· Robert William · Spanish Verbs  · 14 min read

Acercarse Conjugation in Spanish

The indicative present tense is used to describe actions that are currently happening or habitual actions. Here we use the verb "acercarse" to indicate such ongoing events.

The indicative present tense is used to describe actions that are currently happening or habitual actions. Here we use the verb "acercarse" to indicate such ongoing events.

Opening Discussion on Indicative Present

The indicative present tense is used to describe actions that are currently happening or habitual actions. Here we use the verb “acercarse” to indicate such ongoing events.

Subject PronounSpanishEnglish
yome acercoI approach (myself)
te acercasyou approach (yourself)
él/ella/ustedse acercahe/she/you approach
nosotros/asnos acercamoswe approach (ourselves)
vosotros/asos acercáisyou all approach
ellos/ellas/ustedesse acercanthey/you all approach

Example Sentences

  1. Me acerco al maestro para pedir ayuda.
  2. Te acercas al río para ver los peces.
  3. Ellos se acercan al escenario para ver mejor.

Insights on Indicative Preterite

The preterite tense is used to express actions that have been completed in the past. Below are the conjugations for “acercarse” in the indicative preterite.

Subject PronounSpanishEnglish
yome acerquéI approached
te acercasteyou approached
él/ella/ustedse acercóhe/she/you approached
nosotros/asnos acercamoswe approached
vosotros/asos acercasteisyou all approached
ellos/ellas/ustedesse acercaronthey/you all approached

Example Sentences

  1. Me acerqué a la puerta para escuchar mejor.
  2. Nos acercamos al fuego para calentarnos.
  3. Ellas se acercaron a la ventana para ver la lluvia.

Explanation of Indicative Imperfect

The imperfect tense is used to talk about past habitual actions or to set the scene in the past. Here’s how “acercarse” is conjugated in the indicative imperfect.

Subject PronounSpanishEnglish
yome acercabaI used to approach
te acercabasyou used to approach
él/ella/ustedse acercabahe/she/you used to approach
nosotros/asnos acercábamoswe used to approach
vosotros/asos acercabaisyou all used to approach
ellos/ellas/ustedesse acercabanthey/you all used to approach

Example Sentences

  1. De niño, me acercaba a los animales con cautela.
  2. Siempre te acercabas a la verdad con valentía.
  3. Nos acercábamos a la casa antes de que anocheciera.

Overview of Indicative Future

The future tense indicates actions that will happen. Here’s how “acercarse” is formed in the indicative future.

Subject PronounSpanishEnglish
yome acercaréI will approach
te acercarásyou will approach
él/ella/ustedse acercaráhe/she/you will approach
nosotros/asnos acercaremoswe will approach
vosotros/asos acercaréisyou all will approach
ellos/ellas/ustedesse acercaránthey/you all will approach

Example Sentences

  1. Mañana me acercaré a hablar contigo.
  2. Te acercarás al mostrador cuando llegues.
  3. Nos acercaremos a la playa al atardecer.

Concise Summary of Indicative Conditional

The conditional tense is used to express desires or hypothetical situations. “Acercarse” in the conditional is represented as follows.

Subject PronounSpanishEnglish
yome acercaríaI would approach
te acercaríasyou would approach
él/ella/ustedse acercaríahe/she/you would approach
nosotros/asnos acercaríamoswe would approach
vosotros/asos acercaríaisyou all would approach
ellos/ellas/ustedesse acercaríanthey/you all would approach

Example Sentences

  1. Me acercaría a ese problema con cuidado.
  2. Te acercarías al libro si tuvieras tiempo.
  3. Nos acercaríamos a esa ciudad en verano.

Acercarse in the Present Tense

The present tense of “acercarse” is used to indicate actions or events that are currently in progress or will occur soon. It also expresses general truths or factual statements. For instance, “me acerco” translates to “I approach.”

In Spanish, this tense is referred to as “El Presente”.

