Familiarizarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb familiarizarse means to become familiar with, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, familiarizarse changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo, and in the preterite you say me familiaricé con el vocabulario del examen. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: familiarizarse
  • English: to become familiar with
  • Verb type: irregular verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: familiarizando
  • Past participle: familiarizado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + familiarizado)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for familiarizarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Familiarizarse always takes con: me familiarizo con el barrio. Forgetting con is the most common mistake with this verb.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for familiarizarse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Pronoun Form
yo me familiarizo
tú te familiarizas
él/ella/Ud. se familiariza
nosotros/as nos familiarizamos
vosotros/as os familiarizáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se familiarizan

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me familiaricé
tú te familiarizaste
él/ella/Ud. se familiarizó
nosotros/as nos familiarizamos
vosotros/as os familiarizasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se familiarizaron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me familiarizaba
tú te familiarizabas
él/ella/Ud. se familiarizaba
nosotros/as nos familiarizábamos
vosotros/as os familiarizabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se familiarizaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me familiarizaré
tú te familiarizarás
él/ella/Ud. se familiarizará
nosotros/as nos familiarizaremos
vosotros/as os familiarizaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se familiarizarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me familiarizaría
tú te familiarizarías
él/ella/Ud. se familiarizaría
nosotros/as nos familiarizaríamos
vosotros/as os familiarizaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se familiarizarían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he familiarizado
tú te has familiarizado
él/ella/Ud. se ha familiarizado
nosotros/as nos hemos familiarizado
vosotros/as os habéis familiarizado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han familiarizado

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había familiarizado
tú te habías familiarizado
él/ella/Ud. se había familiarizado
nosotros/as nos habíamos familiarizado
vosotros/as os habíais familiarizado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían familiarizado

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré familiarizado
tú te habrás familiarizado
él/ella/Ud. se habrá familiarizado
nosotros/as nos habremos familiarizado
vosotros/as os habréis familiarizado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán familiarizado

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría familiarizado
tú te habrías familiarizado
él/ella/Ud. se habría familiarizado
nosotros/as nos habríamos familiarizado
vosotros/as os habríais familiarizado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían familiarizado

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me familiarice
tú te familiarices
él/ella/Ud. se familiarice
nosotros/as nos familiaricemos
vosotros/as os familiaricéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se familiaricen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me familiarizara
tú te familiarizaras
él/ella/Ud. se familiarizara
nosotros/as nos familiarizáramos
vosotros/as os familiarizarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se familiarizaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te familiariza
él/ella/Ud. se familiarice
nosotros/as nos familiaricemos
vosotros/as os familiarizad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se familiaricen

