Relajarse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of relajarse — "to relax" 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 relajarse 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. Relajarse means "to relax" — after work, on holiday, in a bath, with music. It is the reflexive partner of relajar (to relax someone or something): el masaje me relaja (the massage relaxes me) versus me relajo con un masaje (I relax with a massage). It is also used for muscles relaxing (los músculos se relajan) and for rules relaxing (las normas se relajan). It is a regular -ar verb: me relajo, te relajas, se relaja, nos relajamos, os relajáis, se relajan. The phrase relájate is the imperative — relax! — and it is one of the most heard pieces of advice in Spanish. To see it in a real sentence: Yo me relajo después del trabajo. — "I relax after work.".
Present tense conjugation table: relajarse
Every person of relajarse in the present tense. The gerund is relajándose and the past participle is relajado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me relajo |
| tú | te relajas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se relaja |
| nosotros/as | nos relajamos |
| vosotros/as | os relajáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se relajan |
How the present indicative of relajarse is formed
The present indicative of relajarse is built from the stem relaj- 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 relajo |
| tú | -as | te relajas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se relaja |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos relajamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os relajáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se relajan |
relajarse 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 relaj-, so the only extra work is matching the pronoun to the person — me relajo for yo, te relajas for tú, se relaja for él/ella, nos relajamos for nosotros, os relajáis for vosotros and se relajan for ellos/ellas. The pronoun always goes before the conjugated verb in the present tense. The gerund is relajándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is relajado.
The gerund of relajarse is relajándose and the past participle is relajado. 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 relajarse
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and relajarse 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.
Relaxing after work
The present describes relaxing that happens now or as a routine.
"Yo me relajo después del trabajo." — "I relax after work."
Relaxing on the beach
The present states a holiday habit.
"Nosotros nos relajamos en la playa." — "We relax on the beach."
Relaxing with music
Relajarse con + noun names what helps you relax.
"Tú te relajas con música." — "You relax with music."
Relaxing in a bath
The present describes a regular relaxing routine.
"Mi madre se relaja en el baño." — "My mother relaxes in the bath."
Muscles relaxing
Relajarse describes the body letting go of tension.
"Los músculos se relajan con el masaje." — "The muscles relax with the massage."
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 relajo leyendo un libro. — "I relax by reading a book."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo me relajé leyendo un libro. — 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 relajas en el sofá. — "You relax on the sofa."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú te relajabas en el sofá. — 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 relaja con yoga. — "She relaxes with yoga."
- Future — what will happen: Ella se relajará con yoga. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: relajarse in the present tense
Seven sentences that show relajarse in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo me relajo leyendo un libro. — "I relax by reading a book."
- Tú te relajas en el sofá. — "You relax on the sofa."
- Ella se relaja con yoga. — "She relaxes with yoga."
- Nosotros nos relajamos los fines de semana. — "We relax at the weekends."
- Vosotros os relajáis en el jardín. — "You relax in the garden."
- Ellos se relajan en vacaciones. — "They relax on holiday."
- El perro se relaja al sol. — "The dog relaxes in the sun."
Common mistakes with relajarse in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with relajarse in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo relajo después del trabajo (dropping the pronoun).
✓ Correct: Yo me relajo después del trabajo.
Relajarse is reflexive: me relajo. Yo relajo means "I relax (someone or something else)".
✗ *Tú relajas con música (missing te).
✓ Correct: Tú te relajas con música.
The pronoun is obligatory: te relajas, not relajas.
✗ *Nosotros relajamos los fines de semana (missing nos).
✓ Correct: Nosotros nos relajamos los fines de semana.
Again, the pronoun is part of the verb: nos relajamos.
✗ *Vosotros relajáis en el jardín (missing os).
✓ Correct: Vosotros os relajáis en el jardín.
Vosotros needs os: os relajáis. And relajáis carries the written accent on the á.
Quiz: relajarse in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of relajarse. 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 relajarse for tú?
- a) se relajan
- b) me relajo
- c) se relaja
- d) te relajas
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ leyendo un libro. — "I relax by reading a book."
- a) te relajas
- b) se relajan
- c) me relajé
- d) me relajo
3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ en la playa. — "We relax on the beach."
- a) nos relajamos
- b) se relaja
- c) nos relajamos
- d) os relajáis
4. Which is the correct present tense form of relajarse for nosotros?
- a) se relajan
- b) me relajo
- c) nos relajamos
- d) te relajas
5. Which sentence uses relajarse correctly in the present tense?
- a) Ella se relajó con yoga.
- b) Ella te relajas con yoga.
- c) Ella se relaja con yoga.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of relajarse for yo, including the reflexive pronoun?
- a) se relaja
- b) me relajo
- c) te relajas
- d) relajo
7. Complete the sentence: Mi madre ______ en el baño. — "My mother relaxes in the bath."
- a) me relajo
- b) se relajan
- c) se relajó
- d) se relaja
8. What is the gerund of relajarse?
- a) relajandose
- b) relajándose
- c) relajado
- d) relajamos
Answer key
d) te relajas — The tú form is te relajas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; me relajo is yo, se relaja is él/ella and se relajan is ellos/ellas.
d) me relajo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: me relajo. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
a) nos relajamos — The subject is nosotros/as, so the present form is nos relajamos.
c) nos relajamos — Nosotros takes nos relajamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem relaj-.
c) Ella se relaja con yoga. — Ella se relaja con yoga. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
b) me relajo — Reflexive verbs need the pronoun: me relajo. Without me the verb means something else, and the other options belong to different persons.
d) se relaja — The subject is él/ella/Ud., so the present form is se relaja.
b) relajándose — The gerund is relajándose. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle relajado.
Frequently asked questions
Is relajarse 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 relajo, te relajas, se relaja, nos relajamos, os relajáis and se relajan. The pronoun is part of the verb, not an optional extra.
What is the gerund and the past participle of relajarse?
The gerund is relajándose and the past participle is relajado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to relax" in Spanish?
Say me relajo. For example: Yo me relajo leyendo un libro. — "I relax by reading a book.".
What is the difference between relajarse and estresarse?
relajarse means "to relax", while estresarse means "to get stressed". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use relajarse when you mean "to relax" and estresarse when you mean "to get stressed". The full conjugation of estresarse is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of relajarse — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- relajarse 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.