Separarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
The Spanish verb separarse means to separate, to split up. You can learn its forms from the full separarse conjugation, but forms on their own are not enough: you need to see the verb in real sentences, in conversation, and in the mistakes people actually make. That is what this page is for. Below you will find example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the common mistakes, a ten-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions learners ask most. One sentence to start: Yo me separo después de diez años. — "I split up after ten years."
separarse is reflexive, so watch for the pronoun in every sentence: me, te, se, nos, os, se. The pronoun always matches the person, and it is part of the verb.
Separarse example sentences
Everyday use — the present tense
- Yo me separo después de diez años. — "I split up after ten years."
- Tú te separas por un tiempo. — "you split up for a while."
- Él se separa en dos grupos. — "he/she splits up into two groups."
- Nosotros nos separamos de la familia. — "we split up from the family."
Talking about the past
- Yo me separé en dos grupos. — "I split up into two groups."
- Él se separaba de la familia. — "he/she used to split up from the family."
- Nosotros nos separamos para siempre. — "we split up for ever."
Plans and wishes
- Yo me separaré para siempre. — "I will split up for ever."
- Tú te separarías de mutuo acuerdo. — "you would split up by mutual agreement."
More examples with separarse
- Me separo de mi marido después de diez años. — "I am splitting up from my husband after ten years."
- Mis padres se separan después de diez años juntos. — "My parents are splitting up after ten years together."
- Ayer me separé de mi marido por un tiempo. — "Yesterday I separated from my husband for a while."
- De joven, me separaba de mis amigos cada verano. — "When I was young, I used to part from my friends every summer."
- Mañana nos separaremos en dos grupos para el juego. — "Tomorrow we will split into two groups for the game."
- Si pudiera, me separaría de mi marido sin problemas. — "If I could, I would split up from my husband without problems."
Separarse in conversation
Two short dialogues using separarse naturally. Read them out loud: hearing the verb in a question and an answer is the fastest way to make the forms stick.
Dialogue 1: making plans
María: ¿Tú te separas después de diez años? Carlos: Sí, yo me separo después de diez años. ¿Y tú? María: Yo también. ¿Se separa por un tiempo? Carlos: Sí, él se separa por un tiempo todos los días. María: ¿Y mañana? ¿Tú te separarás en dos grupos? Carlos: Sí, mañana yo me separaré en dos grupos.
In this dialogue María asks Carlos what he does, and then they talk about tomorrow. Notice how the verb changes with the person: te separas for tú, me separo for yo, se separa for él. The future forms at the end (te separarás, me separaré) show the same verb talking about tomorrow.
Dialogue 2: talking about yesterday
Ana: ¿Tú te separas de la familia? Luis: Sí, yo me separo de la familia. ¿Y tú? Ana: Yo también. ¿Se separa para siempre? Luis: Sí, él se separa para siempre todos los días. Ana: ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú te separaste de la familia? Luis: Sí, ayer yo me separé de la familia.
Here Ana asks Luis about yesterday, so the answers use the preterite: me separé for yo, te separaste for tú. The preterite is the right choice because yesterday is finished; the present would describe a habit instead.
Common mistakes with separarse in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why it is wrong.
1. Yo separo de mi marido.
Wrong: Yo separo de mi marido.
Right: Yo me separo de mi marido.
Separarse is reflexive. Separo on its own means to separate things, like separating clothes by colour.
2. Me separa de mi marido.
Wrong: Me separa de mi marido.
Right: Me separo de mi marido.
Me pairs with the yo form separo. Separa is the él/ella form.
3. Confusing separarse with divorciarse
Wrong: Me separo después de diez años.
Right: Me divorcio después de diez años.
Separarse is splitting up; divorciarse is the legal divorce. A couple se separa first and later se divorcia, if they were married.
4. Using the present for a finished past action
Wrong: Ayer yo me separo después de diez años.
