Enriquecer Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb enriquecer means to enrich, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Enriquecer means to enrich, and it covers enriching a debate with ideas, enriching a culture, enriching your vocabulary and enriching food with spices. It is the opposite of empobrecer, and it is a -cer spelling-change verb. Like every Spanish verb, enriquecer 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 enriquezco el debate con ideas nuevas, and in the preterite you say enriquecí su vocabulario con la 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: enriquecer
- English: to enrich
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -er
- Gerund: enriqueciendo
- Past participle: enriquecido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + enriquecido)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for enriquecer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes zc before o and a, so yo enriquezco and the subjunctive enriquezca.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for enriquecer. 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 | enriquezco |
| tú | enriqueces |
| él/ella/Ud. | enriquece |
| nosotros/as | enriquecemos |
| vosotros/as | enriquecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enriquecen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enriquecí |
| tú | enriqueciste |
| él/ella/Ud. | enriqueció |
| nosotros/as | enriquecimos |
| vosotros/as | enriquecisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enriquecieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enriquecía |
| tú | enriquecías |
| él/ella/Ud. | enriquecía |
| nosotros/as | enriquecíamos |
| vosotros/as | enriquecíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enriquecían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enriqueceré |
| tú | enriquecerás |
| él/ella/Ud. | enriquecerá |
| nosotros/as | enriqueceremos |
| vosotros/as | enriqueceréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enriquecerán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enriquecería |
| tú | enriquecerías |
| él/ella/Ud. | enriquecería |
| nosotros/as | enriqueceríamos |
| vosotros/as | enriqueceríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enriquecerían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he enriquecido |
| tú | has enriquecido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha enriquecido |
| nosotros/as | hemos enriquecido |
| vosotros/as | habéis enriquecido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han enriquecido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había enriquecido |
| tú | habías enriquecido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había enriquecido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos enriquecido |
| vosotros/as | habíais enriquecido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían enriquecido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré enriquecido |
| tú | habrás enriquecido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá enriquecido |
| nosotros/as | habremos enriquecido |
| vosotros/as | habréis enriquecido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán enriquecido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría enriquecido |
| tú | habrías enriquecido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría enriquecido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos enriquecido |
| vosotros/as | habríais enriquecido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían enriquecido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enriquezca |
| tú | enriquezcas |
| él/ella/Ud. | enriquezca |
| nosotros/as | enriquezcamos |
| vosotros/as | enriquecáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enriquezcan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | enriqueciera |
| tú | enriquecieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | enriqueciera |
| nosotros/as | enriqueciéramos |
| vosotros/as | enriquecierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enriquecieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | enriquece |
| él/ella/Ud. | enriquezca |
| nosotros/as | enriquezcamos |
| vosotros/as | enriqueced |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enriquezcan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | enriquezcas |
| él/ella/Ud. | enriquezca |
| nosotros/as | enriquezcamos |
| vosotros/as | enriquecáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | enriquezcan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | enriqueciendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy enriqueciendo |
| Past participle | enriquecido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he enriquecido |
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 enriquecer, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Enriquezco el debate con ideas nuevas. 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 enriquecer, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, enriquecí la cultura de la ciudad. 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 enriquecer, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, enriquecía su vocabulario con la 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 enriquecer, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, enriqueceré la cocina con especias nuevas. 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 enriquecer, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Enriquecería el debate con ideas nuevas 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 enriquecer, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he enriquecido la cultura de la ciudad. 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 enriquecer, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había enriquecido su vocabulario con la 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 enriquecer, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré enriquecido la cocina con especias nuevas. 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 enriquecer, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría enriquecido el debate con ideas nuevas 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 enriquecer, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él enriquezca la cultura de la ciudad. 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 enriquecer, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él enriqueciera su vocabulario con la 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 enriquecer, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Enriquece la cocina con especias nuevas! 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 enriquecer, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No enriquezcas el debate con ideas nuevas. 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 enriquecer, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Enriquezco el debate con ideas nuevas. — I enrich the debate with new ideas.
- Enriquece la cultura de la ciudad. — He/she enriches the culture of the city.
- Ayer, enriquecí su vocabulario con la lectura. — Yesterday, I enriched his vocabulary with reading.
- Antes, nosotros enriquecíamos la cocina con especias nuevas. — Before, we used to enrich the cooking with new spices.
- Mañana, tú enriquecerás el debate con ideas nuevas. — Tomorrow, you will enrich the debate with new ideas.
- Yo enriquecería la cultura de la ciudad si tuviera más tiempo. — I would enrich the culture of the city if I had more time.
