Familiarizar Present Tense in Spanish
familiarizar means "to familiarise" 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 familiarizar, 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 familiarizo a los niños con el inglés. — "Every day, I familiarise the children with English." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of familiarizar: full table
Every person of familiarizar in the present tense. The gerund is familiarizando and the past participle is familiarizado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | familiarizo |
| tú | familiarizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | familiariza |
| nosotros/as | familiarizamos |
| vosotros/as | familiarizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | familiarizan |
The gerund of familiarizar is familiarizando and the past participle is familiarizado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy familiarizando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he familiarizado).
How the present tense of familiarizar is formed
The present tense of familiarizar is built from the stem familiariz- 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 familiarizo, tú familiarizas, él familiariza, nosotros familiarizamos, vosotros familiarizáis and ellos familiarizan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | familiarizo |
| tú | -as | familiarizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | familiariza |
| nosotros/as | -amos | familiarizamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | familiarizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | familiarizan |
Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the yo preterite is familiaricé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example familiarice.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is familiarizando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy familiarizando. The past participle is familiarizado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he familiarizado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with familiarizar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo familiarizo a los niños con el inglés. — "Every day, I familiarise the children with English." The complement in this sentence is about the children with English, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear familiarizar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú familiarizas a los alumnos con el ordenador. — "Now, you familiarise the pupils with the computer." The complement in this sentence is about the pupils with the computer, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear familiarizar 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 familiariza a su perro con la casa. — "Normally, he/she familiarises his dog with the house." The complement in this sentence is about his dog with the house, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear familiarizar 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 familiarizamos a los turistas con la ciudad. — "Tomorrow, we familiarise the tourists with the city." The complement in this sentence is about the tourists with the city, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear familiarizar 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 familiarizan a los niños con el inglés. — "Always, they familiarise the children with English." The complement in this sentence is about the children with English, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear familiarizar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: familiarizar
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 familiarizar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo familiarizo a los niños con el inglés. — "Every day, I familiarise the children with English."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo familiaricé a los niños con el inglés. — "Yesterday, I familiarised the children with English."
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 familiarizas a los alumnos con el ordenador. — "Every day, you familiarise the pupils with the computer."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú familiarizaste a los alumnos con el ordenador. — "Yesterday, you familiarised the pupils with the computer."
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 familiariza a su perro con la casa. — "Every day, he/she familiarises his dog with the house."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él familiarizó a su perro con la casa. — "Yesterday, he/she familiarised his dog with the house."
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: familiarizar in the present tense
These eight sentences show familiarizar 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 familiarizo a los niños con el inglés. — "I familiarise the children with English."
- Tú familiarizas a los alumnos con el ordenador. — "you familiarise the pupils with the computer."
- Él familiariza a su perro con la casa. — "he/she familiarises his dog with the house."
- Nosotros familiarizamos a los turistas con la ciudad. — "we familiarise the tourists with the city."
- Vosotros familiarizáis a los niños con el inglés. — "you (plural) familiarise the children with English."
- Ellos familiarizan a los alumnos con el ordenador. — "they familiarise the pupils with the computer."
- Yo familiarizo a su perro con la casa. — "I familiarise his dog with the house."
- Tú familiarizas a los turistas con la ciudad. — "you familiarise the tourists with the city."
Common mistakes with familiarizar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros familiarizais a los niños con el inglés.
- Right: Vosotros familiarizáis a los niños con el inglés.
- Why: The vosotros form familiarizáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me familiarizo a los niños con el inglés.
- Right: Yo familiarizo a los niños con el inglés.
- Why: familiarizar 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 familiarizo a los alumnos con el ordenador.
- Right: Ayer, yo familiaricé a los alumnos con el ordenador.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo familiaricé a los alumnos con el ordenador. — "Yesterday, I familiarised the pupils with the computer." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo familiarizo a su perro con la casa.
- Right: Antes, yo familiarizaba a su perro con la casa.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo familiarizaba a su perro con la casa. — "In the past, I used to familiarise his dog with the house." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros familiariza a los niños con el inglés.
- Right: Nosotros familiarizamos a los niños con el inglés.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes familiarizamos, while familiariza belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of familiarizar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of familiarizar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of familiarizar in the present tense?
- (a) familiarizo
- (b) familiarizas
- (c) familiariza
- (d) familiarizamos
Answer: (a) familiarizo. The yo form is familiarizo. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of familiarizar in the present tense?
- (a) familiarizo
- (b) familiariza
- (c) familiarizamos
- (d) familiarizas
Answer: (d) familiarizas. The tú form is familiarizas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of familiarizar in the present tense?
- (a) familiarizas
- (b) familiarizamos
- (c) familiariza
- (d) familiarizo
Answer: (c) familiariza. The él/ella form is familiariza. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of familiarizar in the present tense?
- (a) familiariza
- (b) familiarizamos
- (c) familiarizo
- (d) familiarizas
Answer: (b) familiarizamos. The nosotros form is familiarizamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of familiarizar in the present tense?
- (a) familiarizan
- (b) familiarizo
- (c) familiarizas
- (d) familiariza
Answer: (a) familiarizan. The ellos/ellas form is familiarizan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ a los niños con el inglés.
- (a) familiarizas
- (b) familiariza
- (c) familiarizamos
- (d) familiarizo
Answer: (d) familiarizo. The sentence needs the yo form familiarizo (Every day, I familiarise the children with English.)
7. What is the gerund of familiarizar?
- (a) familiarizado
- (b) familiarizo
- (c) familiarizar
- (d) familiarizando
Answer: (d) familiarizando. The gerund is familiarizando, used for the progressive: estoy familiarizando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Ayer, yo familiaricé a los alumnos con el ordenador.
- (b) Mañana, yo familiarizaré a los alumnos con el ordenador.
- (c) Cada día, yo familiarizo a los alumnos con el ordenador.
- (d) Antes, yo familiarizaba a los alumnos con el ordenador.
Answer: (c) Cada día, yo familiarizo a los alumnos con el ordenador.. Cada día, yo familiarizo a los alumnos con el ordenador. (Every day, I familiarise the pupils with the computer.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo familiaricé a los alumnos con el ordenador. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo familiarizaré a los alumnos con el ordenador. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of familiarizar
Is familiarizar regular in the present tense?
Almost. familiarizar 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 familiaricé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example familiarice.
How do you say 'familiarise' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo familiarizo a los niños con el inglés. — "Every day, I familiarise the children with English." 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 familiarizar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo familiarizo a los alumnos con el ordenador. — "Every day, I familiarise the pupils with the computer." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo familiaricé a los alumnos con el ordenador. — "Yesterday, I familiarised the pupils with the computer." 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 familiarizar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros familiarizamos a los turistas con la ciudad. — "Tomorrow, we familiarise the tourists with the city." 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.