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome acercoI approach
te acercasyou approach
Ella / Él / Ustedse acercas/he approaches, you (formal) approach
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos acercamoswe approach
Vosotras / Vosotrosos acercáisyou (plural) approach
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse acercanthey approach, you (plural formal) approach

Examples:

  • Yo siempre me acerco a mi perro cuando llego a casa.
  • ¿Te acercas a la ventana para ver mejor?
  • Los niños se acercan al maestro para hacer preguntas.

The Preterite Tense of “Acercarse” in Spanish

The Preterite tense for the verb “acercarse” is employed to express past actions that were completed at a specific moment. For example, “me acerqué” translates to “I approached.” This tense is essential for narrating events that occurred in the past.

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome acerquéI approached
te acercasteyou approached
Ella / Él / Ustedse acercóhe/she approached, you (formal) approached
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos acercamoswe approached
Vosotras / Vosotrosos acercasteisyou all approached
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse acercaronthey approached, you all (formal) approached

Examples in Spanish using the preterite:

  1. Ayer me acerqué a la tienda para comprar pan.
  2. María se acercó al lago para disfrutar de la vista.
  3. Los niños se acercaron rápidamente al heladero.

Acercarse: Indicative Imperfect Tense

The Indicative Imperfect tense of “acercarse” is utilized for expressing habitual actions or descriptions in the past. It’s often used when talking about activities you repeatedly did over a period of time. For example, “me acercaba” translates to “I used to approach.”

In Spanish, this tense is called “El Pretérito Imperfecto.”

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome acercabaI used to approach
te acercabasyou used to approach
Ella / Él / Ustedse acercabas/he used to approach, you (formal) used to approach
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos acercábamoswe used to approach
Vosotras / Vosotrosos acercabaisyou (plural) used to approach
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse acercabanthey used to approach, you (plural formal) used to approach

Examples:

  1. Antes de la pandemia, siempre me acercaba a mi abuela para conversar.
  2. Cuando éramos niños, nos acercábamos al río todos los veranos.
  3. Cada semana, los estudiantes se acercaban a la biblioteca para estudiar.

Acercarse in the Indicative Present Continuous

The Indicative Present Continuous of the verb “acercarse” is employed to describe actions currently ongoing or occurring at the moment. For instance, “me estoy acercando,” translates to “I am approaching.”

In Spanish language use, the Indicative Present Continuous is referred to as “El Presente Progresivo.”

Subject PronounsSpanishEnglish
Yome estoy acercandoI am approaching
te estás acercandoyou are approaching
Ella / Él / Ustedse está acercandoshe/he is approaching, you (formal) are approaching
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos estamos acercandowe are approaching
Vosotras / Vosotrosos estáis acercandoyou all are approaching
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse están acercandothey are approaching, you all (formal) are approaching

Examples:

  1. “Ellos se están acercando al final del camino.”
  2. “Nos estamos acercando a nuestra meta.”
  3. “¿Te estás acercando a la estación?”

The Near Future Tense for “Acercarse” in Spanish

The Near Future tense using “acercarse” is utilized for describing actions that are about to happen. In English, this is expressed as “going to approach.” This tense is often used for events expected to occur soon.

Below is a table with conjugations for “acercarse” in the Indicative Informal Future, also referred to as “El Futuro Próximo” in Spanish:

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome voy a acercarI am going to approach
te vas a acercaryou are going to approach
Ella / Él / Ustedse va a acercars/he is going to approach, you (formal) are going to approach
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos vamos a acercarwe are going to approach
Vosotras / Vosotrosos vais a acercaryou (plural) are going to approach
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse van a acercarthey are going to approach, you (plural formal) are going to approach

Here are three examples to illustrate the Indicative Informal Future with “acercarse” in Spanish:

  1. Yo me voy a acercar al maestro para hacerle una pregunta.

    • I am going to approach the teacher to ask him a question.
  2. Nos vamos a acercar al grupo para escuchar mejor la música.

    • We are going to approach the group to hear the music better.
  3. Ellos se van a acercar a la tienda después de la escuela.

    • They are going to approach the store after school.

Discussion of the Future Tense for “Acercarse”

The future tense in Spanish, formally known as “El Futuro Simple,” is employed to express actions that are expected to occur. In the case of the verb “acercarse,” this tense is used to describe events that will happen in the future, such as “me acercaré,” which translates to “I will approach.”

