las nueve. — He has introduced himself at the office at nine.
  8. Espero que él se presente con una sonrisa y un apretón de manos. — I hope he introduces himself with a smile and a handshake.
  9. Yo ya me había presentado en la reunión de trabajo antes de salir. — I had already introduced myself at the work meeting before leaving.
  10. Ellos se presentaban a los compañeros de trabajo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to introduce themselves to work colleagues when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo presento en la reunión de trabajo. — Right: Yo me presento en la reunión de trabajo. — Presentarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo presento a los compañeros de trabajo. — Right: Ayer yo presenté a los compañeros de trabajo. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: presento is happening now, while presenté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating presentarse and presentar as identical in every context. — Right: Presentarse means to introduce oneself, while presentar means to introduce someone else. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: presentarse fits sentences such as Me presento en la reunión de trabajo, while presentar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy presentado a los compañeros de trabajo. — Right: Yo he presentado a los compañeros de trabajo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he presentado, has presentado, ha presentado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo presenté en la oficina a las nueve todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo presentaba en la oficina a las nueve todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (presentaba), not the preterite. The preterite (presenté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en la reunión de trabajo. (present tense) A. me presento B. te presentas C. se presenta D. nos presentamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a los compañeros de trabajo. (preterite) A. me presenté B. te presentaste C. se presentaron D. se presentó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en la oficina a las nueve. (imperfect) A. te presentabas B. se presentaban C. nos presentábamos D. me presentaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ con una sonrisa y un apretón de manos. (future) A. nos presentaremos B. te presentarás C. me presentaré D. se presentará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en la reunión de trabajo si pudiera. (conditional) A. me presentaría B. te presentarías C. se presentaría D. se presentarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a los compañeros de trabajo. (present subjunctive) A. me presente B. te presentes C. nos presentemos D. se presente

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en la oficina a las nueve, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se presentara B. nos presentáramos C. me presentara D. te presentaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ con una sonrisa y un apretón de manos. (present perfect) A. se han presentado B. nos hemos presentado C. me he presentado D. te has presentado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ en la reunión de trabajo. (negative imperative, tú) A. te presentes B. se presente C. nos presentemos D. os presentéis

  10. Which is the gerund of presentarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. presentado B. presento C. presenté D. presentando

Answer key

  1. me presento — The first-person present of presentarse is me presento. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se presentó — The third-person preterite of presentarse is se presentó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos presentábamos — The nosotros imperfect of presentarse is nos presentábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te presentarás — The second-person future of presentarse is te presentarás.
  5. me presentaría — The first-person conditional of presentarse is me presentaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se presente — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of presentarse is se presente.
  7. me presentara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of presentarse is me presentara.
  8. nos hemos presentado — The nosotros present perfect of presentarse is nos hemos presentado: hemos + presentado.
  9. te presentes — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te presentes.
  10. presentando — The gerund of presentarse is presentando: estoy presentando. The participle presentado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does presentarse mean in English?

Presentarse means to introduce oneself. It is used in everyday situations such as Me presento en la reunión de trabajo. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is presentarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Presentarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me presento en la reunión de trabajo and él se presenta a los compañeros de trabajo. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between presentarse and presentar?

Presentarse means to introduce oneself, while presentar means to introduce someone else. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use presentarse when you mean to introduce oneself, as in Me presento en la reunión de trabajo, and use presentar for to introduce someone else. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I introduce oneself” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me presenté a los compañeros de trabajo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me presentaba en la oficina a las nueve. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he presentado a los compañeros de trabajo.

How do I practise presentarse?

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

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