Familiarizarse Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Familiarizarse means “to become familiar with”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Familiarizarse means to become familiar with something, and it is used for getting to know a new city, a new job, a new computer program or a new language. It is always used with con, as in familiarizarse con el sistema, and it describes a gradual process rather than a single moment. This page shows familiarizarse in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo.” — I become familiar with with the new system.
Familiarizarse in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how familiarizarse is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use familiarizarse in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo.” — I become familiar with with the new system.
“¿Tú te familiarizas con la ciudad en una semana?” — Do you become familiar with with the city in a week?
“Se familiariza con el vocabulario del examen.” — He/she becomes familiar with with the vocabulary for the exam.
“Nos familiarizamos con las normas de la empresa.” — We become familiar with with the company's rules.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show familiarizarse in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo me familiaricé con el sistema nuevo.” — Yesterday, I became familiar with with the new system. (preterite)
“Él se familiarizaba con la ciudad en una semana todos los días.” — He used to become familiar with with the city in a week every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of familiarizarse stays the same.
“Nosotros nos familiarizaremos con el vocabulario del examen mañana.” — We will become familiar with with the vocabulary for the exam tomorrow. (future)
“¿Te has familiarizado con las normas de la empresa?” — Have you become familiar with with the company's rules? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Os familiarizáis con el sistema nuevo.” — You become familiar with with the new system.
“Se familiarizan con la ciudad en una semana.” — They become familiar with with the city in a week.
“Me familiarizo con el vocabulario del examen.” — I become familiar with with the vocabulary for the exam.
“Se familiariza con las normas de la empresa.” — He/she becomes familiar with with the company's rules.
Familiarizarse in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how familiarizarse appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú te familiarizas con el sistema nuevo?” — Do you become familiar with with the new system?
Carlos: “Sí, yo me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo.” — Yes, I become familiar with with the new system.
Lucía: “Nosotros nos familiarizamos con la ciudad en una semana.” — We become familiar with with the city in a week.
Carlos: “Y ellos se familiarizan con el vocabulario del examen.” — And they become familiar with with the vocabulary for the exam.
Lucía: “Vosotros os familiarizáis con las normas de la empresa.” — You become familiar with with the company's rules.
Carlos: “Sí, y él se familiariza con la ciudad en una semana.” — Yes, and he becomes familiar with with the city in a week.
A short paragraph
Lucía se familiariza con el sistema nuevo, y Carlos se familiariza con la ciudad en una semana. Nosotros nos familiarizamos con el vocabulario del examen, y ellos se familiarizan con las normas de la empresa. Yo me familiarizo con el vocabulario del examen, y mi padre se familiariza con las normas de la empresa. Familiarizarse is part of everyday life, because to become familiar with is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with familiarizarse
These are the errors learners actually make with familiarizarse. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo familiarizo con el sistema nuevo.” Right: “Yo me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo.” Why: Familiarizarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
Wrong: “Ayer yo familiarizé con la ciudad en una semana.” Right: “Ayer yo familiaricé con la ciudad en una semana.” Why: Familiarizarse has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is familiaricé, not the regular familiarizé. Learn the preterite forms in the table as a set.
Wrong: “Treating familiarizarse and acostumbrarse as identical in every context.” Right: “Familiarizarse means to become familiar with, while acostumbrarse means to get used to.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: familiarizarse fits sentences such as Me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo, while acostumbrarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy familiarizado con la ciudad en una semana.” Right: “Yo he familiarizado con la ciudad en una semana.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he familiarizado, has familiarizado, ha familiarizado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo familiaricé con el vocabulario del examen todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo familiarizaba con el vocabulario del examen todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (familiarizaba), not the preterite. The preterite (familiaricé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: familiarizarse in use
Ten questions on familiarizarse in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ con el sistema nuevo.” (With the new system.)
- (a) os familiarizáis
- (b) me familiarizo
- (c) te familiarizas
Answer: os familiarizáis — The vosotros/as form of familiarizarse in the present is os familiarizáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ con la ciudad en una semana.” (With the city in a week.)
- (a) me familiarizo
- (b) te familiarizas
- (c) se familiarizan
Answer: se familiarizan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of familiarizarse in the present is se familiarizan.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ con el sistema nuevo.” (With the new system.)
- (a) se familiarizó
- (b) me familiaricé
- (c) te familiarizaste
Answer: me familiaricé — The yo form of familiarizarse in the preterite is me familiaricé.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ con la ciudad en una semana.” (With the city in a week.)
- (a) se familiarizaba
- (b) me familiarizaba
- (c) te familiarizabas
Answer: se familiarizaba — The él/ella/Ud. form of familiarizarse in the imperfect is se familiarizaba.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ con el vocabulario del examen.” (With the vocabulary for the exam.)
- (a) me familiarizaré
- (b) te familiarizarás
- (c) nos familiarizaremos
Answer: nos familiarizaremos — The nosotros/as form of familiarizarse in the future is nos familiarizaremos.
6. What does familiarizarse mean in English?
- (a) to introduce oneself
- (b) to become familiar with
- (c) to get used to
Answer: to become familiar with — Familiarizarse means “to become familiar with”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo.
- (b) Ellos familiariza con el sistema nuevo.
- (c) Yo me familiarizo con la ciudad en una semana ayer.
Answer: Yo me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo. — “Yo me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I become familiar with with the new system.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo se familiarizan con el sistema nuevo.
- (b) Yo me familiaricé con el sistema nuevo.
- (c) Yo me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo.
Answer: Yo me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo. — “Yo me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of familiarizarse in the present tense?
- (a) te familiarizas
- (b) nos familiarizamos
- (c) me familiarizo
Answer: nos familiarizamos — The nosotros form is nos familiarizamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo me familiaricé con el sistema nuevo.
- (b) Nosotros nos familiarizaremos con el sistema nuevo mañana.
- (c) Yo me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo.
Answer: Yo me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo. — “Yo me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I become familiar with' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo todos los días'.
How do you say 'I become familiar with' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo me familiaricé con la ciudad en una semana'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo me familiarizaba con la ciudad en una semana todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo me he familiarizado con la ciudad en una semana'.
What is the difference between familiarizarse and acostumbrarse?
Familiarizarse means to become familiar with, while acostumbrarse means to get used to. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use familiarizarse when you mean to become familiar with, as in Me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of familiarizarse — every tense of familiarizarse in one place.
- Familiarizarse in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on familiarizarse and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of familiarizarse until they are automatic.