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome acercaréI will approach
te acercarásyou will approach
Ella / Él / Ustedse acercarás/he will approach, you (formal) will approach
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos acercaremoswe will approach
Vosotras / Vosotrosos acercaréisyou (plural) will approach
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse acercaránthey will approach, you (plural formal) will approach

Illustrative Examples:

  1. Mañana me acercaré a la tienda para comprar pan.
  2. En la fiesta, los invitados se acercarán para saludar.
  3. Nos acercaremos al lago el próximo fin de semana para disfrutar del paisaje.

Acercarse in the Conditional Mood

The Conditional Mood for “acercarse” is used to describe events that might happen in the future, often involving hypothetical or speculative situations. For instance, “me acercaría” translates to “I would approach.”

In Spanish, this tense is formally referred to as “El Condicional Simple.”

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome acercaríaI would approach
te acercaríasyou would approach
Ella / Él / Ustedse acercarías/he would approach, you (formal) would approach
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos acercaríamoswe would approach
Vosotras / Vosotrosos acercaríaisyou (plural) would approach
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse acercaríanthey would approach, you (plural formal) would approach

Examples:

  1. Yo me acercaría a la ventana para ver mejor.
  2. Nos acercaríamos a saludar si tuviéramos tiempo.
  3. Ellos se acercarían al maestro para preguntar sus dudas.

Examining the Indicative Present Perfect Conjugation of Acercarse

The Indicative Present Perfect tense of “acercarse” is used to express actions that were initiated in the past and have relevance to the present situation. It refers to events or actions that have happened recently. For example, “me he acercado,” translates to “I have approached.”

In Spanish, this grammatical structure is referred to as “El Pretérito Perfecto.”

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome he acercadoI have approached
te has acercadoyou have approached
Ella / Él / Ustedse ha acercados/he has approached, you (formal) have approached
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos hemos acercadowe have approached
Vosotras / Vosotrosos habéis acercadoyou (plural) have approached
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse han acercadothey have approached, you (plural formal) have approached

Examples in use:

  1. Hemos tenido un problema y nos hemos acercado al servicio de atención al cliente para resolverlo.
  2. Desde la última reunión, me he acercado más a mis compañeros de trabajo.
  3. ¿Has visto la nueva exhibición en el museo? Me he acercado esta mañana.

Understanding the Indicative Past Perfect of “Acercarse”

The Indicative Past Perfect tense for “acercarse” is utilized to describe actions that were completed prior to another past action. For example, “me había acercado” translates to “I had approached.” In Spanish grammar, this tense is referred to as “El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto.”

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome había acercadoI had approached
te habías acercadoyou had approached
Ella / Él / Ustedse había acercadoshe/he had approached, you (formal) had approached
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos habíamos acercadowe had approached
Vosotras / Vosotrosos habíais acercadoyou (plural) had approached
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse habían acercadothey had approached, you (plural formal) had approached

Usage Examples:

  1. Antes de la reunión, yo me había acercado a Pedro para discutir la propuesta.
  2. Ellos se habían acercado a la orilla del río antes de que cayera la noche.
  3. Nos habíamos acercado demasiado al fuego antes de darnos cuenta del peligro.

Acercarse in the Indicative Future Perfect

The future perfect tense of “acercarse” is utilized to describe an action that will have been completed at a certain point in the future, often before another action. For instance, “me habré acercado” means “I will have approached.”

In Spanish, this tense is called “El Futuro Perfecto.”

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome habré acercadoI will have approached
te habrás acercadoyou will have approached
Ella / Él / Ustedse habrá acercados/he will have approached, you (formal) will have approached
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos habremos acercadowe will have approached
Vosotras / Vosotrosos habréis acercadoyou (plural) will have approached
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse habrán acercadothey will have approached, you (plural formal) will have approached

Example Sentences Using the Indicative Future Perfect

  1. Para el final de la fiesta, me habré acercado a todos los invitados.
  2. Cuando llegue la ayuda, te habrás acercado al refugio seguro.
  3. Para mañana, ya se habrá acercado a hablar con sus supervisores.

