Empobrecer Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb empobrecer means to impoverish, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Empobrecer means to impoverish, and it is used for a crisis impoverishing a country, overuse impoverishing the soil and poverty impoverishing families. It is the opposite of enriquecer, and it is a -cer spelling-change verb. Like every Spanish verb, empobrecer changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say empobrezco el país con la crisis, and in the preterite you say empobrecí la lengua sin lectura. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: empobrecer
  • English: to impoverish
  • Verb type: irregular verb
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: empobreciendo
  • Past participle: empobrecido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + empobrecido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for empobrecer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes zc before o and a, so yo empobrezco and the subjunctive empobrezca.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for empobrecer. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo empobrezco
tú empobreces
él/ella/Ud. empobrece
nosotros/as empobrecemos
vosotros/as empobrecéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. empobrecen

Preterite

Person Form
yo empobrecí
tú empobreciste
él/ella/Ud. empobreció
nosotros/as empobrecimos
vosotros/as empobrecisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. empobrecieron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo empobrecía
tú empobrecías
él/ella/Ud. empobrecía
nosotros/as empobrecíamos
vosotros/as empobrecíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. empobrecían

Future

Person Form
yo empobreceré
tú empobrecerás
él/ella/Ud. empobrecerá
nosotros/as empobreceremos
vosotros/as empobreceréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. empobrecerán

Conditional

Person Form
yo empobrecería
tú empobrecerías
él/ella/Ud. empobrecería
nosotros/as empobreceríamos
vosotros/as empobreceríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. empobrecerían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he empobrecido
tú has empobrecido
él/ella/Ud. ha empobrecido
nosotros/as hemos empobrecido
vosotros/as habéis empobrecido
ellos/ellas/Uds. han empobrecido

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había empobrecido
tú habías empobrecido
él/ella/Ud. había empobrecido
nosotros/as habíamos empobrecido
vosotros/as habíais empobrecido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían empobrecido

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré empobrecido
tú habrás empobrecido
él/ella/Ud. habrá empobrecido
nosotros/as habremos empobrecido
vosotros/as habréis empobrecido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán empobrecido

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría empobrecido
tú habrías empobrecido
él/ella/Ud. habría empobrecido
nosotros/as habríamos empobrecido
vosotros/as habríais empobrecido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían empobrecido

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo empobrezca
tú empobrezcas
él/ella/Ud. empobrezca
nosotros/as empobrezcamos
vosotros/as empobrecáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. empobrezcan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo empobreciera
tú empobrecieras
él/ella/Ud. empobreciera
nosotros/as empobreciéramos
vosotros/as empobrecierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. empobrecieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú empobrece
él/ella/Ud. empobrezca
nosotros/as empobrezcamos
vosotros/as empobreced
ellos/ellas/Uds. empobrezcan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú empobrezcas
él/ella/Ud. empobrezca
nosotros/as empobrezcamos
vosotros/as empobrecáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. empobrezcan

