Me apuro cuando el semáforo cambia a verde.

I hurry when the traffic light turns green.

Breakdown of Me apuro cuando el semáforo cambia a verde.

• yo: I
• verde: green
• cuando: when
• a: to
• cambiar: to change
• el semáforo: the traffic light
• apurarse: to hurry

Questions & Answers about Me apuro cuando el semáforo cambia a verde.

Why is it me apuro and not yo apuro?

In Spanish, two different pronouns are involved here:

• yo = subject pronoun (I)
• me = reflexive object pronoun (myself / me)

The subject is already clear from the verb ending -o in apuro, so Spanish normally drops yo. The full idea is:

• (Yo) me apuro → I hurry myself / I hurry up.

You need me because apurarse is used as a reflexive verb when it means to hurry (up).

If you said yo apuro without me, it would sound incomplete or mean something different, like:

• Yo apuro el paso. → I quicken my step.
• Yo apuro mi café. → I finish my coffee / I drink my coffee quickly.

So:

• Me apuro = I hurry (myself).
• Yo apuro… needs an object (what you are hurrying/finishing).

Why is apurarse reflexive here? Can’t I just say apuro?

When apurar is not reflexive, it usually means something like to finish, to use up, to press, to squeeze, to hurry something/someone else:

• Apuro mi bebida. → I finish my drink.
• El jefe nos apura. → The boss is pressuring us / hurrying us.

When it is reflexive – apurarse – it commonly means to hurry (up):

• Me apuro para llegar a tiempo. → I hurry to arrive on time.
• Apúrate. → Hurry up.

So you need the reflexive me because you are the one hurrying yourself.

Also, in Latin America apurarse is a very common everyday verb for to hurry up. In Spain, people more often say darse prisa:

• Me apuro (LatAm) ≈ Me doy prisa (Spain) → I hurry up.

Is me apuro the most natural way to say “I’m in a hurry” in Latin America?

Me apuro focuses on the action of hurrying, especially at a particular moment or in certain situations:

• Me apuro cuando el semáforo cambia a verde.
  I (tend to) hurry up when the light turns green.

To express the state “I’m in a hurry (right now)”, more common options are:

• Tengo prisa. → I’m in a hurry.
  (Very common in Spain, understood in Latin America.)
• Estoy apurado. / Ando apurado. → I’m in a hurry / I’m rushed.
  (Very common in Latin America.)
• Voy apurado. → I’m in a hurry (I’m going rushed).

So:

• Use me apuro for I hurry (up) / I start hurrying.
• Use tengo prisa / estoy apurado for the general state I’m in a hurry.

Why is it me apuro (simple present) and not me estoy apurando (I’m hurrying)?

Spanish uses the simple present much more than English for:

• general truths
• habits
• and even many actions happening “right now”.

In English, you often need the progressive:

• I hurry when the light turns green (OK)
• but more often: I start hurrying / I’m hurrying when the light turns green.

In Spanish, the natural habitual form is:

• Me apuro cuando el semáforo cambia a verde.

You would use the progressive me estoy apurando / estoy apurándome when you really want to emphasize that the action is in progress right now:

• Espera, me estoy apurando. → Wait, I’m hurrying (right now).

In the example sentence (a general pattern), the simple present me apuro is exactly what you want.

I’ve heard no te apures meaning “don’t worry.” Does apurarse also mean “to worry”?

Yes. In much of Latin America, apurarse can mean:

1. to hurry (up)

   • Me apuro cuando el semáforo cambia a verde. → I hurry when the light turns green.

2. to worry / to get upset (colloquial)

   • No te apures, todo va a salir bien. → Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine.

Context tells you which meaning is intended:

• If it’s about time, speed, buses, traffic, etc. → usually hurry.
• If it’s about problems, money, exams, health, etc. → often worry.

So no te apures in many Latin American countries is equivalent to no te preocupes.

Why is it cambia a verde and not cambia en verde or cambia al verde?

With cambiar to express a change of state/condition, Spanish commonly uses:

• cambiar a + adjective or noun (without article)

So:

• cambia a verde → it changes to green.
• cambió a rojo → it changed to red.

You don’t say cambia al verde here because verde is an adjective, not a noun that needs el.

cambiar en exists, but it’s much less common and tends to appear in more literary or specific uses (to change into something else), not for traffic-light colors.

There are also very natural alternatives with other verbs, especially in everyday speech:

• cuando el semáforo se pone verde
• cuando el semáforo se pone en verde

Both are widely used in Latin America. Many people would probably say one of these rather than cambia a verde in casual conversation, but your sentence is completely correct.

Why is it cuando el semáforo cambia (indicative) instead of cuando el semáforo cambie (subjunctive)?

After cuando, Spanish alternates between indicative and subjunctive depending on meaning:

1. Habitual / general fact → present indicative

   • Me apuro cuando el semáforo cambia a verde.
     I (usually) hurry when the light turns green.

   This is a general rule about what you typically do, so cambia (indicative) is correct.

2. Future / not-yet-happened action → present subjunctive

   • Apúrate cuando el semáforo cambie a verde.
     Hurry (then) when the light turns green.

   Here you’re giving an instruction about a future event, so cambie (subjunctive) is required.

So your sentence is using the indicative because it describes a habitual pattern, not a single future occurrence.

Can I put cuando el semáforo cambia a verde at the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Both word orders are correct:

• Me apuro cuando el semáforo cambia a verde.
• Cuando el semáforo cambia a verde, me apuro.

The only difference is punctuation: when the cuando-clause comes first, you normally add a comma after it.

The meaning is the same; the second version simply puts a bit more emphasis on the when part.

What exactly does el semáforo mean? Are there other common words for “traffic light” in Latin America?

El semáforo is the standard word for traffic light across the Spanish‑speaking world.

Some notes and variants:

• It’s masculine: el semáforo, los semáforos.
• You can talk about its color:
  • El semáforo está en rojo / en verde / en amarillo.
• In everyday speech, people may also say:
  • la luz (literally the light):
    Me pasé la luz roja. → I ran the red light.
  • In some parts of Mexico, el alto can refer to the stop sign or sometimes the traffic signal indicating stop.

But in a textbook‑style sentence like yours, el semáforo is the normal, neutral word.

If I want to say “I have to hurry when the light turns green,” where does the me go? Is Tengo que me apurar correct?

Standard Spanish does not allow Tengo que me apurar.

You have two correct options:

• Me tengo que apurar cuando el semáforo cambia a verde.
• Tengo que apurarme cuando el semáforo cambia a verde.

General rule with reflexive pronouns:

• They can go before the conjugated verb:
  • Me tengo que apurar.
  • Me voy a apurar.
  • Me estoy apurando.
• Or attached to the infinitive or gerund:
  • Tengo que apurarme.
  • Voy a apurarme.
  • Estoy apurándome.

But not in the middle of tengo que:
❌ Tengo que me apurar (incorrect in standard Spanish).

Is apuro here present tense or past tense? How can I tell?

In me apuro, apuro is present tense, first person singular of apurar:

• (yo) apuro → I hurry / I finish (something).

Compare with past (preterite) forms:

• apuré → I hurried / I finished.
• apuró → he/she/it hurried / finished.

Notice:

• apuro → no accent, ends in -o → present yo form.
• apuró → accent on the ó, ends in -ó → past él/ella/usted form.

So in Me apuro cuando el semáforo cambia a verde, the verb is clearly in the present tense.