Acercarse in the Indicative Conditional Perfect Tense

The Indicative Conditional Perfect tense is utilized to describe actions that would have occurred in the past if certain conditions had been met. It reflects on hypothetical situations and their possible outcomes. In Spanish, this tense is referred to as “El Condicional Perfecto”. Here is how ‘acercarse’ is conjugated in this tense:

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome habría acercadoI would have approached
te habrías acercadoyou would have approached
Ella / Él / Ustedse habría acercados/he would have approached, you (formal) would have approached
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos habríamos acercadowe would have approached
Vosotras / Vosotrosos habríais acercadoyou (plural) would have approached
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse habrían acercadothey would have approached, you (plural formal) would have approached

Example sentences:

  1. Si hubiera sabido que estabas aquí, me habría acercado a saludarte.
  2. Ella se habría acercado al escenario si no hubiera habido tanta gente.
  3. Nos habríamos acercado al grupo, pero estábamos muy cansados.

Introducing the Subjunctive Present for “Acercarse”

The Subjunctive Present is used in Spanish to express situations where there’s doubt or uncertainty, as well as to convey emotions like wishes, desires, and hopes. Unlike the indicative mood, the subjunctive is preferred when discussing events that are not guaranteed to happen. For instance, “me acerque” can be interpreted as “I approach,” under circumstances of uncertainty.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is referred to as “El Presente de Subjuntivo.”

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome acerqueI approach
te acerquesyou approach
Ella / Él / Ustedse acerques/he approaches, you (formal) approach
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos acerquemoswe approach
Vosotras / Vosotrosos acerquéisyou (plural) approach
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse acerquenthey approach, you (plural formal) approach

Examples

  1. Espero que Juan se acerque al escenario durante la presentación.
  2. Es posible que nos acerquemos a la costa para ver el atardecer.
  3. Quiero que te acerques a mí cuando necesites ayuda.

Introduction to the Subjunctive Imperfect Tense for ‘Acercarse’

The Subjunctive Imperfect tense in Spanish is applied to discuss scenarios in the past that are uncertain, hypothetical, or to express past emotions and opinions. This tense allows you to convey nuance and depth in your expression. Here, ‘acercarse’ is conjugated in the Subjunctive Imperfect.

Conjugation Chart: ‘Acercarse’ in Subjunctive Imperfect

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome acercaraI approached
te acercarasyou approached
Ella / Él / Ustedse acercarahe/she/you (formal) approached
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos acercáramoswe approached
Vosotras / Vosotrosos acercaraisyou (plural) approached
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse acercaranthey/you (plural formal) approached

Examples Using the Subjunctive Imperfect

  • Esperaba que ella se acercara más al grupo.
  • Si me dijeras la verdad, me acercara a ti con confianza.
  • Era posible que nos acercáramos al final del camino al anochecer.

Subjunctive Future Tense for “Acercarse”

The Subjunctive Future tense is utilized to discuss scenarios that are speculative or actions/events that might take place in the future. For example, “me acercare” translates to “I will approach” in English.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future tense is referred to as “El Futuro de Subjuntivo”.

Subject PronounSpanishTranslation
Yome acercareI will approach
te acercaresyou will approach
Ella / Él / Ustedse acercareshe/he will approach, you (formal) will approach
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos acercáremoswe will approach
Vosotras / Vosotrosos acercareisyou (plural) will approach
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse acercarenthey will approach, you (plural formal) will approach

Examples:

  • Si me acercare al escenario, podré ver mejor el espectáculo.
  • Te acercares demasiado al borde, podría ser peligroso.
  • Si nos acercáremos al fenómeno natural, deberíamos prepararnos adecuadamente.

Acercarse in the Present Perfect Subjunctive

The Present Perfect Subjunctive is used to discuss actions that are presumed to have occurred in the past but still have relevance to the present or are expected to occur by a certain time in the future. For instance, “me haya acercado” translates to “I have approached” in English.

In Spanish, this tense is called “El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo.”

