Ella Verbsprotegerse to protect (oneself) Irregular Verb
At a glance: Protegerse (to protect (oneself)) is a widely used reflexive irregular verbs in Spanish. In the present tense: me protejo, te proteges, se protege, nos protegemos, os protegéis, se protegen. Yo changes g to j (protejo); the other forms are regular. It is also irregular in the present subjunctive (me proteja).

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The Indicative Present of protegerse is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, “me protejo”, meaning “I protect”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me protejo | I protect |
| Tú | te proteges | you protect |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se protege | s/he protects |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos protegemos | we protect |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os protegéis | you (plural) protect |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se protegen | they protect |
How it’s built: Yo changes g to j (protejo); the other forms are regular. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Indicative Preterite of protegerse is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, “me protegí”, meaning “I protected”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me protegí | I protected |
| Tú | te protegiste | you protected |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se protegió | s/he protected |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos protegimos | we protected |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os protegisteis | you (plural) protected |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se protegieron | they protected |
How it’s built: Regular: stem proteg- plus the -er endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Imperfect of protegerse is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, “me protegía”, meaning “I used to protect”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me protegía | I used to protect |
| Tú | te protegías | you used to protect |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se protegía | s/he used to protect |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos protegíamos | we used to protect |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os protegíais | you (plural) used to protect |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se protegían | they used to protect |
How it’s built: Regular: stem proteg- plus the -er endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Present Continuous of protegerse is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, “me estoy protegiendo”, meaning “I am protecting”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me estoy protegiendo | I am protecting |
| Tú | te estás protegiendo | you are protecting |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se está protegiendo | s/he is protecting |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos estamos protegiendo | we are protecting |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os estáis protegiendo | you (plural) are protecting |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se están protegiendo | they are protecting |
How it’s built: Estar in the present (estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están) plus the gerund protegiendo. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Informal Future of protegerse is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, “me voy a proteger”, meaning “I am going to protect”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me voy a proteger | I am going to protect |
| Tú | te vas a proteger | you are going to protect |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se va a proteger | s/he is going to protect |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos vamos a proteger | we are going to protect |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os vais a proteger | you (plural) are going to protect |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se van a proteger | they are going to protect |
How it’s built: Ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), then a, then the infinitive proteger. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Future of protegerse is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, “me protegeré”, meaning “I will protect”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me protegeré | I will protect |
| Tú | te protegerás | you will protect |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se protegerá | s/he will protect |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos protegeremos | we will protect |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os protegeréis | you (plural) will protect |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se protegerán | they will protect |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive proteger plus the future endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Conditional of protegerse is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, “me protegería”, meaning “I would protect”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me protegería | I would protect |
| Tú | te protegerías | you would protect |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se protegería | s/he would protect |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos protegeríamos | we would protect |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os protegeríais | you (plural) would protect |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se protegerían | they would protect |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive proteger plus the conditional endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Present Perfect of protegerse is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, “me he protegido”, meaning “I have protected”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me he protegido | I have protected |
| Tú | te has protegido | you have protected |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se ha protegido | s/he has protected |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos hemos protegido | we have protected |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os habéis protegido | you (plural) have protected |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se han protegido | they have protected |
How it’s built: Haber in the present (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) plus the past participle protegido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Past Perfect of protegerse is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, “me había protegido”, meaning “I had protected”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me había protegido | I had protected |
| Tú | te habías protegido | you had protected |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se había protegido | s/he had protected |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos habíamos protegido | we had protected |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os habíais protegido | you (plural) had protected |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se habían protegido | they had protected |
How it’s built: Haber in the imperfect (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) plus the past participle protegido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Future Perfect of protegerse is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, “me habré protegido”, meaning “I will have protected”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me habré protegido | I will have protected |
| Tú | te habrás protegido | you will have protected |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se habrá protegido | s/he will have protected |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos habremos protegido | we will have protected |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os habréis protegido | you (plural) will have protected |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se habrán protegido | they will have protected |
How it’s built: Haber in the future (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán) plus the past participle protegido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of protegerse is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, “me habría protegido”, meaning “I would have protected”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me habría protegido | I would have protected |
| Tú | te habrías protegido | you would have protected |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se habría protegido | s/he would have protected |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos habríamos protegido | we would have protected |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os habríais protegido | you (plural) would have protected |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se habrían protegido | they would have protected |
