Tardarse Present Tense in Spanish
tardarse means "to take (a long time), to be late" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for tardarse, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo me tardo en llegar a la escuela. — "Every day, I take (a long time) in getting to school." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of tardarse: full table
Every person of tardarse in the present tense. The gerund is tardándose and the past participle is tardado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me tardo |
| tú | te tardas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se tarda |
| nosotros/as | nos tardamos |
| vosotros/as | os tardáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se tardan |
The gerund of tardarse is tardándose and the past participle is tardado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy tardándose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he tardado). Because tardarse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of tardarse is formed
The present tense of tardarse is built from the stem tard- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo me tardo, tú te tardas, él se tarda, nosotros nos tardamos, vosotros os tardáis and ellos se tardan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me tardo |
| tú | -as | te tardas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se tarda |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos tardamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os tardáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se tardan |
tardarse is completely regular in the present tense: the stem never changes and every ending is the standard -ar ending. The only thing to watch is the accent on the vosotros form tardáis.
tardarse is a reflexive verb, so every form carries a reflexive pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se. The pronoun always goes before the conjugated verb in the present tense. The gerund is tardándose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is tardado.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is tardándose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy tardándose. The past participle is tardado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he tardado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with tardarse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me tardo en llegar a la escuela. — "Every day, I take (a long time) in getting to school." The complement in this sentence is about getting to school, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear tardarse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te tardas en preparar la cena. — "Now, you take (a long time) in preparing dinner." The complement in this sentence is about preparing dinner, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear tardarse in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él se tarda en vestirse por la mañana. — "Normally, he/she takes (a long time) in getting dressed in the morning." The complement in this sentence is about getting dressed in the morning, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear tardarse in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros nos tardamos en el camino por la lluvia. — "Tomorrow, we take (a long time) on the way because of the rain." The complement in this sentence is about the way because of the rain, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear tardarse in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos se tardan en llegar a la escuela. — "Always, they take (a long time) in getting to school." The complement in this sentence is about getting to school, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear tardarse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: tardarse
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with tardarse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me tardo en llegar a la escuela. — "Every day, I take (a long time) in getting to school."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me tardé en llegar a la escuela. — "Yesterday, I took (a long time) in getting to school."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú te tardas en preparar la cena. — "Every day, you take (a long time) in preparing dinner."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te tardaste en preparar la cena. — "Yesterday, you took (a long time) in preparing dinner."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él se tarda en vestirse por la mañana. — "Every day, he/she takes (a long time) in getting dressed in the morning."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se tardó en vestirse por la mañana. — "Yesterday, he/she took (a long time) in getting dressed in the morning."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: tardarse in the present tense
These eight sentences show tardarse in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo me tardo en llegar a la escuela. — "I take (a long time) in getting to school."
- Tú te tardas en preparar la cena. — "you take (a long time) in preparing dinner."
- Él se tarda en vestirse por la mañana. — "he/she takes (a long time) in getting dressed in the morning."
- Nosotros nos tardamos en el camino por la lluvia. — "we take (a long time) on the way because of the rain."
- Vosotros os tardáis en llegar a la escuela. — "you (plural) take (a long time) in getting to school."
- Ellos se tardan en preparar la cena. — "they take (a long time) in preparing dinner."
- Yo me tardo en vestirse por la mañana. — "I take (a long time) in getting dressed in the morning."
- Tú te tardas en el camino por la lluvia. — "you take (a long time) on the way because of the rain."
Common mistakes with tardarse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo tardo en llegar a la escuela.
- Right: Yo me tardo en llegar a la escuela.
- Why: tardarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me tardo en llegar a la escuela.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros os tardais en llegar a la escuela.
- Right: Vosotros os tardáis en llegar a la escuela.
- Why: The vosotros form tardáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me tardo en preparar la cena.
- Right: Ayer, yo me tardé en preparar la cena.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me tardé en preparar la cena. — "Yesterday, I took (a long time) in preparing dinner." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo me tardo en vestirse por la mañana.
- Right: Antes, yo me tardaba en vestirse por la mañana.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me tardaba en vestirse por la mañana. — "In the past, I used to take (a long time) in getting dressed in the morning." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos tarda en llegar a la escuela.
- Right: Nosotros nos tardamos en llegar a la escuela.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes tardamos, while tarda belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of tardarse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of tardarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of tardarse in the present tense?
- (a) tardamos
- (b) tardo
- (c) tardas
- (d) tarda
Answer: (b) tardo. The yo form is tardo. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of tardarse in the present tense?
- (a) tardas
- (b) tardo
- (c) tarda
- (d) tardamos
Answer: (a) tardas. The tú form is tardas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of tardarse in the present tense?
- (a) tardo
- (b) tardas
- (c) tardamos
- (d) tarda
Answer: (d) tarda. The él/ella form is tarda. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of tardarse in the present tense?
- (a) tardas
- (b) tarda
- (c) tardamos
- (d) tardo
Answer: (c) tardamos. The nosotros form is tardamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of tardarse in the present tense?
- (a) tarda
- (b) tardan
- (c) tardo
- (d) tardas
Answer: (b) tardan. The ellos/ellas form is tardan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ en llegar a la escuela.
- (a) tardo
- (b) tardas
- (c) tarda
- (d) tardamos
Answer: (a) tardo. The sentence needs the yo form tardo (Every day, I take (a long time) in getting to school.)
7. What is the gerund of tardarse?
- (a) tardando
- (b) tardado
- (c) tardo
- (d) tardarse
Answer: (a) tardando. The gerund is tardando, used for the progressive: me estoy tardando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Antes, yo me tardaba en preparar la cena.
- (b) Ayer, yo me tardé en preparar la cena.
- (c) Mañana, yo me tardaré en preparar la cena.
- (d) Cada día, yo me tardo en preparar la cena.
Answer: (d) Cada día, yo me tardo en preparar la cena.. Cada día, yo me tardo en preparar la cena. (Every day, I take (a long time) in preparing dinner.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me tardé en preparar la cena. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me tardaré en preparar la cena. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of tardarse
Is tardarse regular in the present tense?
Yes. tardarse is a regular -ar verb: tardo, tardas, tarda, tardamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'take (a long time)' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me tardo en llegar a la escuela. — "Every day, I take (a long time) in getting to school." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with tardarse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me tardo en preparar la cena. — "Every day, I take (a long time) in preparing dinner." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me tardé en preparar la cena. — "Yesterday, I took (a long time) in preparing dinner." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with tardarse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos tardamos en el camino por la lluvia. — "Tomorrow, we take (a long time) on the way because of the rain." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.