Autorizar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish

autorizar means to authorise, and it is a verb you will meet in everyday Spanish again and again. Autorizar means to authorise, and it covers authorising building work, authorising the use of a photo, authorising entry to a building and authorising the publication of a book. It is a spelling-change verb: the z becomes c before e, so the preterite is autoricé. This page puts autorizar to work: twelve example sentences in different tenses and persons, grouped by use, then two short dialogues where the verb appears naturally, then the common mistakes to avoid, and finally a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Every Spanish form on this page comes from the verified conjugation tables for autorizar, and the full tables are on the autorizar conjugation page if you need to check a form.

Example sentences

Everyday uses

  1. Yo autorizo la obra en el centro. — I authorise the work in the centre.
  2. Él autoriza el uso de la foto. — He/she authorises the use of the photo.
  3. Ayer, yo autoricé la entrada al edificio. — Yesterday, I authorised entry to the building.
  4. Antes, nosotros autorizábamos la publicación del libro. — Before, we used to authorise the publication of the book.

In other tenses

  1. Mañana, tú autorizarás la obra en el centro. — Tomorrow, you will authorise the work in the centre.
  2. Yo autorizaría el uso de la foto. — I would authorise the use of the photo.
  3. Él ha autorizado la entrada al edificio. — He/she has authorised entry to the building.
  4. Espero que él autorice la publicación del libro. — I hope he/she authorises the publication of the book.

With other people

  1. Nosotros autorizamos la obra en el centro. — We authorise the work in the centre.
  2. Vosotros autorizáis el uso de la foto. — You all authorise the use of the photo.
  3. Antes, ellos autorizaban la entrada al edificio. — Before, they used to authorise entry to the building.
  4. Mañana, él autorizará la publicación del libro. — Tomorrow, he/she will authorise the publication of the book.

Autorizar in context

Two short dialogues that use autorizar the way people really use it. Read them aloud — the verb forms will stick much faster in a conversation than in a table.

Dialogue 1: today and yesterday

  • Ana: "Hola, ¿qué tal?" — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Luis: "Hoy autorizo la obra en el centro." — "Today I authorise the work in the centre."
  • Ana: "¿Y ayer?" — "And yesterday?"
  • Luis: "Ayer, autoricé la entrada al edificio." — "Yesterday I authorised entry to the building."
  • Ana: "¿Y mañana, tú autorizarás el uso de la foto?" — "And tomorrow, will you will authorise the use of the photo?"
  • Luis: "Sí, claro. Y tú también." — "Yes, of course. And you too."

Dialogue 2: making plans

  • Marta: "Mañana, nosotros autorizamos la publicación del libro." — "Tomorrow we authorise the publication of the book."
  • Carlos: "Perfecto. Yo autorizaría el uso de la foto si tuviera más tiempo." — "Perfect. I would would authorise the use of the photo if I had more time."
  • Marta: "Espero que él autorice la obra en el centro." — "I hope he authorises the work in the centre."
  • Carlos: "Seguro que sí. Él ya ha autorizado la entrada al edificio." — "Surely. He has already has authorised entry to the building."
  • Marta: "Vale, nos vemos mañana." — "OK, see you tomorrow."

Notice how the same verb changes with the tense: the present for the plan, the conditional for the wish, the subjunctive after espero que, and the present perfect for what has already happened. That is the whole point of learning a verb across its tenses, not just in one form.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo autoriza la obra en el centro. — Right: Yo autorizo la obra en el centro. — The person matters: autoriza is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is autorizo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo autorizé el uso de la foto. — Right: Yo autoricé el uso de la foto. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is autoricé, not autorizé. autorizar is a spelling-change verb: z becomes c before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating autorizar and permitir as identical in every context. — Right: Autorizar means to authorise, while permitir means to allow, the close verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: autorizar fits sentences such as Autorizo la obra en el centro, while permitir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy autorizado el uso de la foto. — Right: Yo he autorizado el uso de la foto. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he autorizado, has autorizado, ha autorizado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo autoricé la entrada al edificio todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo autorizaba la entrada al edificio todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (autorizaba), not the preterite. The preterite (autoricé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on autorizar: four on the forms, three on the meaning, and three on spotting the correct sentence. Check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la obra en el centro. (present tense) A. autorizo B. autorizas C. autoriza D. autorizamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ___ el uso de la foto. (preterite tense) A. autoricé B. autorizaste C. autorizamos D. autorizó

