Colonizar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
colonizar means "to colonise" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see colonizar with the southern island, the river valley, the northern lands and the continent in the sixteenth century — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo colonizo la isla del sur. — "Every day, I colonise the southern island." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
colonizar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with colonizar, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo colonizo la isla del sur. — "Every day, I colonise the southern island." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo colonicé el valle del río. — "Yesterday, I colonised the river valley." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo colonizaba las tierras del norte. — "In the past, I used to colonise the northern lands." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros colonizaremos el continente en el siglo XVI. — "Tomorrow, we will colonise the continent in the sixteenth century." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú colonizarías la isla del sur. — "If you could, you would colonise the southern island." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he colonizado el valle del río. — "I have colonised the river valley." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él coloniza las tierras del norte. — "Normally, he/she colonises the northern lands." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él colonizó el continente en el siglo XVI. — "Yesterday, he/she colonised the continent in the sixteenth century." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros colonizábamos la isla del sur. — "In the past, we used to colonise the southern island." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo colonizaré el valle del río. — "Tomorrow, I will colonise the river valley." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él colonice las tierras del norte. — "I hope that he/she colonises the northern lands." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Coloniza el continente en el siglo XVI! — "Colonise the continent in the sixteenth century!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using colonizar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the southern island, the river valley, the northern lands and the continent in the sixteenth century.
Dialogue 1: talking about the southern island
Sofía: ¿Tú colonizas la isla del sur? — "Do you colonise the southern island?" Diego: Sí, yo colonizo la isla del sur. — "I colonise the southern island." Sofía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Diego: Ayer, yo colonicé el valle del río. — "Yesterday, I colonised the river valley." Sofía: Mañana, nosotros colonizaremos las tierras del norte. — "Tomorrow, we will colonise the northern lands." Diego: Si pudiera, yo colonizaría el continente en el siglo XVI. — "If I could, I would colonise the continent in the sixteenth century." Sofía: Antes, yo colonizaba el valle del río. — "In the past, I used to colonise the river valley." Diego: Yo he colonizado la isla del sur. — "I have colonised the southern island." Sofía: ¡Coloniza las tierras del norte! — "Colonise the northern lands!"
In this dialogue colonizar appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about the northern lands
Sofía: Él coloniza las tierras del norte. — "he/she colonises the northern lands." Diego: ¿De verdad? ¿Él coloniza las tierras del norte todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she colonises the northern lands every day?" Sofía: Sí, y ellos colonizan el continente en el siglo XVI. — "they colonise the continent in the sixteenth century." Diego: Ayer, ellos colonizaron las tierras del norte. — "Yesterday, they colonised the northern lands." Sofía: Espero que él colonice el continente en el siglo XVI. — "I hope that he/she colonises the continent in the sixteenth century." Diego: Mañana, él colonizará las tierras del norte. — "Tomorrow, he/she will colonise the northern lands." Sofía: Antes, nosotros colonizábamos el continente en el siglo XVI. — "In the past, we used to colonise the continent in the sixteenth century." Diego: Nosotros colonizamos la isla del sur también. — "we colonise the southern island too."
This dialogue shows colonizar in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with colonizar
The errors learners actually make with colonizar in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me colonizo la isla del sur.
- Right: Yo colonizo la isla del sur.
- Why: colonizar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo colonizo la isla del sur. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo colonizar la isla del sur.
- Right: Yo colonizo la isla del sur.
- Why: The infinitive colonizar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form colonizo.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo colonizo el valle del río.
- Right: Ayer, yo colonicé el valle del río.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo colonicé el valle del río. — "Yesterday, I colonised the river valley."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy colonizado las tierras del norte.
- Right: Estoy colonizando las tierras del norte.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund colonizando for the progressive. The participle colonizado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he colonizado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros coloniza la isla del sur.
- Right: Nosotros colonizamos la isla del sur.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes colonizamos, while coloniza belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: colonizar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on colonizar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of colonizar in the present tense?
- (a) colonizo
- (b) colonizas
- (c) coloniza
- (d) colonizamos
Answer: (a) colonizo. The yo form is colonizo.
2. What is the tú form of colonizar in the present tense?
- (a) colonizo
- (b) coloniza
- (c) colonizamos
- (d) colonizas
Answer: (d) colonizas. The tú form is colonizas.
3. What is the él/ella form of colonizar in the present tense?
- (a) colonizas
- (b) colonizamos
- (c) coloniza
- (d) colonizo
Answer: (c) coloniza. The él/ella form is coloniza.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ la isla del sur.
- (a) colonizamos
- (b) colonizo
- (c) colonizas
- (d) coloniza
Answer: (b) colonizo. The sentence needs the yo form colonizo.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ el valle del río.
- (a) colonicé
- (b) colonizaste
- (c) colonizó
- (d) colonizamos
Answer: (a) colonicé. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is colonicé.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ las tierras del norte.
- (a) colonizabas
- (b) colonizábamos
- (c) colonizabais
- (d) colonizaba
Answer: (d) colonizaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is colonizaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ el continente en el siglo XVI.
- (a) colonizará
- (b) colonizaremos
- (c) colonizaré
- (d) colonizarás
Answer: (c) colonizaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is colonizaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la isla del sur.
- (a) ha colonizado
- (b) hemos colonizado
- (c) he colonizado
- (d) has colonizado
Answer: (c) he colonizado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he colonizado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ las tierras del norte.
- (a) colonice
- (b) colonices
- (c) colonicemos
- (d) colonicéis
Answer: (a) colonice. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is colonice.
10. What does colonizar mean in English?
- (a) to colonise
- (b) to get worried
- (c) to enrol
- (d) to limit oneself
Answer: (a) to colonise. colonizar means "to colonise" in English.
Frequently asked questions about colonizar
What does colonizar mean?
colonizar means "to colonise" in English. Use it when you talk about the southern island, the river valley, the northern lands and the continent in the sixteenth century — for example: Cada día, yo colonizo la isla del sur. — "Every day, I colonise the southern island."
Is there a reflexive form of colonizar?
No. colonizar is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo colonizo la isla del sur. — "Every day, I colonise the southern island."
What is the most common mistake with colonizar?
The spelling change. Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the yo preterite is colonicé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example colonice. Practise the yo form and the subjunctive forms until they feel automatic, and check them against the table on the conjugation page.
How can I practise colonizar?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.