Afianzar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of afianzar — “to secure, to strengthen” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for afianzar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. It is a spelling-change verb (z becomes c before e), but the present tense itself is regular — the spelling change shows up in the subjunctive and the preterite. To see it in a real sentence: Afianzo la amistad con los años. — “I secure the friendship over the years.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of afianzar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: afianzar
Every person of afianzar in the present tense. The gerund is afianzando and the past participle is afianzado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afianzo |
| tú | afianzas |
| él/ella/Ud. | afianza |
| nosotros/as | afianzamos |
| vosotros/as | afianzáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afianzan |
How the present indicative of afianzar is formed
The present indicative of afianzar is built from the stem plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | afianzo |
| tú | -as | afianzas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | afianza |
| nosotros/as | -amos | afianzamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | afianzáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | afianzan |
Afianzar is a spelling-change verb. In the present tense the forms are regular, so the table above follows the normal -ar endings. The spelling change appears when the ending starts with e: the present subjunctive is afiance and the preterite first person is afiancé. The sound stays the same; only the spelling changes to keep it.
The gerund of afianzar is afianzando and the past participle is afianzado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of afianzar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and afianzar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and afianzar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo afianzo la amistad con los años todos los días.” — “I secure the friendship over the years every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él afianza su posición en la empresa.” — “He/she secures his position in the company.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so afianzo can mean both “I secure” and “I am secureing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo afianzo la escalera antes de subir.” — “Right now, I secure the ladder before climbing.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo afianzo la confianza del equipo.” — “Tomorrow, I will secure the team's confidence.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú afianzas la amistad con los años?” — “Do you secure the friendship over the years?”
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Afianza su posición en la empresa. — “He/she secures his position in the company.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Afianzó su posición en la empresa. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add “used to” in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Afianzan la escalera antes de subir. — “They secure the ladder before climbing.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Afianzaban la escalera antes de subir. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Afianzas la confianza del equipo. — “You secure the team's confidence.”
- Future — what will happen: Afianzarás la confianza del equipo. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: afianzar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show afianzar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo afianzo la amistad con los años. — “I secure the friendship over the years.”
- Tú afianzas su posición en la empresa. — “You secure his position in the company.”
- Él afianza la escalera antes de subir. — “He secures the ladder before climbing.”
- Nosotros afianzamos la confianza del equipo. — “We secure the team's confidence.”
- Vosotros afianzáis la amistad con los años. — “You (plural) secure the friendship over the years.”
- Ellos afianzan su posición en la empresa. — “They secure his position in the company.”
- ¿Tú afianzas la escalera antes de subir? — “Do you secure the ladder before climbing?”
Common mistakes with afianzar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with afianzar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo afianzar la amistad con los años. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo afianzo la amistad con los años.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of afianzar is afianzo, not the infinitive afianzar.
✗ Vosotros afianzais la amistad con los años. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros afianzáis la amistad con los años.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: afianzáis, not afianzais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo afianzo su posición en la empresa. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo afiancé su posición en la empresa.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: afianzo is happening now, while afiancé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating afianzar and asegurar as identical in every context. (confusing afianzar with asegurar).
✓ 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.
Quiz: afianzar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of afianzar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of afianzar for tú?
- a) afianzas
- b) afianzo
- c) afianza
- d) afianzan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la amistad con los años. — “I secure the friendship over the years.”
- a) afianza
- b) afianzamos
- c) afianzas
- d) afianzo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ su posición en la empresa. — “He/she secures his position in the company.” (present tense)
- a) afianzaba
- b) afianzará
- c) afianza
- d) afianzó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of afianzar for nosotros?
- a) afianzan
- b) afianzamos
- c) afianzo
- d) afianza
5. Which sentence uses afianzar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él afianzó su posición en la empresa.
- b) Él afianza su posición en la empresa.
- c) Él afianzará su posición en la empresa.
- d) Ellos afianza su posición en la empresa.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la escalera antes de subir. — “They secure the ladder before climbing.”
- a) afianzo
- b) afianza
- c) afianzamos
- d) afianzan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ la confianza del equipo? — “Do you secure the team's confidence?”
- a) afianza
- b) afianzarás
- c) afianzas
- d) afianzo
8. What is the gerund of afianzar?
- a) afiancé
- b) afianzando
- c) afianzado
- d) afianzo
Answer key
a) afianzas — The tú form is afianzas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; afianzo is yo, afianza is él/ella and afianzan is ellos/ellas.
d) afianzo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: afianzo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) afianza — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: afianza. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) afianzamos — Nosotros takes afianzamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) 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 use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) afianzan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is afianzan.
c) afianzas — The question needs the tú form in the present: afianzas.
b) afianzando — The gerund is afianzando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle afianzado.
Frequently asked questions
Is afianzar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Afianzar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: afianzo, afianzas, afianza, afianzamos, afianzáis and afianzan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of afianzar?
The gerund is afianzando and the past participle is afianzado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I secure” in Spanish?
Say afianzo. For example: Afianzo la amistad con los años. — “I secure the friendship over the years.”
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”. The full conjugation of afianzar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of afianzar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- afianzar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Afilar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with afianzar.
- Administrar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with afianzar.
- Afrontar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with afianzar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.