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund empobreciendo with estar for the progressive: estoy empobreciendo
Past participle empobrecido with haber for the perfect tenses: he empobrecido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the spelling change here: c becomes zc before o and a, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For empobrecer, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Empobrezco el país con la crisis. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For empobrecer, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, empobrecí la tierra con el uso excesivo. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For empobrecer, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, empobrecía la lengua sin lectura. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For empobrecer, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, empobreceré a las familias del barrio. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For empobrecer, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Empobrecería el país con la crisis si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For empobrecer, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he empobrecido la tierra con el uso excesivo. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For empobrecer, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había empobrecido la lengua sin lectura antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For empobrecer, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré empobrecido a las familias del barrio. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For empobrecer, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría empobrecido el país con la crisis con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. Note the spelling change here: c becomes zc before o and a, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For empobrecer, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él empobrezca la tierra con el uso excesivo. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For empobrecer, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él empobreciera la lengua sin lectura, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. Note the spelling change here: c becomes zc before o and a, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For empobrecer, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Empobrece a las familias del barrio! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. Note the spelling change here: c becomes zc before o and a, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For empobrecer, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No empobrezcas el país con la crisis. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with empobrecer, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Empobrezco el país con la crisis. — I impoverish the country with the crisis.
  2. Empobrece la tierra con el uso excesivo. — He/she impoverishes the soil with overuse.
  3. Ayer, empobrecí la lengua sin lectura. — Yesterday, I impoverished the language without reading.
  4. Antes, nosotros empobrecíamos a las familias del barrio. — Before, we used to impoverish the families in the neighbourhood.
  5. Mañana, tú empobrecerás el país con la crisis. — Tomorrow, you will impoverish the country with the crisis.
  6. Yo empobrecería la tierra con el uso excesivo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would impoverish the soil with overuse if I had more time.
  7. Él ha empobrecido la lengua sin lectura. — He has impoverished the language without reading.
  8. Espero que él empobrezca a las familias del barrio. — I hope he impoverishes the families in the neighbourhood.
  9. Yo ya había empobrecido el país con la crisis antes de salir. — I had already impoverished the country with the crisis before leaving.
  10. Ellos empobrecían la tierra con el uso excesivo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to impoverish the soil with overuse when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo empobrece el país con la crisis. — Right: Yo empobrezco el país con la crisis. — The person matters: empobrece is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is empobrezco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo empobreco la tierra con el uso excesivo. — Right: Yo empobrezco la tierra con el uso excesivo. — In the present, the correct first-person form is empobrezco, not empobreco. empobrecer is a spelling-change verb: c becomes zc before o and a, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating empobrecer and enriquecer as identical in every context. — Right: Empobrecer means to impoverish, while enriquecer means to enrich, its opposite. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: empobrecer fits sentences such as Empobrezco el país con la crisis, while enriquecer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy empobrecido la tierra con el uso excesivo. — Right: Yo he empobrecido la tierra con el uso excesivo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he empobrecido, has empobrecido, ha empobrecido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo empobrecí la lengua sin lectura todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo empobrecía la lengua sin lectura todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (empobrecía), not the preterite. The preterite (empobrecí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on empobrecer. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el país con la crisis. (present tense) A. empobrezco B. empobreces C. empobrece D. empobrecemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la tierra con el uso excesivo. (preterite) A. empobrecí B. empobreciste C. empobrecieron D. empobreció

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la lengua sin lectura. (imperfect) A. empobrecías B. empobrecían C. empobrecíamos D. empobrecía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a las familias del barrio. (future) A. empobreceremos B. empobrecerás C. empobreceré D. empobrecerá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el país con la crisis si pudiera. (conditional) A. empobrecería B. empobrecerías C. empobrecerían D. empobrezco

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la tierra con el uso excesivo. (present subjunctive) A. empobrezcas B. empobrezcamos C. empobrezco D. empobrezca

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la lengua sin lectura, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. empobreciéramos B. empobrezco C. empobreciera D. empobrecieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a las familias del barrio. (present perfect) A. han empobrecido B. hemos empobrecido C. he empobrecido D. has empobrecido

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ el país con la crisis! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. empobrece B. empobrezca C. empobrezcamos D. empobreced

  10. Which is the gerund of empobrecer, used with estar for the progressive? A. empobrecido B. empobrezco C. empobrecí D. empobreciendo

Answer key

  1. empobrezco — The first-person present of empobrecer is empobrezco. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. empobreció — The third-person preterite of empobrecer is empobreció, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. empobrecíamos — The nosotros imperfect of empobrecer is empobrecíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. empobrecerás — The second-person future of empobrecer is empobrecerás.
  5. empobrecería — The first-person conditional of empobrecer is empobrecería, the form for what would happen.
  6. empobrezca — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of empobrecer is empobrezca.
  7. empobreciera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of empobrecer is empobreciera.
  8. hemos empobrecido — The nosotros present perfect of empobrecer is hemos empobrecido: hemos + empobrecido.
  9. empobrece — The affirmative tú imperative of empobrecer is empobrece.
  10. empobreciendo — The gerund of empobrecer is empobreciendo: estoy empobreciendo. The participle empobrecido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does empobrecer mean in English?

Empobrecer means to impoverish. It is used in everyday situations such as Empobrezco el país con la crisis. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is empobrecer regular or irregular?

Empobrecer is a fully regular -er verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including empobrezco in the present and empobrecí in the preterite.

What is the difference between empobrecer and enriquecer?

Empobrecer means to impoverish, while enriquecer means to enrich, its opposite. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use empobrecer when you mean to impoverish, as in Empobrezco el país con la crisis, and use enriquecer for to enrich, its opposite. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I impoverish” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo empobrecí la tierra con el uso excesivo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo empobrecía la lengua sin lectura. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he empobrecido la tierra con el uso excesivo.

How do I practise empobrecer?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the empobrecer examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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