Colonizar Present Tense in Spanish
colonizar means "to colonise" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for colonizar, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo colonizo la isla del sur. — "Every day, I colonise the southern island." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of colonizar: full table
Every person of colonizar in the present tense. The gerund is colonizando and the past participle is colonizado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | colonizo |
| tú | colonizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | coloniza |
| nosotros/as | colonizamos |
| vosotros/as | colonizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | colonizan |
The gerund of colonizar is colonizando and the past participle is colonizado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy colonizando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he colonizado).
How the present tense of colonizar is formed
The present tense of colonizar is built from the stem coloniz- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo colonizo, tú colonizas, él coloniza, nosotros colonizamos, vosotros colonizáis and ellos colonizan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | colonizo |
| tú | -as | colonizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | coloniza |
| nosotros/as | -amos | colonizamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | colonizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | colonizan |
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.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is colonizando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy colonizando. The past participle is colonizado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he colonizado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with colonizar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo colonizo la isla del sur. — "Every day, I colonise the southern island." The complement in this sentence is about the southern island, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear colonizar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú colonizas el valle del río. — "Now, you colonise the river valley." The complement in this sentence is about the river valley, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear colonizar in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él coloniza las tierras del norte. — "Normally, he/she colonises the northern lands." The complement in this sentence is about the northern lands, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear colonizar in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros colonizamos el continente en el siglo XVI. — "Tomorrow, we colonise the continent in the sixteenth century." The complement in this sentence is about the continent in the sixteenth century, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear colonizar in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos colonizan la isla del sur. — "Always, they colonise the southern island." The complement in this sentence is about the southern island, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear colonizar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: colonizar
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with colonizar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo colonizo la isla del sur. — "Every day, I colonise the southern island."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo colonicé la isla del sur. — "Yesterday, I colonised the southern island."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú colonizas el valle del río. — "Every day, you colonise the river valley."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú colonizaste el valle del río. — "Yesterday, you colonised the river valley."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él coloniza las tierras del norte. — "Every day, he/she colonises the northern lands."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él colonizó las tierras del norte. — "Yesterday, he/she colonised the northern lands."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: colonizar in the present tense
These eight sentences show colonizar in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo colonizo la isla del sur. — "I colonise the southern island."
- Tú colonizas el valle del río. — "you colonise the river valley."
- Él coloniza las tierras del norte. — "he/she colonises the northern lands."
- Nosotros colonizamos el continente en el siglo XVI. — "we colonise the continent in the sixteenth century."
- Vosotros colonizáis la isla del sur. — "you (plural) colonise the southern island."
- Ellos colonizan el valle del río. — "they colonise the river valley."
- Yo colonizo las tierras del norte. — "I colonise the northern lands."
- Tú colonizas el continente en el siglo XVI. — "you colonise the continent in the sixteenth century."
Common mistakes with colonizar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros colonizais la isla del sur.
- Right: Vosotros colonizáis la isla del sur.
- Why: The vosotros form colonizáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: 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. The extra pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence.
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." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo colonizo las tierras del norte.
- Right: Antes, yo colonizaba las tierras del norte.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo colonizaba las tierras del norte. — "In the past, I used to colonise the northern lands." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
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. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of colonizar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of 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. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
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. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
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. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of colonizar in the present tense?
- (a) coloniza
- (b) colonizamos
- (c) colonizo
- (d) colonizas
Answer: (b) colonizamos. The nosotros form is colonizamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of colonizar in the present tense?
- (a) colonizan
- (b) colonizo
- (c) colonizas
- (d) coloniza
Answer: (a) colonizan. The ellos/ellas form is colonizan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ la isla del sur.
- (a) colonizas
- (b) coloniza
- (c) colonizamos
- (d) colonizo
Answer: (d) colonizo. The sentence needs the yo form colonizo (Every day, I colonise the southern island.)
7. What is the gerund of colonizar?
- (a) colonizado
- (b) colonizo
- (c) colonizar
- (d) colonizando
Answer: (d) colonizando. The gerund is colonizando, used for the progressive: estoy colonizando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Ayer, yo colonicé el valle del río.
- (b) Mañana, yo colonizaré el valle del río.
- (c) Cada día, yo colonizo el valle del río.
- (d) Antes, yo colonizaba el valle del río.
Answer: (c) Cada día, yo colonizo el valle del río.. Cada día, yo colonizo el valle del río. (Every day, I colonise the river valley.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo colonicé el valle del río. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo colonizaré el valle del río. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of colonizar
Is colonizar regular in the present tense?
Almost. colonizar is a spelling-changing (z → c before e) -ar verb, so its endings are regular, but watch the spelling: 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.
How do you say 'colonise' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo colonizo la isla del sur. — "Every day, I colonise the southern island." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with colonizar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo colonizo el valle del río. — "Every day, I colonise the river valley." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo colonicé el valle del río. — "Yesterday, I colonised the river valley." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with colonizar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros colonizamos el continente en el siglo XVI. — "Tomorrow, we colonise the continent in the sixteenth century." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.