Estabilizar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
estabilizar means "to stabilise" 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 estabilizar with the market prices, the country's economy, the table with a piece of paper and his health with the medicine — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo estabilizo los precios del mercado. — "Every day, I stabilise the market prices." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
estabilizar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with estabilizar, 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 estabilizo los precios del mercado. — "Every day, I stabilise the market prices." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo estabilicé la economía del país. — "Yesterday, I stabilised the country's economy." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo estabilizaba la mesa con un papel. — "In the past, I used to stabilise the table with a piece of paper." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros estabilizaremos su salud con la medicina. — "Tomorrow, we will stabilise his health with the medicine." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú estabilizarías los precios del mercado. — "If you could, you would stabilise the market prices." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he estabilizado la economía del país. — "I have stabilised the country's economy." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él estabiliza la mesa con un papel. — "Normally, he/she stabilises the table with a piece of paper." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él estabilizó su salud con la medicina. — "Yesterday, he/she stabilised his health with the medicine." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros estabilizábamos los precios del mercado. — "In the past, we used to stabilise the market prices." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo estabilizaré la economía del país. — "Tomorrow, I will stabilise the country's economy." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él estabilice la mesa con un papel. — "I hope that he/she stabilises the table with a piece of paper." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Estabiliza su salud con la medicina! — "Stabilise his health with the medicine!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using estabilizar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the market prices, the country's economy, the table with a piece of paper and his health with the medicine.
Dialogue 1: talking about the market prices
Lucía: ¿Tú estabilizas los precios del mercado? — "Do you stabilise the market prices?" Pedro: Sí, yo estabilizo los precios del mercado. — "I stabilise the market prices." Lucía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Pedro: Ayer, yo estabilicé la economía del país. — "Yesterday, I stabilised the country's economy." Lucía: Mañana, nosotros estabilizaremos la mesa con un papel. — "Tomorrow, we will stabilise the table with a piece of paper." Pedro: Si pudiera, yo estabilizaría su salud con la medicina. — "If I could, I would stabilise his health with the medicine." Lucía: Antes, yo estabilizaba la economía del país. — "In the past, I used to stabilise the country's economy." Pedro: Yo he estabilizado los precios del mercado. — "I have stabilised the market prices." Lucía: ¡Estabiliza la mesa con un papel! — "Stabilise the table with a piece of paper!"
In this dialogue estabilizar 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 table with a piece of paper
Lucía: Él estabiliza la mesa con un papel. — "he/she stabilises the table with a piece of paper." Pedro: ¿De verdad? ¿Él estabiliza la mesa con un papel todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she stabilises the table with a piece of paper every day?" Lucía: Sí, y ellos estabilizan su salud con la medicina. — "they stabilise his health with the medicine." Pedro: Ayer, ellos estabilizaron la mesa con un papel. — "Yesterday, they stabilised the table with a piece of paper." Lucía: Espero que él estabilice su salud con la medicina. — "I hope that he/she stabilises his health with the medicine." Pedro: Mañana, él estabilizará la mesa con un papel. — "Tomorrow, he/she will stabilise the table with a piece of paper." Lucía: Antes, nosotros estabilizábamos su salud con la medicina. — "In the past, we used to stabilise his health with the medicine." Pedro: Nosotros estabilizamos los precios del mercado también. — "we stabilise the market prices too."
This dialogue shows estabilizar 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 estabilizar
The errors learners actually make with estabilizar 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 estabilizo los precios del mercado.
- Right: Yo estabilizo los precios del mercado.
- Why: estabilizar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo estabilizo los precios del mercado. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo estabilizar los precios del mercado.
- Right: Yo estabilizo los precios del mercado.
- Why: The infinitive estabilizar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form estabilizo.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo estabilizo la economía del país.
- Right: Ayer, yo estabilicé la economía del país.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo estabilicé la economía del país. — "Yesterday, I stabilised the country's economy."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy estabilizado la mesa con un papel.
- Right: Estoy estabilizando la mesa con un papel.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund estabilizando for the progressive. The participle estabilizado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he estabilizado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros estabiliza los precios del mercado.
- Right: Nosotros estabilizamos los precios del mercado.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes estabilizamos, while estabiliza belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: estabilizar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on estabilizar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of estabilizar in the present tense?
- (a) estabilizamos
- (b) estabilizo
- (c) estabilizas
- (d) estabiliza
Answer: (b) estabilizo. The yo form is estabilizo.
2. What is the tú form of estabilizar in the present tense?
- (a) estabilizas
- (b) estabilizo
- (c) estabiliza
- (d) estabilizamos
Answer: (a) estabilizas. The tú form is estabilizas.
3. What is the él/ella form of estabilizar in the present tense?
- (a) estabilizo
- (b) estabilizas
- (c) estabilizamos
- (d) estabiliza
Answer: (d) estabiliza. The él/ella form is estabiliza.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ los precios del mercado.
- (a) estabiliza
- (b) estabilizamos
- (c) estabilizo
- (d) estabilizas
Answer: (c) estabilizo. The sentence needs the yo form estabilizo.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ la economía del país.
- (a) estabilizamos
- (b) estabilicé
- (c) estabilizaste
- (d) estabilizó
Answer: (b) estabilicé. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is estabilicé.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ la mesa con un papel.
- (a) estabilizaba
- (b) estabilizabas
- (c) estabilizábamos
- (d) estabilizabais
Answer: (a) estabilizaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is estabilizaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ su salud con la medicina.
- (a) estabilizarás
- (b) estabilizará
- (c) estabilizaremos
- (d) estabilizaré
Answer: (d) estabilizaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is estabilizaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los precios del mercado.
- (a) has estabilizado
- (b) ha estabilizado
- (c) hemos estabilizado
- (d) he estabilizado
Answer: (d) he estabilizado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he estabilizado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la mesa con un papel.
- (a) estabilicéis
- (b) estabilice
- (c) estabilices
- (d) estabilicemos
Answer: (b) estabilice. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is estabilice.
10. What does estabilizar mean in English?
- (a) to be moved
- (b) to stabilise
- (c) to dirty
- (d) to get dirty
Answer: (b) to stabilise. estabilizar means "to stabilise" in English.
Frequently asked questions about estabilizar
What does estabilizar mean?
estabilizar means "to stabilise" in English. Use it when you talk about the market prices, the country's economy, the table with a piece of paper and his health with the medicine — for example: Cada día, yo estabilizo los precios del mercado. — "Every day, I stabilise the market prices."
Is there a reflexive form of estabilizar?
No. estabilizar is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo estabilizo los precios del mercado. — "Every day, I stabilise the market prices."
What is the most common mistake with estabilizar?
The spelling change. Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the yo preterite is estabilicé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example estabilice. 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 estabilizar?
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.