Crecer Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of crecer — "to grow" 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 crecer 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. Crecer means "to grow" — children grow, plants grow, hair grows, a city grows, a company grows. It is one of the most useful -er verbs because it covers both literal growth and figurative growth (the economy grows, your Spanish grows). The key form to learn is the yo form: crezco, with a zc that appears only in yo. All the other persons keep the plain stem crec- (creces, crece, crecemos, crecéis, crecen). That single irregular form is the whole difficulty of crecer in the present tense. To see it in a real sentence: Mi hijo crece muy rápido. — "My son grows very fast.".
Present tense conjugation table: crecer
Every person of crecer in the present tense. The gerund is creciendo and the past participle is crecido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | crezco |
| tú | creces |
| él/ella/Ud. | crece |
| nosotros/as | crecemos |
| vosotros/as | crecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | crecen |
How the present indicative of crecer is formed
The present indicative of crecer is built from the stem crec- plus the present indicative endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er 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 | crezco |
| tú | -es | creces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | crece |
| nosotros/as | -emos | crecemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | crecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | crecen |
crecer is a -zc- verb. Only the yo form changes: the stem gains a zc, giving crezco. Every other person keeps the plain stem crec-: creces, crece, crecemos, crecéis and crecen. The rule is simple to remember — the zc belongs to yo and to the subjunctive forms built on it, and nowhere else in the present tense. If you catch yourself writing the zc in any other person, drop it.
The gerund of crecer is creciendo and the past participle is crecido. 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 crecer
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and crecer 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.
Children growing
The present describes a child growing now, or the general fact that children grow fast.
"Mi hijo crece muy rápido." — "My son grows very fast."
Plants growing
Gardeners use crecer for everything that grows in the soil.
"El tomate crece en el jardín." — "The tomato plant grows in the garden."
Hair and nails
Crecer also covers hair and nails growing — a very everyday use.
"Mi pelo crece muy despacio." — "My hair grows very slowly."
Cities and companies growing
Figuratively, crecer describes expansion — a city, a business, a market.
"La ciudad crece cada año." — "The city grows every year."
Personal growth
Crecer is used for growing as a person — learning, maturing, improving.
"Yo crezco como persona con cada viaje." — "I grow as a person with every trip."
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: Yo crezco un centímetro cada año. — "I grow one centimetre every year."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo crecí un centímetro cada año. — 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: Tú creces muy rápido, necesitas ropa nueva. — "You grow very fast, you need new clothes."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú crecías muy rápido, necesitas ropa nueva. — 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: La planta crece junto a la ventana. — "The plant grows next to the window."
- Future — what will happen: La planta crecerá junto a la ventana. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: crecer in the present tense
Seven sentences that show crecer in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo crezco un centímetro cada año. — "I grow one centimetre every year."
- Tú creces muy rápido, necesitas ropa nueva. — "You grow very fast, you need new clothes."
- La planta crece junto a la ventana. — "The plant grows next to the window."
- Nosotros crecemos en un pueblo pequeño. — "We grow up in a small village."
- Vosotros crecéis muy sanos con esta comida. — "You grow up very healthy with this food."
- Los árboles crecen en el parque. — "The trees grow in the park."
- El negocio crece mes a mes. — "The business grows month by month."
Common mistakes with crecer in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with crecer in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo creco un centímetro cada año.
✓ Correct: Yo crezco un centímetro cada año.
Crecer is a -zc- verb: the yo form is crezco, not creco. The zc appears only in yo.
✗ *Tú crezces muy rápido (spreading the zc to tú).
✓ Correct: Tú creces muy rápido, necesitas ropa nueva.
Only yo takes the zc. Tú is creces, él is crece, ellos are crecen — all with a plain c.
✗ *Nosotros crezcemos en un pueblo pequeño.
✓ Correct: Nosotros crecemos en un pueblo pequeño.
Nosotros is crecemos, with no z. The zc never appears in nosotros or vosotros.
✗ *Los árboles crezcen en el parque.
✓ Correct: Los árboles crecen en el parque.
Ellos is crecen. Keep the zc strictly for yo and the subjunctive forms built on it.
Quiz: crecer in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of crecer. 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 crecer for tú?
- a) crece
- b) creces
- c) crezco
- d) crecen
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ un centímetro cada año. — "I grow one centimetre every year."
- a) crecí
- b) crecen
- c) creces
- d) crezco
3. Complete the sentence: El tomate ______ en el jardín. — "The tomato plant grows in the garden."
- a) creció
- b) crece
- c) crecemos
- d) creces
4. Which is the correct present tense form of crecer for nosotros?
- a) crezco
- b) crecemos
- c) creces
- d) crecen
5. Which sentence uses crecer correctly in the present tense?
- a) La planta crece junto a la ventana.
- b) La planta creció junto a la ventana.
- c) La planta creces junto a la ventana.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of crecer for yo?
- a) crezco
- b) creco
- c) creces
- d) crece
7. Complete the sentence: La ciudad ______ cada año. — "The city grows every year."
- a) creció
- b) crece
- c) crecen
- d) crezco
8. What is the gerund of crecer?
- a) crecemos
- b) crecido
- c) crezco
- d) creciendo
Answer key
b) creces — The tú form is creces. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; crezco is yo, crece is él/ella and crecen is ellos/ellas.
d) crezco — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: crezco. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
b) crece — The subject is él/ella/Ud., so the present form is crece.
b) crecemos — Nosotros takes crecemos. In the present the nosotros ending for -er verbs is -emos, attached to the stem crec-.
a) La planta crece junto a la ventana. — La planta crece junto a la ventana. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
a) crezco — crecer is a -zc- verb: the yo form is crezco, with the zc. The form without the z is a spelling error, and the other options belong to different persons.
b) crece — The subject is él/ella/Ud., so the present form is crece.
d) creciendo — The gerund is creciendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle crecido.
Frequently asked questions
Is crecer regular in the present tense?
Almost. crecer is a -zc- verb: only the yo form changes, giving crezco. Every other person is regular: creces, crece, crecemos, crecéis and crecen.
What is the gerund and the past participle of crecer?
The gerund is creciendo and the past participle is crecido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to grow" in Spanish?
Say crezco. For example: Yo crezco un centímetro cada año. — "I grow one centimetre every year.".
What is the difference between crecer and nacer?
crecer means "to grow", while nacer means "to be born". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use crecer when you mean "to grow" and nacer when you mean "to be born". The full conjugation of nacer is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of crecer — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- crecer 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.