- Él ha enriquecido su vocabulario con la lectura. — He has enriched his vocabulary with reading.
- Espero que él enriquezca la cocina con especias nuevas. — I hope he enriches the cooking with new spices.
- Yo ya había enriquecido el debate con ideas nuevas antes de salir. — I had already enriched the debate with new ideas before leaving.
- Ellos enriquecían la cultura de la ciudad cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to enrich the culture of the city when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo enriquece el debate con ideas nuevas. — Right: Yo enriquezco el debate con ideas nuevas. — The person matters: enriquece is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is enriquezco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo enriqueco la cultura de la ciudad. — Right: Yo enriquezco la cultura de la ciudad. — In the present, the correct first-person form is enriquezco, not enriqueco. enriquecer 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.
- Wrong: Treating enriquecer and empobrecer as identical in every context. — Right: Enriquecer means to enrich, while empobrecer means to impoverish, its opposite. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: enriquecer fits sentences such as Enriquezco el debate con ideas nuevas, while empobrecer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy enriquecido la cultura de la ciudad. — Right: Yo he enriquecido la cultura de la ciudad. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he enriquecido, has enriquecido, ha enriquecido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo enriquecí su vocabulario con la lectura todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo enriquecía su vocabulario con la lectura todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (enriquecía), not the preterite. The preterite (enriquecí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on enriquecer. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el debate con ideas nuevas. (present tense) A. enriquezco B. enriqueces C. enriquece D. enriquecemos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la cultura de la ciudad. (preterite) A. enriquecí B. enriqueciste C. enriquecieron D. enriqueció
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ su vocabulario con la lectura. (imperfect) A. enriquecías B. enriquecían C. enriquecíamos D. enriquecía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la cocina con especias nuevas. (future) A. enriqueceremos B. enriquecerás C. enriqueceré D. enriquecerá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el debate con ideas nuevas si pudiera. (conditional) A. enriquecería B. enriquecerías C. enriquecerían D. enriquezco
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la cultura de la ciudad. (present subjunctive) A. enriquezcas B. enriquezcamos C. enriquezco D. enriquezca
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ su vocabulario con la lectura, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. enriqueciéramos B. enriquezco C. enriqueciera D. enriquecieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la cocina con especias nuevas. (present perfect) A. han enriquecido B. hemos enriquecido C. he enriquecido D. has enriquecido
Complete the command: ¡___ el debate con ideas nuevas! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. enriquece B. enriquezca C. enriquezcamos D. enriqueced
Which is the gerund of enriquecer, used with estar for the progressive? A. enriquecido B. enriquezco C. enriquecí D. enriqueciendo
Answer key
- enriquezco — The first-person present of enriquecer is enriquezco. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- enriqueció — The third-person preterite of enriquecer is enriqueció, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- enriquecíamos — The nosotros imperfect of enriquecer is enriquecíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- enriquecerás — The second-person future of enriquecer is enriquecerás.
- enriquecería — The first-person conditional of enriquecer is enriquecería, the form for what would happen.
- enriquezca — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of enriquecer is enriquezca.
- enriqueciera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of enriquecer is enriqueciera.
- hemos enriquecido — The nosotros present perfect of enriquecer is hemos enriquecido: hemos + enriquecido.
- enriquece — The affirmative tú imperative of enriquecer is enriquece.
- enriqueciendo — The gerund of enriquecer is enriqueciendo: estoy enriqueciendo. The participle enriquecido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does enriquecer mean in English?
Enriquecer means to enrich. It is used in everyday situations such as Enriquezco el debate con ideas nuevas. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is enriquecer regular or irregular?
Enriquecer 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 enriquezco in the present and enriquecí in the preterite.
What is the difference between enriquecer and empobrecer?
Enriquecer means to enrich, while empobrecer means to impoverish, its opposite. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use enriquecer when you mean to enrich, as in Enriquezco el debate con ideas nuevas, and use empobrecer for to impoverish, its opposite. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I enrich” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo enriquecí la cultura de la ciudad. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo enriquecía su vocabulario con la lectura. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he enriquecido la cultura de la ciudad.
How do I practise enriquecer?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the enriquecer examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Enriquecer in the present tense — the full present-tense table for enriquecer.
- Enriquecer examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for enriquecer.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Empobrecer conjugation — another -er verb to compare with enriquecer.
- Oscurecer conjugation — another -er verb to compare with enriquecer.
- Atardecer conjugation — another -er verb to compare with enriquecer.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.