Estabilizar Present Tense in Spanish
estabilizar means "to stabilise" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for estabilizar, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo estabilizo los precios del mercado. — "Every day, I stabilise the market prices." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of estabilizar: full table
Every person of estabilizar in the present tense. The gerund is estabilizando and the past participle is estabilizado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | estabilizo |
| tú | estabilizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | estabiliza |
| nosotros/as | estabilizamos |
| vosotros/as | estabilizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estabilizan |
The gerund of estabilizar is estabilizando and the past participle is estabilizado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy estabilizando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he estabilizado).
How the present tense of estabilizar is formed
The present tense of estabilizar is built from the stem estabiliz- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo estabilizo, tú estabilizas, él estabiliza, nosotros estabilizamos, vosotros estabilizáis and ellos estabilizan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | estabilizo |
| tú | -as | estabilizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | estabiliza |
| nosotros/as | -amos | estabilizamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | estabilizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | estabilizan |
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.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is estabilizando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy estabilizando. The past participle is estabilizado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he estabilizado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with estabilizar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo estabilizo los precios del mercado. — "Every day, I stabilise the market prices." The complement in this sentence is about the market prices, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear estabilizar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú estabilizas la economía del país. — "Now, you stabilise the country's economy." The complement in this sentence is about the country's economy, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear estabilizar in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él estabiliza la mesa con un papel. — "Normally, he/she stabilises the table with a piece of paper." The complement in this sentence is about the table with a piece of paper, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear estabilizar in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros estabilizamos su salud con la medicina. — "Tomorrow, we stabilise his health with the medicine." The complement in this sentence is about his health with the medicine, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear estabilizar in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos estabilizan los precios del mercado. — "Always, they stabilise the market prices." The complement in this sentence is about the market prices, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear estabilizar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: estabilizar
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with estabilizar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo estabilizo los precios del mercado. — "Every day, I stabilise the market prices."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo estabilicé los precios del mercado. — "Yesterday, I stabilised the market prices."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú estabilizas la economía del país. — "Every day, you stabilise the country's economy."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú estabilizaste la economía del país. — "Yesterday, you stabilised the country's economy."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él estabiliza la mesa con un papel. — "Every day, he/she stabilises the table with a piece of paper."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él estabilizó la mesa con un papel. — "Yesterday, he/she stabilised the table with a piece of paper."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: estabilizar in the present tense
These eight sentences show estabilizar in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo estabilizo los precios del mercado. — "I stabilise the market prices."
- Tú estabilizas la economía del país. — "you stabilise the country's economy."
- Él estabiliza la mesa con un papel. — "he/she stabilises the table with a piece of paper."
- Nosotros estabilizamos su salud con la medicina. — "we stabilise his health with the medicine."
- Vosotros estabilizáis los precios del mercado. — "you (plural) stabilise the market prices."
- Ellos estabilizan la economía del país. — "they stabilise the country's economy."
- Yo estabilizo la mesa con un papel. — "I stabilise the table with a piece of paper."
- Tú estabilizas su salud con la medicina. — "you stabilise his health with the medicine."
Common mistakes with estabilizar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros estabilizais los precios del mercado.
- Right: Vosotros estabilizáis los precios del mercado.
- Why: The vosotros form estabilizáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: 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. The extra pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence.
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." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo estabilizo la mesa con un papel.
- Right: Antes, yo estabilizaba la mesa con un papel.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo estabilizaba la mesa con un papel. — "In the past, I used to stabilise the table with a piece of paper." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
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. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of estabilizar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of 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) estabilizas
- (b) estabiliza
- (c) estabilizamos
- (d) estabilizo
Answer: (d) estabilizo. The yo form is estabilizo. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of estabilizar in the present tense?
- (a) estabiliza
- (b) estabilizamos
- (c) estabilizas
- (d) estabilizo
Answer: (c) estabilizas. The tú form is estabilizas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of estabilizar in the present tense?
- (a) estabilizamos
- (b) estabiliza
- (c) estabilizo
- (d) estabilizas
Answer: (b) estabiliza. The él/ella form is estabiliza. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of estabilizar in the present tense?
- (a) estabilizamos
- (b) estabilizo
- (c) estabilizas
- (d) estabiliza
Answer: (a) estabilizamos. The nosotros form is estabilizamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of estabilizar in the present tense?
- (a) estabilizo
- (b) estabilizas
- (c) estabiliza
- (d) estabilizan
Answer: (d) estabilizan. The ellos/ellas form is estabilizan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. 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 (Every day, I stabilise the market prices.)
7. What is the gerund of estabilizar?
- (a) estabilizo
- (b) estabilizar
- (c) estabilizando
- (d) estabilizado
Answer: (c) estabilizando. The gerund is estabilizando, used for the progressive: estoy estabilizando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Mañana, yo estabilizaré la economía del país.
- (b) Cada día, yo estabilizo la economía del país.
- (c) Antes, yo estabilizaba la economía del país.
- (d) Ayer, yo estabilicé la economía del país.
Answer: (b) Cada día, yo estabilizo la economía del país.. Cada día, yo estabilizo la economía del país. (Every day, I stabilise the country's economy.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo estabilicé la economía del país. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo estabilizaré la economía del país. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of estabilizar
Is estabilizar regular in the present tense?
Almost. estabilizar is a spelling-changing (z → c before e) -ar verb, so its endings are regular, but watch the spelling: 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.
How do you say 'stabilise' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo estabilizo los precios del mercado. — "Every day, I stabilise the market prices." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with estabilizar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo estabilizo la economía del país. — "Every day, I stabilise the country's economy." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo estabilicé la economía del país. — "Yesterday, I stabilised the country's economy." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with estabilizar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros estabilizamos su salud con la medicina. — "Tomorrow, we stabilise his health with the medicine." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.