Moralizar Present Tense in Spanish
moralizar means "to moralise" 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 moralizar, 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 moralizo a los jóvenes con sermones. — "Every day, I moralise young people with sermons." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of moralizar: full table
Every person of moralizar in the present tense. The gerund is moralizando and the past participle is moralizado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | moralizo |
| tú | moralizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | moraliza |
| nosotros/as | moralizamos |
| vosotros/as | moralizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | moralizan |
The gerund of moralizar is moralizando and the past participle is moralizado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy moralizando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he moralizado).
How the present tense of moralizar is formed
The present tense of moralizar is built from the stem moraliz- 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 moralizo, tú moralizas, él moraliza, nosotros moralizamos, vosotros moralizáis and ellos moralizan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | moralizo |
| tú | -as | moralizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | moraliza |
| nosotros/as | -amos | moralizamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | moralizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | moralizan |
Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the yo preterite is moralicé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example moralice.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is moralizando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy moralizando. The past participle is moralizado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he moralizado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with moralizar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo moralizo a los jóvenes con sermones. — "Every day, I moralise young people with sermons." The complement in this sentence is about young people with sermons, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear moralizar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú moralizas a sus alumnos en clase. — "Now, you moralise his pupils in class." The complement in this sentence is about his pupils in class, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear moralizar 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 moraliza sobre la vida en el pueblo. — "Normally, he/she moralises about life in the village." The complement in this sentence is about life in the village, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear moralizar 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 moralizamos con ejemplos de la historia. — "Tomorrow, we moralise with examples from history." The complement in this sentence is about examples from history, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear moralizar 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 moralizan a los jóvenes con sermones. — "Always, they moralise young people with sermons." The complement in this sentence is about young people with sermons, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear moralizar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: moralizar
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 moralizar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo moralizo a los jóvenes con sermones. — "Every day, I moralise young people with sermons."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo moralicé a los jóvenes con sermones. — "Yesterday, I moralised young people with sermons."
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 moralizas a sus alumnos en clase. — "Every day, you moralise his pupils in class."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú moralizaste a sus alumnos en clase. — "Yesterday, you moralised his pupils in class."
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 moraliza sobre la vida en el pueblo. — "Every day, he/she moralises about life in the village."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él moralizó sobre la vida en el pueblo. — "Yesterday, he/she moralised about life in the village."
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: moralizar in the present tense
These eight sentences show moralizar 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 moralizo a los jóvenes con sermones. — "I moralise young people with sermons."
- Tú moralizas a sus alumnos en clase. — "you moralise his pupils in class."
- Él moraliza sobre la vida en el pueblo. — "he/she moralises about life in the village."
- Nosotros moralizamos con ejemplos de la historia. — "we moralise with examples from history."
- Vosotros moralizáis a los jóvenes con sermones. — "you (plural) moralise young people with sermons."
- Ellos moralizan a sus alumnos en clase. — "they moralise his pupils in class."
- Yo moralizo sobre la vida en el pueblo. — "I moralise about life in the village."
- Tú moralizas con ejemplos de la historia. — "you moralise with examples from history."
Common mistakes with moralizar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros moralizais a los jóvenes con sermones.
- Right: Vosotros moralizáis a los jóvenes con sermones.
- Why: The vosotros form moralizáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me moralizo a los jóvenes con sermones.
- Right: Yo moralizo a los jóvenes con sermones.
- Why: moralizar 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 moralizo a sus alumnos en clase.
- Right: Ayer, yo moralicé a sus alumnos en clase.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo moralicé a sus alumnos en clase. — "Yesterday, I moralised his pupils in class." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo moralizo sobre la vida en el pueblo.
- Right: Antes, yo moralizaba sobre la vida en el pueblo.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo moralizaba sobre la vida en el pueblo. — "In the past, I used to moralise about life in the village." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros moraliza a los jóvenes con sermones.
- Right: Nosotros moralizamos a los jóvenes con sermones.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes moralizamos, while moraliza belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of moralizar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of moralizar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of moralizar in the present tense?
- (a) moralizo
- (b) moralizas
- (c) moraliza
- (d) moralizamos
Answer: (a) moralizo. The yo form is moralizo. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of moralizar in the present tense?
- (a) moralizo
- (b) moraliza
- (c) moralizamos
- (d) moralizas
Answer: (d) moralizas. The tú form is moralizas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of moralizar in the present tense?
- (a) moralizas
- (b) moralizamos
- (c) moraliza
- (d) moralizo
Answer: (c) moraliza. The él/ella form is moraliza. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of moralizar in the present tense?
- (a) moraliza
- (b) moralizamos
- (c) moralizo
- (d) moralizas
Answer: (b) moralizamos. The nosotros form is moralizamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of moralizar in the present tense?
- (a) moralizan
- (b) moralizo
- (c) moralizas
- (d) moraliza
Answer: (a) moralizan. The ellos/ellas form is moralizan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ a los jóvenes con sermones.
- (a) moralizas
- (b) moraliza
- (c) moralizamos
- (d) moralizo
Answer: (d) moralizo. The sentence needs the yo form moralizo (Every day, I moralise young people with sermons.)
7. What is the gerund of moralizar?
- (a) moralizado
- (b) moralizo
- (c) moralizar
- (d) moralizando
Answer: (d) moralizando. The gerund is moralizando, used for the progressive: estoy moralizando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Ayer, yo moralicé a sus alumnos en clase.
- (b) Mañana, yo moralizaré a sus alumnos en clase.
- (c) Cada día, yo moralizo a sus alumnos en clase.
- (d) Antes, yo moralizaba a sus alumnos en clase.
Answer: (c) Cada día, yo moralizo a sus alumnos en clase.. Cada día, yo moralizo a sus alumnos en clase. (Every day, I moralise his pupils in class.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo moralicé a sus alumnos en clase. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo moralizaré a sus alumnos en clase. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of moralizar
Is moralizar regular in the present tense?
Almost. moralizar 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 moralicé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example moralice.
How do you say 'moralise' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo moralizo a los jóvenes con sermones. — "Every day, I moralise young people with sermons." 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 moralizar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo moralizo a sus alumnos en clase. — "Every day, I moralise his pupils in class." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo moralicé a sus alumnos en clase. — "Yesterday, I moralised his pupils in class." 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 moralizar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros moralizamos con ejemplos de la historia. — "Tomorrow, we moralise with examples from history." 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.