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome haya acercadoI have approached
te hayas acercadoyou have approached
Ella / Él / Ustedse haya acercados/he has approached, you (formal) have approached
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos hayamos acercadowe have approached
Vosotras / Vosotrosos hayáis acercadoyou (plural) have approached
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse hayan acercadothey have approached, you (plural formal) have approached

Examples:

  1. Espero que tú te hayas acercado a ella para disculparte.
  2. Me alegra que ellos se hayan acercado para ofrecernos ayuda.
  3. Es posible que nosotros nos hayamos acercado al problema de manera incorrecta.

Acercarse in the Past Perfect Subjunctive

The Past Perfect Subjunctive is applied when talking about actions that are uncertain or hypothetical and occurred before a specific point in the past. For instance, “me hubiera acercado” translates to “I had approached.”

In Spanish, this form is referred to as “El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo.”

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome hubiera acercadoI had approached
te hubieras acercadoyou had approached
Ella / Él / Ustedse hubiera acercados/he had approached, you (formal) had approached
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos hubiéramos acercadowe had approached
Vosotras / Vosotrosos hubierais acercadoyou (plural) had approached
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse hubieran acercadothey had approached, you (plural formal) had approached

Examples

  1. Si hubiera sabido que estabas ahí, me hubiera acercado a saludarte.
  2. Dudaba que se hubieran acercado con malas intenciones.
  3. Ojalá nos hubiéramos acercado antes para hablar sobre el proyecto.

Acercarse in the Subjunctive Future Perfect

The Subjunctive Future Perfect is employed to articulate events that are anticipated to have occurred following a hypothetical future scenario. For instance, “me hubiere acercado” translates to “I will have approached.”

In Spanish, this tense is referred to as “El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo.”

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome hubiere acercadoI will have approached
te hubieres acercadoyou will have approached
Ella / Él / Ustedse hubiere acercados/he will have approached, you (formal) will have approached
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos hubiéremos acercadowe will have approached
Vosotras / Vosotrosos hubiereis acercadoyou (plural) will have approached
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse hubieren acercadothey will have approached, you (plural formal) will have approached

Examples showing the use of the Subjunctive Future Perfect:

  1. Si no llegas tarde, me hubiere acercado al restaurante antes de cerrar.
  2. Espero que te hubieres acercado a ella para resolver el problema.
  3. Si hubiéramos sabido, nos hubiéremos acercado a tu casa el domingo pasado.

Command Forms of Acercarse

Acercarse in the Affirmative Command Form

In Spanish, the Affirmative Command Form, or “El Imperativo Afirmativo,” is utilized to make requests or give instructions for people to follow. It’s useful when directing someone to take an action, like saying “acérquese” which translates to “approach!” in English.

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yo--
acércate(to you) approach!
Ella / Él / Ustedacérquese(to you formal) approach!
Nosotras / Nosotrosacerquémonoslet’s approach!
Vosotras / Vosotrosacercaos(to you plural) approach!
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesacérquense(to you plural formal) approach!

Examples:

  1. “Acércate a la ventana y mira la vista.”
  2. “Acérquese al mostrador para recibir su pedido.”
  3. “Acerquémonos al escenario para escuchar mejor.”

The Negative Form of Acercarse in the Imperative Mood

The Negative Imperative in Spanish is employed to instruct someone not to perform an action. It is an essential form for giving prohibitive commands or advice. For example, “no te acerques,” which translates to “don’t approach” in English.

In the Spanish grammar system, the Negative Imperative is referred to as “El Imperativo Negativo.”

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yo--
no te acerques(to you) don’t approach!
Ella / Él / Ustedno se acerque(to you formal) don’t approach!
Nosotras / Nosotrosno nos acerquemoslet’s not approach!
Vosotras / Vosotrosno os acerquéis(to you plural) don’t approach!
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesno se acerquen(to you plural formal) don’t approach!

Practical Usage Examples:

  1. No te acerques al perro, puede morder.
  2. Mis amigos y yo decidimos: “no nos acerquemos a la zona peligrosa.”
  3. No se acerquen a la orilla del río, es muy resbaladizo.
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