Right: Ayer yo me separé después de diez años.
Ayer (yesterday) signals a finished action, so it needs the preterite: me separé. The present describes what you do now or usually.
5. Dropping the reflexive pronoun
Wrong: Yo separo después de diez años.
Right: Me separo después de diez años.
Without the pronoun you are using the non-reflexive verb, which means something else. The pronoun is part of separarse.
Quiz: separarse in use
Ten questions across five tenses. Choose the right form for each sentence, then check the answers at the end of this section.
- Tú ___ después de diez años (present)
- a) te separas
- b) me separo
- c) se separa
- d) nos separamos
- Nosotros ___ por un tiempo (preterite)
- a) me separé
- b) te separaste
- c) se separó
- d) nos separamos
- Ellos ___ en dos grupos (imperfect)
- a) te separabas
- b) se separaba
- c) se separaban
- d) me separaba
- Tú ___ de la familia (future)
- a) nos separaremos
- b) te separarás
- c) me separaré
- d) se separará
- Nosotros ___ para siempre (conditional)
- a) nos separaríamos
- b) me separaría
- c) te separarías
- d) se separaría
- Ellos ___ de mutuo acuerdo (present)
- a) me separo
- b) te separas
- c) se separa
- d) se separan
- Tú ___ después de diez años (preterite)
- a) se separó
- b) nos separamos
- c) te separaste
- d) me separé
- Nosotros ___ por un tiempo (imperfect)
- a) se separaba
- b) nos separábamos
- c) me separaba
- d) te separabas
- Ellos ___ en dos grupos (future)
- a) se separarán
- b) me separaré
- c) te separarás
- d) se separará
- Tú ___ de la familia (conditional)
- a) me separaría
- b) se separaría
- c) nos separaríamos
- d) te separarías
Answers
- a) te separas — the present form, for tú.
- d) nos separamos — the preterite form, for nosotros/as.
- c) se separaban — the imperfect form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- b) te separarás — the future form, for tú.
- a) nos separaríamos — the conditional form, for nosotros/as.
- d) se separan — the present form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- c) te separaste — the preterite form, for tú.
- b) nos separábamos — the imperfect form, for nosotros/as.
- a) se separarán — the future form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- d) te separarías — the conditional form, for tú.
Frequently asked questions about separarse
What is the difference between separar and separarse?
Separar means to separate things: separo la ropa por colores. Separarse means to split up or separate yourself from someone: me separo de mi marido. The pronoun -se changes the meaning.
Is separarse regular?
Yes, it is a regular -ar reflexive verb: me separo, te separas, se separa, nos separamos, os separáis, se separan.
What are the gerund and the past participle of separarse?
The gerund is separando, used with estar for the progressive (estoy separando), and the past participle is separado, used with haber for the perfect tenses (he separado).
Where does the reflexive pronoun go?
Before the conjugated verb: Me separo, te separas, se separa. The pronoun always matches the person: me with yo, te with tú, se with él/ella, nos with nosotros, os with vosotros, se with ellos/ellas.
How to remember separarse
Four small habits will fix separarse in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: me separo, te separas, se separa, nos separamos, os separáis, se separan. Saying the forms is far more effective than reading them silently, because you hear the endings and the stem at the same time. Second, write three sentences about your own life: one about today with the present (me separo), one about yesterday with the preterite (me separé), and one about tomorrow with the future (me separaré). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from divorciarse: Separarse is splitting up; divorciarse is the legal divorce. A couple se separa first and later se divorcia, if they were married. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund separando and the past participle separado. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy separando) and the present perfect (he separado), which covers most everyday conversation.
Related pages
- Separarse conjugation: full tables — every tense of separarse on one page.
- Separarse Present tense — the deep dive on separarse in the present.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for all Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Spanish verb quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Conjugation practice — fill-in-the-blank drills with instant feedback.
- Reflexive verb conjugator — reflexive verbs with the right pronoun for every person.