Modernizar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
modernizar means "to modernise" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see modernizar with the factory with new machines, the school system, the kitchen in the house and the city's transport — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo modernizo la fábrica con máquinas nuevas. — "Every day, I modernise the factory with new machines." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
modernizar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with modernizar, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo modernizo la fábrica con máquinas nuevas. — "Every day, I modernise the factory with new machines." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo modernicé el sistema de la escuela. — "Yesterday, I modernised the school system." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo modernizaba la cocina de la casa. — "In the past, I used to modernise the kitchen in the house." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros modernizaremos el transporte de la ciudad. — "Tomorrow, we will modernise the city's transport." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú modernizarías la fábrica con máquinas nuevas. — "If you could, you would modernise the factory with new machines." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he modernizado el sistema de la escuela. — "I have modernised the school system." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él moderniza la cocina de la casa. — "Normally, he/she modernises the kitchen in the house." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él modernizó el transporte de la ciudad. — "Yesterday, he/she modernised the city's transport." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros modernizábamos la fábrica con máquinas nuevas. — "In the past, we used to modernise the factory with new machines." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo modernizaré el sistema de la escuela. — "Tomorrow, I will modernise the school system." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él modernice la cocina de la casa. — "I hope that he/she modernises the kitchen in the house." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Moderniza el transporte de la ciudad! — "Modernise the city's transport!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using modernizar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the factory with new machines, the school system, the kitchen in the house and the city's transport.
Dialogue 1: talking about the factory with new machines
Lucía: ¿Tú modernizas la fábrica con máquinas nuevas? — "Do you modernise the factory with new machines?" Pedro: Sí, yo modernizo la fábrica con máquinas nuevas. — "I modernise the factory with new machines." Lucía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Pedro: Ayer, yo modernicé el sistema de la escuela. — "Yesterday, I modernised the school system." Lucía: Mañana, nosotros modernizaremos la cocina de la casa. — "Tomorrow, we will modernise the kitchen in the house." Pedro: Si pudiera, yo modernizaría el transporte de la ciudad. — "If I could, I would modernise the city's transport." Lucía: Antes, yo modernizaba el sistema de la escuela. — "In the past, I used to modernise the school system." Pedro: Yo he modernizado la fábrica con máquinas nuevas. — "I have modernised the factory with new machines." Lucía: ¡Moderniza la cocina de la casa! — "Modernise the kitchen in the house!"
In this dialogue modernizar appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about the kitchen in the house
Lucía: Él moderniza la cocina de la casa. — "he/she modernises the kitchen in the house." Pedro: ¿De verdad? ¿Él moderniza la cocina de la casa todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she modernises the kitchen in the house every day?" Lucía: Sí, y ellos modernizan el transporte de la ciudad. — "they modernise the city's transport." Pedro: Ayer, ellos modernizaron la cocina de la casa. — "Yesterday, they modernised the kitchen in the house." Lucía: Espero que él modernice el transporte de la ciudad. — "I hope that he/she modernises the city's transport." Pedro: Mañana, él modernizará la cocina de la casa. — "Tomorrow, he/she will modernise the kitchen in the house." Lucía: Antes, nosotros modernizábamos el transporte de la ciudad. — "In the past, we used to modernise the city's transport." Pedro: Nosotros modernizamos la fábrica con máquinas nuevas también. — "we modernise the factory with new machines too."
This dialogue shows modernizar in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with modernizar
The errors learners actually make with modernizar in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me modernizo la fábrica con máquinas nuevas.
- Right: Yo modernizo la fábrica con máquinas nuevas.
- Why: modernizar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo modernizo la fábrica con máquinas nuevas. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo modernizar la fábrica con máquinas nuevas.
- Right: Yo modernizo la fábrica con máquinas nuevas.
- Why: The infinitive modernizar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form modernizo.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo modernizo el sistema de la escuela.
- Right: Ayer, yo modernicé el sistema de la escuela.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo modernicé el sistema de la escuela. — "Yesterday, I modernised the school system."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy modernizado la cocina de la casa.
- Right: Estoy modernizando la cocina de la casa.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund modernizando for the progressive. The participle modernizado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he modernizado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros moderniza la fábrica con máquinas nuevas.
- Right: Nosotros modernizamos la fábrica con máquinas nuevas.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes modernizamos, while moderniza belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: modernizar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on modernizar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of modernizar in the present tense?
- (a) modernizamos
- (b) modernizo
- (c) modernizas
- (d) moderniza
Answer: (b) modernizo. The yo form is modernizo.
2. What is the tú form of modernizar in the present tense?
- (a) modernizas
- (b) modernizo
- (c) moderniza
- (d) modernizamos
Answer: (a) modernizas. The tú form is modernizas.
3. What is the él/ella form of modernizar in the present tense?
- (a) modernizo
- (b) modernizas
- (c) modernizamos
- (d) moderniza
Answer: (d) moderniza. The él/ella form is moderniza.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ la fábrica con máquinas nuevas.
- (a) moderniza
- (b) modernizamos
- (c) modernizo
- (d) modernizas
Answer: (c) modernizo. The sentence needs the yo form modernizo.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ el sistema de la escuela.
- (a) modernizamos
- (b) modernicé
- (c) modernizaste
- (d) modernizó
Answer: (b) modernicé. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is modernicé.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ la cocina de la casa.
- (a) modernizaba
- (b) modernizabas
- (c) modernizábamos
- (d) modernizabais
Answer: (a) modernizaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is modernizaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ el transporte de la ciudad.
- (a) modernizarás
- (b) modernizará
- (c) modernizaremos
- (d) modernizaré
Answer: (d) modernizaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is modernizaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la fábrica con máquinas nuevas.
- (a) has modernizado
- (b) ha modernizado
- (c) hemos modernizado
- (d) he modernizado
Answer: (d) he modernizado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he modernizado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la cocina de la casa.
- (a) modernicéis
- (b) modernice
- (c) modernices
- (d) modernicemos
Answer: (b) modernice. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is modernice.
10. What does modernizar mean in English?
- (a) to immortalise
- (b) to modernise
- (c) to humanise
- (d) to idealise
Answer: (b) to modernise. modernizar means "to modernise" in English.
Frequently asked questions about modernizar
What does modernizar mean?
modernizar means "to modernise" in English. Use it when you talk about the factory with new machines, the school system, the kitchen in the house and the city's transport — for example: Cada día, yo modernizo la fábrica con máquinas nuevas. — "Every day, I modernise the factory with new machines."
Is there a reflexive form of modernizar?
No. modernizar is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo modernizo la fábrica con máquinas nuevas. — "Every day, I modernise the factory with new machines."
What is the most common mistake with modernizar?
The spelling change. Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the yo preterite is modernicé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example modernice. Practise the yo form and the subjunctive forms until they feel automatic, and check them against the table on the conjugation page.
How can I practise modernizar?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.