Afianzar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

afianzar means “to secure, to strengthen” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Afianzar means to secure or to strengthen, to make something firm and safe, such as a friendship, a position or a ladder. It is a spelling-change verb: z becomes c before e. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of afianzar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the afianzar present tense page.

afianzar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo afianzo la amistad con los años. — “I secure the friendship over the years.”
  2. Él afianza su posición en la empresa. — “He secures his position in the company.”
  3. Nosotros afianzamos la escalera antes de subir. — “We secure the ladder before climbing.”
  4. Ellos afianzan la confianza del equipo. — “They secure the team's confidence.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo afiancé su posición en la empresa. — “Yesterday, I secured his position in the company.”
  2. Antes, nosotros afianzábamos la escalera antes de subir. — “Before, we used to secure the ladder before climbing.”
  3. Él afianzó la confianza del equipo. — “He secured the team's confidence.”
  4. Yo ya había afianzado la amistad con los años antes de salir. — “I had already secured the friendship over the years before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú afianzarás la amistad con los años. — “Tomorrow, you will secure the friendship over the years.”
  2. Yo afianzaría su posición en la empresa si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would secure his position in the company if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha afianzado la escalera antes de subir. — “He has secured the ladder before climbing.”
  4. Espero que él afiance la confianza del equipo. — “I hope he secures the team's confidence.”

afianzar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use afianzar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo afianzo la amistad con los años. — “I secure the friendship over the years.”
  • Bea: Él afianza su posición en la empresa. — “He secures his position in the company.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo afiancé su posición en la empresa. — “Yesterday, I secured his position in the company.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú afianzarás la amistad con los años. — “Tomorrow, you will secure the friendship over the years.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros afianzamos la escalera antes de subir. — “We secure the ladder before climbing.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros afianzábamos la escalera antes de subir. — “Before, we used to secure the ladder before climbing.”
  • Luis: Yo afianzaría su posición en la empresa si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would secure his position in the company if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él afiance la confianza del equipo. — “I hope he secures the team's confidence.”

A short scene with afianzar

A short scene shows how afianzar works across the day. In the morning: Afianzo la amistad con los años. In the afternoon: Afianza su posición en la empresa. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, afiancé la escalera antes de subir. And tomorrow: Mañana, afianzaré la confianza del equipo. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how afianzar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with afianzar

The errors learners actually make with afianzar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo afianza la amistad con los años.

✓ Correct: Yo afianzo la amistad con los años.

The person matters: afianza is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is afianzo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Espero que yo afianze su posición en la empresa.

✓ Correct: Espero que yo afiance su posición en la empresa.

Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is afiance, never afianze.

✗ Treating afianzar and asegurar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Afianzar means to secure, to strengthen, while asegurar means to make sure or secure.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: afianzar fits sentences such as Afianzo la amistad con los años, while asegurar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy afianzado su posición en la empresa.

✓ Correct: Yo he afianzado su posición en la empresa.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he afianzado, has afianzado, ha afianzado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo afiancé la escalera antes de subir todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo afianzaba la escalera antes de subir todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (afianzaba), not the preterite. The preterite (afiancé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: afianzar in use

Ten questions on afianzar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ su posición en la empresa. — “He/she secures his position in the company.”

  • a) afianza
  • b) afianzo
  • c) afianzas
  • d) afianzamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la escalera antes de subir. — “Yesterday, I secured the ladder before climbing.”

  • a) afianzaste
  • b) afianzó
  • c) afianzaron
  • d) afiancé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la confianza del equipo cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to secure the team's confidence when they were young.”

  • a) afianzabas
  • b) afianzábamos
  • c) afianzaban
  • d) afianzaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ la amistad con los años. — “Tomorrow, we will secure the friendship over the years.”

  • a) afianzarán
  • b) afianzaremos
  • c) afianzaré
  • d) afianzarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ su posición en la empresa si pudiera. — “He would secure his position in the company if he could.”

  • a) afianzaría
  • b) afianzarías
  • c) afianzaríamos
  • d) afianzo

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la escalera antes de subir. — “I have secured the ladder before climbing.”

  • a) has afianzado
  • b) ha afianzado
  • c) han afianzado
  • d) he afianzado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ la confianza del equipo. — “I hope you secure the team's confidence.”

  • a) afiancemos
  • b) afianzo
  • c) afiances
  • d) afiance

8. Which is the past participle of afianzar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) afiancé
  • b) afianzado
  • c) afianzando
  • d) afianzo

9. What does afianzar mean in English?

  • a) to secure, to strengthen
  • b) to make sure or secure
  • c) to sharpen
  • d) to face, to confront

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él afianza su posición en la empresa.
  • b) Él afianzo su posición en la empresa.
  • c) Nosotros afianza la escalera antes de subir.
  • d) Yo afianza la amistad con los años.

Answer key

  1. a) afianza — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: afianza.

  2. d) afiancé — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: afiancé, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) afianzaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: afianzaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) afianzaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: afianzaremos.

  5. a) afianzaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: afianzaría.

  6. d) he afianzado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he afianzado, haber + afianzado.

  7. c) afiances — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is afiances.

  8. b) afianzado — The past participle is afianzado: he afianzado, has afianzado, ha afianzado. The gerund afianzando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to secure, to strengthen — afianzar means to secure, to strengthen. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él afianza su posición en la empresa. — Él afianza su posición en la empresa. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use afianzar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Afianzo la amistad con los años and Afianza su posición en la empresa. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between afianzar and asegurar?

Afianzar means “to secure, to strengthen”, while asegurar means “to make sure or secure”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use afianzar when you mean “to secure, to strengthen” and asegurar when you mean “to make sure or secure”.

Which tense do I need most with afianzar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use afianzar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is afianzar formal or informal?

Afianzar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

Related links