Tumbarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb tumbarse means to lie down, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Tumbarse means to lie down, and it is the reflexive partner of tumbar: lying down on the sofa, on the beach or in bed. It takes en for the place: tumbarse en el sofá, tumbarse en la playa. It is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, tumbarse 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 tumbo en el sofá a descansar, and in the preterite you say me tumbé en la cama temprano. 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: tumbarse
  • English: to lie down
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: tumbando
  • Past participle: tumbado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + tumbado)
  • 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 tumbarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Tumbarse is reflexive: me tumbo en el sofá. Tumbar without the pronoun knocks something down.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for tumbarse. 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 tumbo
tú te tumbas
él/ella/Ud. se tumba
nosotros/as nos tumbamos
vosotros/as os tumbáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se tumban

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me tumbé
tú te tumbaste
él/ella/Ud. se tumbó
nosotros/as nos tumbamos
vosotros/as os tumbasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se tumbaron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me tumbaba
tú te tumbabas
él/ella/Ud. se tumbaba
nosotros/as nos tumbábamos
vosotros/as os tumbabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se tumbaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me tumbaré
tú te tumbarás
él/ella/Ud. se tumbará
nosotros/as nos tumbaremos
vosotros/as os tumbaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se tumbarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me tumbaría
tú te tumbarías
él/ella/Ud. se tumbaría
nosotros/as nos tumbaríamos
vosotros/as os tumbaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se tumbarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me tumbe
tú te tumbes
él/ella/Ud. se tumbe
nosotros/as nos tumbemos
vosotros/as os tumbéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se tumben

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me tumbara
tú te tumbaras
él/ella/Ud. se tumbara
nosotros/as nos tumbáramos
vosotros/as os tumbarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se tumbaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te tumba
él/ella/Ud. se tumbe
nosotros/as nos tumbemos
vosotros/as os tumbad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se tumben

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te tumbes
él/ella/Ud. se tumbe
nosotros/as nos tumbemos
vosotros/as os tumbéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se tumben

Gerund and past participle

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

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 tumbarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me tumbo en el sofá a descansar. 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 tumbarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me tumbé en la playa al sol. 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 tumbarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me tumbaba en la cama temprano. 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 tumbarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me tumbaré bajo un árbol en el parque. 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 tumbarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me tumbaría en el sofá a descansar 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 tumbarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he tumbado en la playa al sol. 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 tumbarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había tumbado en la cama temprano 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 tumbarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré tumbado bajo un árbol en el parque. 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 tumbarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría tumbado en el sofá a descansar 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 tumbarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se tumbe en la playa al sol. 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 tumbarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se tumbara en la cama temprano, 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 tumbarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se tumbe bajo un árbol en el parque. 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 tumbarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te tumbes en el sofá a descansar. 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 tumbarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me tumbo en el sofá a descansar. — I lie down on the sofa to rest.
  2. Se tumba en la playa al sol. — He/she lies down on the beach in the sun.
  3. Ayer, me tumbé en la cama temprano. — Yesterday, I lay down in bed early.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos tumbábamos bajo un árbol en el parque. — Before, we used to lie down under a tree in the park.
  5. Mañana, tú te tumbarás en el sofá a descansar. — Tomorrow, you will lie down on the sofa to rest.
  6. Yo me tumbaría en la playa al sol si tuviera más tiempo. — I would lie down on the beach in the sun if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha tumbado en la cama temprano. — He has lain down in bed early.
  8. Espero que él se tumbe bajo un árbol en el parque. — I hope he lies down under a tree in the park.
  9. Yo ya me había tumbado en el sofá a descansar antes de salir. — I had already lain down on the sofa to rest before leaving.
  10. Ellos se tumbaban en la playa al sol cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to lie down on the beach in the sun when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo tumbo en el sofá a descansar. — Right: Yo me tumbo en el sofá a descansar. — Tumbarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo tumbo en la playa al sol. — Right: Ayer yo tumbé en la playa al sol. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: tumbo is happening now, while tumbé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating tumbarse and tumbar as identical in every context. — Right: Tumbarse means to lie down, while tumbar means to knock something down. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: tumbarse fits sentences such as Me tumbo en el sofá a descansar, while tumbar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy tumbado en la playa al sol. — Right: Yo he tumbado en la playa al sol. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he tumbado, has tumbado, ha tumbado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo tumbé en la cama temprano todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo tumbaba en la cama temprano todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (tumbaba), not the preterite. The preterite (tumbé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el sofá a descansar. (present tense) A. me tumbo B. te tumbas C. se tumba D. nos tumbamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ en la playa al sol. (preterite) A. me tumbé B. te tumbaste C. nos tumbamos D. se tumbó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en la cama temprano. (imperfect) A. te tumbabas B. se tumbaba C. nos tumbábamos D. me tumbaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ bajo un árbol en el parque. (future) A. nos tumbaremos B. te tumbarás C. me tumbaré D. se tumbará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el sofá a descansar si pudiera. (conditional) A. me tumbaría B. te tumbarías C. se tumbaría D. nos tumbaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en la playa al sol. (present subjunctive) A. me tumbe B. te tumbes C. nos tumbemos D. se tumbe

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en la cama temprano, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se tumbara B. nos tumbáramos C. me tumbara D. te tumbaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ bajo un árbol en el parque. (present perfect) A. se ha tumbado B. nos hemos tumbado C. me he tumbado D. te has tumbado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ en el sofá a descansar. (negative imperative, tú) A. te tumbes B. se tumbe C. nos tumbemos D. os tumbéis

  10. Which is the gerund of tumbarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. tumbado B. tumbo C. tumbé D. tumbando

Answer key

  1. me tumbo — The yo present tense of tumbarse is me tumbo.
  2. se tumbó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of tumbarse is se tumbó.
  3. nos tumbábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of tumbarse is nos tumbábamos.
  4. te tumbarás — The tú future of tumbarse is te tumbarás.
  5. me tumbaría — The yo conditional of tumbarse is me tumbaría.
  6. se tumbe — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of tumbarse is se tumbe.
  7. me tumbara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of tumbarse is me tumbara.
  8. nos hemos tumbado — The nosotros/as present perfect of tumbarse is nos hemos tumbado.
  9. te tumbes — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te tumbes.
  10. tumbando — The gerund of tumbarse is tumbando: estoy tumbando. The participle tumbado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does tumbarse mean in English?

Tumbarse means to lie down. It is used in everyday situations such as Me tumbo en el sofá a descansar. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is tumbarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Tumbarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me tumbo en el sofá a descansar and él se tumba en la playa al sol. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between tumbarse and tumbar?

Tumbarse means to lie down, while tumbar means to knock something down. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use tumbarse when you mean to lie down, as in Me tumbo en el sofá a descansar, and use tumbar for to knock something down. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I lie down” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me tumbé en la playa al sol. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me tumbaba en la cama temprano. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he tumbado en la playa al sol.

How do I practise tumbarse?

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

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