Cristalizar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
cristalizar means "to crystallise" 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 cristalizar with the sugar in the water, the salt in the saucepan, the dream of his life and the idea into a plan — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo cristalizo el azúcar en el agua. — "Every day, I crystallise the sugar in the water." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
cristalizar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with cristalizar, 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 cristalizo el azúcar en el agua. — "Every day, I crystallise the sugar in the water." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo cristalicé la sal en la cacerola. — "Yesterday, I crystallised the salt in the saucepan." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo cristalizaba el sueño de su vida. — "In the past, I used to crystallise the dream of his life." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros cristalizaremos la idea en un plan. — "Tomorrow, we will crystallise the idea into a plan." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú cristalizarías el azúcar en el agua. — "If you could, you would crystallise the sugar in the water." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he cristalizado la sal en la cacerola. — "I have crystallised the salt in the saucepan." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él cristaliza el sueño de su vida. — "Normally, he/she crystallises the dream of his life." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él cristalizó la idea en un plan. — "Yesterday, he/she crystallised the idea into a plan." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros cristalizábamos el azúcar en el agua. — "In the past, we used to crystallise the sugar in the water." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo cristalizaré la sal en la cacerola. — "Tomorrow, I will crystallise the salt in the saucepan." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él cristalice el sueño de su vida. — "I hope that he/she crystallises the dream of his life." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Cristaliza la idea en un plan! — "Crystallise the idea into a plan!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using cristalizar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the sugar in the water, the salt in the saucepan, the dream of his life and the idea into a plan.
Dialogue 1: talking about the sugar in the water
Lucía: ¿Tú cristalizas el azúcar en el agua? — "Do you crystallise the sugar in the water?" Pedro: Sí, yo cristalizo el azúcar en el agua. — "I crystallise the sugar in the water." Lucía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Pedro: Ayer, yo cristalicé la sal en la cacerola. — "Yesterday, I crystallised the salt in the saucepan." Lucía: Mañana, nosotros cristalizaremos el sueño de su vida. — "Tomorrow, we will crystallise the dream of his life." Pedro: Si pudiera, yo cristalizaría la idea en un plan. — "If I could, I would crystallise the idea into a plan." Lucía: Antes, yo cristalizaba la sal en la cacerola. — "In the past, I used to crystallise the salt in the saucepan." Pedro: Yo he cristalizado el azúcar en el agua. — "I have crystallised the sugar in the water." Lucía: ¡Cristaliza el sueño de su vida! — "Crystallise the dream of his life!"
In this dialogue cristalizar 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 dream of his life
Lucía: Él cristaliza el sueño de su vida. — "he/she crystallises the dream of his life." Pedro: ¿De verdad? ¿Él cristaliza el sueño de su vida todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she crystallises the dream of his life every day?" Lucía: Sí, y ellos cristalizan la idea en un plan. — "they crystallise the idea into a plan." Pedro: Ayer, ellos cristalizaron el sueño de su vida. — "Yesterday, they crystallised the dream of his life." Lucía: Espero que él cristalice la idea en un plan. — "I hope that he/she crystallises the idea into a plan." Pedro: Mañana, él cristalizará el sueño de su vida. — "Tomorrow, he/she will crystallise the dream of his life." Lucía: Antes, nosotros cristalizábamos la idea en un plan. — "In the past, we used to crystallise the idea into a plan." Pedro: Nosotros cristalizamos el azúcar en el agua también. — "we crystallise the sugar in the water too."
This dialogue shows cristalizar 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 cristalizar
The errors learners actually make with cristalizar 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 cristalizo el azúcar en el agua.
- Right: Yo cristalizo el azúcar en el agua.
- Why: cristalizar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo cristalizo el azúcar en el agua. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo cristalizar el azúcar en el agua.
- Right: Yo cristalizo el azúcar en el agua.
- Why: The infinitive cristalizar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form cristalizo.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo cristalizo la sal en la cacerola.
- Right: Ayer, yo cristalicé la sal en la cacerola.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo cristalicé la sal en la cacerola. — "Yesterday, I crystallised the salt in the saucepan."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy cristalizado el sueño de su vida.
- Right: Estoy cristalizando el sueño de su vida.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund cristalizando for the progressive. The participle cristalizado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he cristalizado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros cristaliza el azúcar en el agua.
- Right: Nosotros cristalizamos el azúcar en el agua.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes cristalizamos, while cristaliza belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: cristalizar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on cristalizar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of cristalizar in the present tense?
- (a) cristalizamos
- (b) cristalizo
- (c) cristalizas
- (d) cristaliza
Answer: (b) cristalizo. The yo form is cristalizo.
2. What is the tú form of cristalizar in the present tense?
- (a) cristalizas
- (b) cristalizo
- (c) cristaliza
- (d) cristalizamos
Answer: (a) cristalizas. The tú form is cristalizas.
3. What is the él/ella form of cristalizar in the present tense?
- (a) cristalizo
- (b) cristalizas
- (c) cristalizamos
- (d) cristaliza
Answer: (d) cristaliza. The él/ella form is cristaliza.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ el azúcar en el agua.
- (a) cristaliza
- (b) cristalizamos
- (c) cristalizo
- (d) cristalizas
Answer: (c) cristalizo. The sentence needs the yo form cristalizo.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ la sal en la cacerola.
- (a) cristalizamos
- (b) cristalicé
- (c) cristalizaste
- (d) cristalizó
Answer: (b) cristalicé. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is cristalicé.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ el sueño de su vida.
- (a) cristalizaba
- (b) cristalizabas
- (c) cristalizábamos
- (d) cristalizabais
Answer: (a) cristalizaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is cristalizaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ la idea en un plan.
- (a) cristalizarás
- (b) cristalizará
- (c) cristalizaremos
- (d) cristalizaré
Answer: (d) cristalizaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is cristalizaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el azúcar en el agua.
- (a) has cristalizado
- (b) ha cristalizado
- (c) hemos cristalizado
- (d) he cristalizado
Answer: (d) he cristalizado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he cristalizado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el sueño de su vida.
- (a) cristalicéis
- (b) cristalice
- (c) cristalices
- (d) cristalicemos
Answer: (b) cristalice. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is cristalice.
10. What does cristalizar mean in English?
- (a) to light up, to illuminate
- (b) to crystallise
- (c) to fracture (a bone)
- (d) to frequent
Answer: (b) to crystallise. cristalizar means "to crystallise" in English.
Frequently asked questions about cristalizar
What does cristalizar mean?
cristalizar means "to crystallise" in English. Use it when you talk about the sugar in the water, the salt in the saucepan, the dream of his life and the idea into a plan — for example: Cada día, yo cristalizo el azúcar en el agua. — "Every day, I crystallise the sugar in the water."
Is there a reflexive form of cristalizar?
No. cristalizar is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo cristalizo el azúcar en el agua. — "Every day, I crystallise the sugar in the water."
What is the most common mistake with cristalizar?
The spelling change. Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the yo preterite is cristalicé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example cristalice. 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 cristalizar?
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.