Afianzar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb afianzar means to secure, to strengthen, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, afianzar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say afianzo la amistad con los años, and in the preterite you say afiancé la escalera antes de subir. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: afianzar
- English: to secure, to strengthen
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: afianzando
- Past participle: afianzado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + afianzado)
- Spelling change: Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is afiance and the preterite first person is afiancé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for afianzar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the preterite first person is afiancé. In the present tense it is regular: afianzo.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for afianzar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afianzo |
| tú | afianzas |
| él/ella/Ud. | afianza |
| nosotros/as | afianzamos |
| vosotros/as | afianzáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afianzan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afiancé |
| tú | afianzaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | afianzó |
| nosotros/as | afianzamos |
| vosotros/as | afianzasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afianzaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afianzaba |
| tú | afianzabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | afianzaba |
| nosotros/as | afianzábamos |
| vosotros/as | afianzabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afianzaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afianzaré |
| tú | afianzarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | afianzará |
| nosotros/as | afianzaremos |
| vosotros/as | afianzaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afianzarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afianzaría |
| tú | afianzarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | afianzaría |
| nosotros/as | afianzaríamos |
| vosotros/as | afianzaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afianzarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he afianzado |
| tú | has afianzado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha afianzado |
| nosotros/as | hemos afianzado |
| vosotros/as | habéis afianzado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han afianzado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había afianzado |
| tú | habías afianzado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había afianzado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos afianzado |
| vosotros/as | habíais afianzado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían afianzado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré afianzado |
| tú | habrás afianzado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá afianzado |
| nosotros/as | habremos afianzado |
| vosotros/as | habréis afianzado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán afianzado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría afianzado |
| tú | habrías afianzado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría afianzado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos afianzado |
| vosotros/as | habríais afianzado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían afianzado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afiance |
| tú | afiances |
| él/ella/Ud. | afiance |
| nosotros/as | afiancemos |
| vosotros/as | afiancéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afiancen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afianzara |
| tú | afianzaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | afianzara |
| nosotros/as | afianzáramos |
| vosotros/as | afianzarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afianzaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | afianza |
| él/ella/Ud. | afiance |
| nosotros/as | afiancemos |
| vosotros/as | afianzad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afiancen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | afiances |
| él/ella/Ud. | afiance |
| nosotros/as | afiancemos |
| vosotros/as | afiancéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afiancen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | afianzando | with estar for the progressive: estoy afianzando |
| Past participle | afianzado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he afianzado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afianzar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Afianzo la amistad con los años. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. Note the spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is afiance and the preterite first person is afiancé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For afianzar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, afiancé su posición en la empresa. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afianzar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, afianzaba la escalera antes de subir. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afianzar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, afianzaré la confianza del equipo. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afianzar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Afianzaría la amistad con los años si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afianzar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he afianzado su posición en la empresa. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afianzar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había afianzado la escalera antes de subir antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afianzar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré afianzado la confianza del equipo. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afianzar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría afianzado la amistad con los años con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. Note the spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is afiance and the preterite first person is afiancé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For afianzar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él afiance su posición en la empresa. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afianzar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él afianzara la escalera antes de subir, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. Note the spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is afiance and the preterite first person is afiancé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For afianzar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Afianza la confianza del equipo! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. Note the spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is afiance and the preterite first person is afiancé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For afianzar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No afiances la amistad con los años. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with afianzar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Afianzo la amistad con los años. — I secure the friendship over the years.
- Afianza su posición en la empresa. — He/she secures his position in the company.
- Ayer, afiancé la escalera antes de subir. — Yesterday, I secured the ladder before climbing.
- Antes, nosotros afianzábamos la confianza del equipo. — Before, we used to secure the team's confidence.
- Mañana, tú afianzarás la amistad con los años. — Tomorrow, you will secure the friendship over the years.
- Yo afianzaría su posición en la empresa si tuviera más tiempo. — I would secure his position in the company if I had more time.
- Él ha afianzado la escalera antes de subir. — He has secured the ladder before climbing.
- Espero que él afiance la confianza del equipo. — I hope he secures the team's confidence.
- Yo ya había afianzado la amistad con los años antes de salir. — I had already secured the friendship over the years before leaving.
- Ellos afianzaban su posición en la empresa cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to secure his position in the company when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo afianza la amistad con los años. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Espero que yo afianze su posición en la empresa. — Right: Espero que yo afiance su posición en la empresa. — Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is afiance, never afianze.
- Wrong: Treating afianzar and asegurar as identical in every context. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Yo soy afianzado su posición en la empresa. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: De niño, yo afiancé la escalera antes de subir todos los días. — Right: 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: test yourself
Ten questions on afianzar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la amistad con los años. (present tense) A. afianzo B. afianzas C. afianza D. afianzamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ su posición en la empresa. (preterite) A. afiancé B. afianzaste C. afianzaron D. afianzó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la escalera antes de subir. (imperfect) A. afianzabas B. afianzaban C. afianzábamos D. afianzaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la confianza del equipo. (future) A. afianzaremos B. afianzarás C. afianzaré D. afianzará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la amistad con los años si pudiera. (conditional) A. afianzaría B. afianzarías C. afianzarían D. afianzo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ su posición en la empresa. (present subjunctive) A. afiances B. afiancemos C. afianzo D. afiance
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la escalera antes de subir, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. afianzáramos B. afianzo C. afianzara D. afianzaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la confianza del equipo. (present perfect) A. han afianzado B. hemos afianzado C. he afianzado D. has afianzado
Complete the command: ¡___ la amistad con los años! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. afianza B. afiance C. afiancemos D. afianzad
Which is the gerund of afianzar, used with estar for the progressive? A. afianzado B. afianzo C. afiancé D. afianzando
Answer key
- afianzo — The first-person present of afianzar is afianzo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- afianzó — The third-person preterite of afianzar is afianzó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- afianzábamos — The nosotros imperfect of afianzar is afianzábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- afianzarás — The second-person future of afianzar is afianzarás.
- afianzaría — The first-person conditional of afianzar is afianzaría, the form for what would happen.
- afiance — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of afianzar is afiance.
- afianzara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of afianzar is afianzara.
- hemos afianzado — The nosotros present perfect of afianzar is hemos afianzado: hemos + afianzado.
- afianza — The affirmative tú imperative of afianzar is afianza.
- afianzando — The gerund of afianzar is afianzando: estoy afianzando. The participle afianzado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does afianzar mean in English?
Afianzar means to secure, to strengthen. It is used in everyday situations such as Afianzo la amistad con los años. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is afianzar regular or irregular?
Afianzar is a spelling-change verb, so it is not fully regular. Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is afiance and the preterite first person is afiancé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. The other tenses follow the regular -ar endings. Learn the changed forms from the tables above rather than applying the regular spelling.
What is the difference between afianzar and asegurar?
Afianzar means to secure, to strengthen, while asegurar means to make sure or secure. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use afianzar when you mean to secure, to strengthen, as in Afianzo la amistad con los años, and use asegurar for to make sure or secure. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I secure” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo afiancé su posición en la empresa. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo afianzaba la escalera antes de subir. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he afianzado su posición en la empresa.
How do I practise afianzar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the afianzar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Afianzar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for afianzar.
- Afianzar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for afianzar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- 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.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.