  3. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ la entrada al edificio. (future tense) A. autorizará B. autorizaremos C. autorizarás D. autorizaré

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la publicación del libro. (imperfect tense) A. autorizabais B. autorizábamos C. autorizaba D. autorizabas

  5. What does "Yo autorizo la obra en el centro." mean in English? A. I authorise the work in the centre. B. I authorise the use of the photo. C. I authorise entry to the building. D. I authorise the publication of the book.

  6. What does "Él autorizó el uso de la foto." mean in English? A. He/she authorised the work in the centre. B. He/she authorised entry to the building. C. He/she authorised the publication of the book. D. He/she authorised the use of the photo.

  7. What does "Nosotros autorizaremos la entrada al edificio." mean in English? A. We will authorise the use of the photo. B. We will authorise the publication of the book. C. We will authorise entry to the building. D. We will authorise the work in the centre.

  8. Which sentence is correct? A. Yo autorizan el uso de la foto. B. Yo autoriza el uso de la foto. C. Yo autorizo el uso de la foto.

  9. Which sentence is correct? A. Él autoricé la entrada al edificio. B. Él autorizó la entrada al edificio. C. Él autorizaron la entrada al edificio.

  10. Which sentence is correct? A. Espero que yo autorice la publicación del libro. B. Yo autorize la publicación del libro. C. Yo autorice la publicación del libro.

Answer key

  1. autorizo — The yo present form of autorizar is autorizo.
  2. autorizó — The el preterite form of autorizar is autorizó.
  3. autorizarás — The tu future form of autorizar is autorizarás.
  4. autorizábamos — The nosotros imperfect form of autorizar is autorizábamos.
  5. I authorise the work in the centre. — The Spanish sentence uses the present form autorizo, so the English is "I authorise the work in the centre." The other options use a different object or situation.
  6. He/she authorised the use of the photo. — The Spanish sentence uses the preterite form autorizó, so the English is "He/she authorised the use of the photo." The other options use a different object or situation.
  7. We will authorise entry to the building. — The Spanish sentence uses the future form autorizaremos, so the English is "We will authorise entry to the building." The other options use a different object or situation.
  8. Yo autorizo el uso de la foto. — The correct sentence is "Yo autorizo el uso de la foto." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  9. Él autorizó la entrada al edificio. — The correct sentence is "Él autorizó la entrada al edificio." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  10. Espero que yo autorice la publicación del libro. — The correct sentence is "Espero que yo autorice la publicación del libro." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.

Frequently asked questions

What does autorizar mean, and when do I use it?

Autorizar means to authorise. Autorizar means to authorise, and it covers authorising building work, authorising the use of a photo, authorising entry to a building and authorising the publication of a book. It is a spelling-change verb: the z becomes c before e, so the preterite is autoricé. A good first sentence to remember is Yo autorizo la obra en el centro. — "I authorise the work in the centre."

What is the difference between autorizar and permitir?

Autorizar means to authorise, while permitir means to allow, the close verb. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use autorizar when you mean to authorise, as in Yo autorizo el uso de la foto., and use permitir for to allow, the close verb.

How do I say "I authorise" in the past?

For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo autoricé el uso de la foto.. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo autorizaba la entrada al edificio.. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he autorizado el uso de la foto..

How do I practise autorizar?

Start with the autorizar conjugation page for the full tables, then the autorizar in the present tense page for the tense in focus, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure. Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the preterite is autoricé and the subjunctive is autorice.

Related links