How it’s built: Haber in the conditional (habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían) plus the past participle protegido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, “me proteja”, meaning “I protect”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me proteja | I protect |
| Tú | te protejas | you protect |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se proteja | s/he protects |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos protejamos | we protect |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os protejáis | you (plural) protect |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se protejan | they protect |
How it’s built: Every form follows the yo present, protejo (proteja, protejas, proteja, protejamos, protejáis, protejan). The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, “me protegiera”, meaning “I protected”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me protegiera | I protected |
| Tú | te protegieras | you protected |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se protegiera | s/he protected |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos protegiéramos | we protected |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os protegierais | you (plural) protected |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se protegieran | they protected |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, protegieron, without -ron, plus the -ra endings; nosotros adds an accent (protegiéramos). The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, “me protegiere”, meaning “I will protect”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me protegiere | I will protect |
| Tú | te protegieres | you will protect |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se protegiere | s/he will protect |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos protegiéremos | we will protect |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os protegiereis | you (plural) will protect |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se protegieren | they will protect |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, protegieron, without -ron, plus the -re endings; nosotros adds an accent (protegiéremos). The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, “me haya protegido”, meaning “I have protected”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me haya protegido | I have protected |
| Tú | te hayas protegido | you have protected |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se haya protegido | s/he has protected |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos hayamos protegido | we have protected |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os hayáis protegido | you (plural) have protected |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se hayan protegido | they have protected |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive present (haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan) plus the past participle protegido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, “me hubiera protegido”, meaning “I had protected”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me hubiera protegido | I had protected |
| Tú | te hubieras protegido | you had protected |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se hubiera protegido | s/he had protected |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos hubiéramos protegido | we had protected |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os hubierais protegido | you (plural) had protected |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se hubieran protegido | they had protected |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive imperfect (hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran) plus the past participle protegido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, “me hubiere protegido”, meaning “I will have protected”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me hubiere protegido | I will have protected |
| Tú | te hubieres protegido | you will have protected |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se hubiere protegido | s/he will have protected |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos hubiéremos protegido | we will have protected |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os hubiereis protegido | you (plural) will have protected |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se hubieren protegido | they will have protected |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive future (hubiere, hubieres, hubiere, hubiéremos, hubiereis, hubieren) plus the past participle protegido. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, “protéjase”, meaning “(to you formal) protect!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | protégete | (to you) protect! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | protéjase | (to you formal) protect! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | protejámonos | let's protect! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | protegeos | (to you plural) protect! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | protéjanse | (to you plural formal) protect! |
How it’s built: Tú takes the ella/él present and attaches te (protégete); usted and ustedes take the subjunctive present and attach se (protéjase, protéjanse); nosotros takes the subjunctive present, drops the s and attaches nos (protejámonos); vosotros drops the final r of the infinitive and attaches os (protegeos).
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, “no se proteja”, meaning “(to you formal) don't protect!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no te protejas | (to you) don't protect! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no se proteja | (to you formal) don't protect! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no nos protejamos | let's not protect! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no os protejáis | (to you plural) don't protect! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no se protejan | (to you plural formal) don't protect! |
How it’s built: No plus the subjunctive present: no te protejas, no se proteja, no nos protejamos, no os protejáis, no se protejan.
Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.
Protegerse is an irregular Spanish verb. In the present tense: yo changes g to j (protejo); the other forms are regular. It is also irregular in the present subjunctive (me proteja).
In the present tense (presente), protegerse is conjugated as: yo me protejo, tú te proteges, él/ella/usted se protege, nosotros nos protegemos, vosotros os protegéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se protegen. The present tense is used To talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths.
In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), protegerse is conjugated as: yo me protegí, tú te protegiste, él/ella/usted se protegió, nosotros nos protegimos, vosotros os protegisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se protegieron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.
In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), protegerse is conjugated as: yo me protegía, tú te protegías, él/ella/usted se protegía, nosotros nos protegíamos, vosotros os protegíais, ellos/ellas/ustedes se protegían. The imperfect is used To describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do.
In the future tense (futuro simple), protegerse is conjugated as: yo me protegeré, tú te protegerás, él/ella/usted se protegerá, nosotros nos protegeremos, vosotros os protegeréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se protegerán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.
In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), protegerse is conjugated as: yo me proteja, tú te protejas, él/ella/usted se proteja, nosotros nos protejamos, vosotros os protejáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se protejan. The present subjunctive is used To talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about.
Proteger means ‘to protect’ and protegerse means ‘to protect (oneself)’. Protegerse is the reflexive form of proteger, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun – me, te, se, nos, os or se – that matches the subject. The verb itself is conjugated the same way: in the present tense, yo protejo becomes me protejo. In the affirmative tú imperative the pronoun attaches to the end of the verb, so protege becomes protégete.
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