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te familiarices
él/ella/Ud. se familiarice
nosotros/as nos familiaricemos
vosotros/as os familiaricéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se familiaricen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund familiarizando with estar for the progressive: estoy familiarizando (or me estoy familiarizando for this reflexive verb)
Past participle familiarizado with haber for the perfect tenses: he familiarizado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For familiarizarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For familiarizarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me familiaricé con la ciudad en una semana. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For familiarizarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me familiarizaba con el vocabulario del examen. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For familiarizarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me familiarizaré con las normas de la empresa. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For familiarizarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me familiarizaría con el sistema nuevo si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For familiarizarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he familiarizado con la ciudad en una semana. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For familiarizarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había familiarizado con el vocabulario del examen antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For familiarizarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré familiarizado con las normas de la empresa. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For familiarizarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría familiarizado con el sistema nuevo con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. Note the spelling change here: the final consonant of the stem changes before e to keep the same sound, so learn these forms from the table rather than copying the infinitive stem. For familiarizarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se familiarice con la ciudad en una semana. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For familiarizarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se familiarizara con el vocabulario del examen, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. Note the spelling change here: the final consonant of the stem changes before e to keep the same sound, so learn these forms from the table rather than copying the infinitive stem. For familiarizarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se familiarice con las normas de la empresa. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. Note the spelling change here: the final consonant of the stem changes before e to keep the same sound, so learn these forms from the table rather than copying the infinitive stem. For familiarizarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te familiarices con el sistema nuevo. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with familiarizarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo. — I become familiar with with the new system.
  2. Se familiariza con la ciudad en una semana. — He/she becomes familiar with with the city in a week.
  3. Ayer, me familiaricé con el vocabulario del examen. — Yesterday, I became familiar with with the vocabulary for the exam.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos familiarizábamos con las normas de la empresa. — Before, we used to become familiar with with the company's rules.
  5. Mañana, tú te familiarizarás con el sistema nuevo. — Tomorrow, you will become familiar with with the new system.
  6. Yo me familiarizaría con la ciudad en una semana si tuviera más tiempo. — I would become familiar with with the city in a week if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha familiarizado con el vocabulario del examen. — He has become familiar with with the vocabulary for the exam.
  8. Espero que él se familiarice con las normas de la empresa. — I hope he becomes familiar with with the company's rules.
  9. Yo ya me había familiarizado con el sistema nuevo antes de salir. — I had already become familiar with with the new system before leaving.
  10. Ellos se familiarizaban con la ciudad en una semana cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to become familiar with with the city in a week when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo familiarizo con el sistema nuevo. — Right: Yo me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo. — Familiarizarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo familiarizé con la ciudad en una semana. — Right: Ayer yo familiaricé con la ciudad en una semana. — 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.
  3. Wrong: Treating familiarizarse and acostumbrarse as identical in every context. — Right: Familiarizarse means to become familiar with, while acostumbrarse means to get used to. — 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.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy familiarizado con la ciudad en una semana. — Right: Yo he familiarizado con la ciudad en una semana. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he familiarizado, has familiarizado, ha familiarizado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. 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. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (familiarizaba), not the preterite. The preterite (familiaricé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on familiarizarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con el sistema nuevo. (present tense) A. me familiarizo B. te familiarizas C. se familiariza D. nos familiarizamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ con la ciudad en una semana. (preterite) A. me familiaricé B. te familiarizaste C. se familiarizaron D. se familiarizó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ con el vocabulario del examen. (imperfect) A. te familiarizabas B. se familiarizaban C. nos familiarizábamos D. me familiarizaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ con las normas de la empresa. (future) A. nos familiarizaremos B. te familiarizarás C. me familiarizaré D. se familiarizará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con el sistema nuevo si pudiera. (conditional) A. me familiarizaría B. te familiarizarías C. se familiarizaría D. se familiarizarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ con la ciudad en una semana. (present subjunctive) A. me familiarice B. te familiarices C. nos familiaricemos D. se familiarice

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ con el vocabulario del examen, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se familiarizara B. nos familiarizáramos C. me familiarizara D. te familiarizaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ con las normas de la empresa. (present perfect) A. se han familiarizado B. nos hemos familiarizado C. me he familiarizado D. te has familiarizado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ con el sistema nuevo. (negative imperative, tú) A. te familiarices B. se familiarice C. nos familiaricemos D. os familiaricéis

  10. Which is the gerund of familiarizarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. familiarizado B. familiarizo C. familiaricé D. familiarizando

Answer key

  1. me familiarizo — The first-person present of familiarizarse is me familiarizo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se familiarizó — The third-person preterite of familiarizarse is se familiarizó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos familiarizábamos — The nosotros imperfect of familiarizarse is nos familiarizábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te familiarizarás — The second-person future of familiarizarse is te familiarizarás.
  5. me familiarizaría — The first-person conditional of familiarizarse is me familiarizaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se familiarice — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of familiarizarse is se familiarice.
  7. me familiarizara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of familiarizarse is me familiarizara.
  8. nos hemos familiarizado — The nosotros present perfect of familiarizarse is nos hemos familiarizado: hemos + familiarizado.
  9. te familiarices — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te familiarices.
  10. familiarizando — The gerund of familiarizarse is familiarizando: estoy familiarizando. The participle familiarizado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does familiarizarse mean in English?

Familiarizarse means to become familiar with. It is used in everyday situations such as Me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is familiarizarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Familiarizarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me familiarizo con el sistema nuevo and él se familiariza con la ciudad en una semana. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

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, and use acostumbrarse for to get used to. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I become familiar with” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me familiaricé con la ciudad en una semana. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me familiarizaba con el vocabulario del examen. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he familiarizado con la ciudad en una semana.

How do I practise familiarizarse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the familiarizarse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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