Establecer Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of establecer — "to establish" in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for establecer with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Establecer means to establish, and it covers establishing a company, setting rules, establishing a routine and establishing contact. It is a -cer spelling-change verb, and it is more formal than poner or crear. To see it in a real sentence: Él establece una empresa en Madrid. — "He/she establishes a company in Madrid." Work through the table below, then the formation notes, the usage rules and the contrast with the preterite, and test yourself at the end.

Present tense conjugation table: establecer

Every person of establecer in the present tense. The gerund is estableciendo and the past participle is establecido.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo establezco
tú estableces
él/ella/Ud. establece
nosotros/as establecemos
vosotros/as establecéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. establecen

How the present indicative of establecer is formed

The present indicative of establecer is built from the stem establec- plus the present endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.

Person Ending Form
yo -o establezco
tú -es estableces
él/ella/Ud. -e establece
nosotros/as -emos establecemos
vosotros/as -éis establecéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -en establecen

establecer is a spelling-change verb: c becomes zc before o and a. That is why the written form changes in some persons — the sound stays the same, and only the spelling adapts. In this tense, watch the first-person form establezco in particular.

The gerund of establecer is estableciendo and the past participle is establecido. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.

When to use the present tense of establecer

The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and establecer appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.

Habits and routines

The present tense describes things you do regularly. If you do it every day, every week or every morning, the present is the tense to use. For establecer, this use looks like this: "Yo establezco una empresa en Madrid." — "I establish a company in Madrid." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.

General facts

The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. It is the tense for definitions and permanent situations. For establecer, this use looks like this: "Él establece las reglas del juego." — "He/she establishes the rules of the game." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.

What is happening now

The present tense also covers what is happening at this moment, especially with verbs that describe an action in progress. For establecer, this use looks like this: "Nosotros establecemos una rutina diaria." — "We establish a daily routine." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.

Timetables and schedules

The present tense is used for fixed plans and timetables, such as trains, classes and opening times, even when they refer to the future. For establecer, this use looks like this: "Ellos establecen contacto con el cliente." — "They establish contact with the client." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.

Instructions and requests

The present tense appears in instructions and polite requests, where it sounds softer than a direct command. For establecer, this use looks like this: "Tú estableces una empresa en Madrid." — "You establish a company in Madrid." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.

The present tense vs the preterite

Learners often mix up the present and the preterite with establecer. The rule is simple: the present is for habits, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite is for one finished action in the past. The three pairs below show the same idea in both tenses, so you can feel the difference.

Pair 1: present vs preterite

  • Present: "Yo establezco una empresa en Madrid." — "I establish a company in Madrid."
  • Preterite: "Yo establecí una empresa en Madrid." — "I established a company in Madrid." The first sentence uses the present because it describes a habit or a present fact; the second uses the preterite because it describes a finished action. The verb is the same — only the tense changes the meaning.

Pair 2: present vs preterite

  • Present: "Él establece las reglas del juego." — "He/she establishes the rules of the game."
  • Preterite: "Él estableció las reglas del juego." — "He/she established the rules of the game." The first sentence uses the present because it describes a habit or a present fact; the second uses the preterite because it describes a finished action. The verb is the same — only the tense changes the meaning.

Pair 3: present vs preterite

  • Present: "Nosotros establecemos una rutina diaria." — "We establish a daily routine."
  • Preterite: "Nosotros establecimos una rutina diaria." — "We established a daily routine." The first sentence uses the present because it describes a habit or a present fact; the second uses the preterite because it describes a finished action. The verb is the same — only the tense changes the meaning.

Example sentences in the present tense

Eight natural sentences with establecer in the present tense only. Each one uses a form from the table above.

  1. Yo establezco una empresa en Madrid. — I establish a company in Madrid.
  2. Tú estableces las reglas del juego. — You establish the rules of the game.
  3. Él establece una rutina diaria. — He/she establishes a daily routine.
  4. Nosotros establecemos contacto con el cliente. — We establish contact with the client.
  5. Vosotros establecéis una empresa en Madrid. — You all establish a company in Madrid.
  6. Ellos establecen las reglas del juego. — They establish the rules of the game.
  7. Yo establezco una rutina diaria. — I establish a daily routine.
  8. Él establece contacto con el cliente. — He/she establishes contact with the client.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo estableco las reglas del juego. — Right: Yo establezco las reglas del juego. — In the present, the correct first-person form is establezco, not estableco. establecer 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.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo establezco una rutina diaria. — Right: Ayer, yo establecí una rutina diaria. — Ayer means yesterday, so it needs the preterite (establecí), not the present (establezco). The present is for now, not for yesterday.
  3. Wrong: Yo establece una empresa en Madrid. — Right: Yo establezco una empresa en Madrid. — The person matters: establece is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is establezco.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy establecido las reglas del juego. — Right: Yo he establecido las reglas del juego. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he establecido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

Quiz: test yourself

Eight questions on the present tense of establecer. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una empresa en Madrid. (present tense) A. establezco B. estableces C. establece D. establecemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ las reglas del juego. (present tense) A. estableces B. establezco C. establece D. establecemos

  3. Complete the sentence: Él ___ una rutina diaria. (present tense) A. establece B. establezco C. estableces D. establecemos

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ contacto con el cliente. (present tense) A. establecemos B. establezco C. estableces D. establece

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros ___ una empresa en Madrid. (present tense) A. establecéis B. establezco C. estableces D. establece

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ___ las reglas del juego. (present tense) A. establecen B. establezco C. estableces D. establece

  7. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una rutina diaria. (present tense) A. establezco B. estableces C. establece D. establecemos

  8. Complete the sentence: Él ___ contacto con el cliente. (present tense) A. establece B. establezco C. estableces D. establecemos

Answer key

  1. establezco — The yo present form of establecer is establezco. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  2. estableces — The tu present form of establecer is estableces. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  3. establece — The el present form of establecer is establece. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  4. establecemos — The nosotros present form of establecer is establecemos. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  5. establecéis — The vosotros present form of establecer is establecéis. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  6. establecen — The ellos present form of establecer is establecen. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  7. establezco — The yo present form of establecer is establezco. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  8. establece — The el present form of establecer is establece. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.

Frequently asked questions

When do I use the present tense of establecer?

Use the present tense of establecer for habits, facts and what is happening now. For example: Yo establezco una empresa en Madrid. — "I establish a company in Madrid." The usage rules above give five situations with examples.

How is the present tense of establecer formed?

Take the stem establec- and add the present endings for -er verbs. The full table is at the top of this page. Remember the spelling change: c becomes zc before o and a.

What is the difference between the present and the preterite of establecer?

The present describes a habit or a present fact, while the preterite describes a finished action. Compare Yo establezco las reglas del juego. with Yo establecí las reglas del juego. — the verb is the same, but the time meaning changes.

How do I practise the present tense of establecer?

Drill the six forms in the table above until you can say them without looking, then use the establecer examples and quiz page for more sentences, and test yourself with the Establecer conjugation page for the full picture across all tenses.

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