Fortalecer Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of fortalecer — "to strengthen" 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 fortalecer 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. Fortalecer means to strengthen, and it covers strengthening muscles with exercise, strengthening a friendship and strengthening a team or an economy. It is the opposite of debilitar, and it is a -cer spelling-change verb. To see it in a real sentence: Él fortalece los músculos con ejercicio. — "He/she strengthens the muscles with exercise." 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: fortalecer

Every person of fortalecer in the present tense. The gerund is fortaleciendo and the past participle is fortalecido.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo fortalezco
tú fortaleces
él/ella/Ud. fortalece
nosotros/as fortalecemos
vosotros/as fortalecéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. fortalecen

How the present indicative of fortalecer is formed

The present indicative of fortalecer is built from the stem fortalec- 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 fortalezco
tú -es fortaleces
él/ella/Ud. -e fortalece
nosotros/as -emos fortalecemos
vosotros/as -éis fortalecéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -en fortalecen

fortalecer 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 fortalezco in particular.

The gerund of fortalecer is fortaleciendo and the past participle is fortalecido. 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 fortalecer

The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and fortalecer 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 fortalecer, this use looks like this: "Yo fortalezco los músculos con ejercicio." — "I strengthen the muscles with exercise." 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 fortalecer, this use looks like this: "Él fortalece la amistad con los años." — "He/she strengthens the friendship over the years." 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 fortalecer, this use looks like this: "Nosotros fortalecemos el equipo con dos fichajes." — "We strengthen the team with two signings." 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 fortalecer, this use looks like this: "Ellos fortalecen la economía del país." — "They strengthen the country's economy." 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 fortalecer, this use looks like this: "Tú fortaleces los músculos con ejercicio." — "You strengthen the muscles with exercise." 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 fortalecer. 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 fortalezco los músculos con ejercicio." — "I strengthen the muscles with exercise."
  • Preterite: "Yo fortalecí los músculos con ejercicio." — "I strengthened the muscles with exercise." 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 fortalece la amistad con los años." — "He/she strengthens the friendship over the years."
  • Preterite: "Él fortaleció la amistad con los años." — "He/she strengthened the friendship over the years." 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 fortalecemos el equipo con dos fichajes." — "We strengthen the team with two signings."
  • Preterite: "Nosotros fortalecimos el equipo con dos fichajes." — "We strengthened the team with two signings." 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 fortalecer in the present tense only. Each one uses a form from the table above.

  1. Yo fortalezco los músculos con ejercicio. — I strengthen the muscles with exercise.
  2. Tú fortaleces la amistad con los años. — You strengthen the friendship over the years.
  3. Él fortalece el equipo con dos fichajes. — He/she strengthens the team with two signings.
  4. Nosotros fortalecemos la economía del país. — We strengthen the country's economy.
  5. Vosotros fortalecéis los músculos con ejercicio. — You all strengthen the muscles with exercise.
  6. Ellos fortalecen la amistad con los años. — They strengthen the friendship over the years.
  7. Yo fortalezco el equipo con dos fichajes. — I strengthen the team with two signings.
  8. Él fortalece la economía del país. — He/she strengthens the country's economy.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo fortaleco la amistad con los años. — Right: Yo fortalezco la amistad con los años. — In the present, the correct first-person form is fortalezco, not fortaleco. fortalecer 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 fortalezco el equipo con dos fichajes. — Right: Ayer, yo fortalecí el equipo con dos fichajes. — Ayer means yesterday, so it needs the preterite (fortalecí), not the present (fortalezco). The present is for now, not for yesterday.
  3. Wrong: Yo fortalece los músculos con ejercicio. — Right: Yo fortalezco los músculos con ejercicio. — The person matters: fortalece is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is fortalezco.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy fortalecido la amistad con los años. — Right: Yo he fortalecido la amistad con los años. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he fortalecido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los músculos con ejercicio. (present tense) A. fortalezco B. fortaleces C. fortalece D. fortalecemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ la amistad con los años. (present tense) A. fortaleces B. fortalezco C. fortalece D. fortalecemos

  3. Complete the sentence: Él ___ el equipo con dos fichajes. (present tense) A. fortalece B. fortalezco C. fortaleces D. fortalecemos

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la economía del país. (present tense) A. fortalecemos B. fortalezco C. fortaleces D. fortalece

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros ___ los músculos con ejercicio. (present tense) A. fortalecéis B. fortalezco C. fortaleces D. fortalece

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ___ la amistad con los años. (present tense) A. fortalecen B. fortalezco C. fortaleces D. fortalece

  7. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el equipo con dos fichajes. (present tense) A. fortalezco B. fortaleces C. fortalece D. fortalecemos

  8. Complete the sentence: Él ___ la economía del país. (present tense) A. fortalece B. fortalezco C. fortaleces D. fortalecemos

Answer key

  1. fortalezco — The yo present form of fortalecer is fortalezco. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  2. fortaleces — The tu present form of fortalecer is fortaleces. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  3. fortalece — The el present form of fortalecer is fortalece. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  4. fortalecemos — The nosotros present form of fortalecer is fortalecemos. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  5. fortalecéis — The vosotros present form of fortalecer is fortalecéis. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  6. fortalecen — The ellos present form of fortalecer is fortalecen. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  7. fortalezco — The yo present form of fortalecer is fortalezco. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
  8. fortalece — The el present form of fortalecer is fortalece. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.

Frequently asked questions

When do I use the present tense of fortalecer?

Use the present tense of fortalecer for habits, facts and what is happening now. For example: Yo fortalezco los músculos con ejercicio. — "I strengthen the muscles with exercise." The usage rules above give five situations with examples.

How is the present tense of fortalecer formed?

Take the stem fortalec- 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 fortalecer?

The present describes a habit or a present fact, while the preterite describes a finished action. Compare Yo fortalezco la amistad con los años. with Yo fortalecí la amistad con los años. — the verb is the same, but the time meaning changes.

How do I practise the present tense of fortalecer?

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

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