Paralizar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
paralizar means "to paralyse" 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 paralizar with the city traffic, the factory production, the country with the strike and his legs with fear — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo paralizo el tráfico de la ciudad. — "Every day, I paralyse the city traffic." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
paralizar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with paralizar, 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 paralizo el tráfico de la ciudad. — "Every day, I paralyse the city traffic." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo paralicé la producción de la fábrica. — "Yesterday, I paralysed the factory production." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo paralizaba el país con la huelga. — "In the past, I used to paralyse the country with the strike." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros paralizaremos sus piernas de miedo. — "Tomorrow, we will paralyse his legs with fear." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú paralizarías el tráfico de la ciudad. — "If you could, you would paralyse the city traffic." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he paralizado la producción de la fábrica. — "I have paralysed the factory production." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él paraliza el país con la huelga. — "Normally, he/she paralyses the country with the strike." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él paralizó sus piernas de miedo. — "Yesterday, he/she paralysed his legs with fear." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros paralizábamos el tráfico de la ciudad. — "In the past, we used to paralyse the city traffic." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo paralizaré la producción de la fábrica. — "Tomorrow, I will paralyse the factory production." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él paralice el país con la huelga. — "I hope that he/she paralyses the country with the strike." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Paraliza sus piernas de miedo! — "Paralyse his legs with fear!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using paralizar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the city traffic, the factory production, the country with the strike and his legs with fear.
Dialogue 1: talking about the city traffic
Lucía: ¿Tú paralizas el tráfico de la ciudad? — "Do you paralyse the city traffic?" Pedro: Sí, yo paralizo el tráfico de la ciudad. — "I paralyse the city traffic." Lucía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Pedro: Ayer, yo paralicé la producción de la fábrica. — "Yesterday, I paralysed the factory production." Lucía: Mañana, nosotros paralizaremos el país con la huelga. — "Tomorrow, we will paralyse the country with the strike." Pedro: Si pudiera, yo paralizaría sus piernas de miedo. — "If I could, I would paralyse his legs with fear." Lucía: Antes, yo paralizaba la producción de la fábrica. — "In the past, I used to paralyse the factory production." Pedro: Yo he paralizado el tráfico de la ciudad. — "I have paralysed the city traffic." Lucía: ¡Paraliza el país con la huelga! — "Paralyse the country with the strike!"
In this dialogue paralizar 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 country with the strike
Lucía: Él paraliza el país con la huelga. — "he/she paralyses the country with the strike." Pedro: ¿De verdad? ¿Él paraliza el país con la huelga todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she paralyses the country with the strike every day?" Lucía: Sí, y ellos paralizan sus piernas de miedo. — "they paralyse his legs with fear." Pedro: Ayer, ellos paralizaron el país con la huelga. — "Yesterday, they paralysed the country with the strike." Lucía: Espero que él paralice sus piernas de miedo. — "I hope that he/she paralyses his legs with fear." Pedro: Mañana, él paralizará el país con la huelga. — "Tomorrow, he/she will paralyse the country with the strike." Lucía: Antes, nosotros paralizábamos sus piernas de miedo. — "In the past, we used to paralyse his legs with fear." Pedro: Nosotros paralizamos el tráfico de la ciudad también. — "we paralyse the city traffic too."
This dialogue shows paralizar 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 paralizar
The errors learners actually make with paralizar 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 paralizo el tráfico de la ciudad.
- Right: Yo paralizo el tráfico de la ciudad.
- Why: paralizar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo paralizo el tráfico de la ciudad. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo paralizar el tráfico de la ciudad.
- Right: Yo paralizo el tráfico de la ciudad.
- Why: The infinitive paralizar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form paralizo.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo paralizo la producción de la fábrica.
- Right: Ayer, yo paralicé la producción de la fábrica.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo paralicé la producción de la fábrica. — "Yesterday, I paralysed the factory production."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy paralizado el país con la huelga.
- Right: Estoy paralizando el país con la huelga.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund paralizando for the progressive. The participle paralizado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he paralizado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros paraliza el tráfico de la ciudad.
- Right: Nosotros paralizamos el tráfico de la ciudad.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes paralizamos, while paraliza belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: paralizar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on paralizar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of paralizar in the present tense?
- (a) paralizamos
- (b) paralizo
- (c) paralizas
- (d) paraliza
Answer: (b) paralizo. The yo form is paralizo.
2. What is the tú form of paralizar in the present tense?
- (a) paralizas
- (b) paralizo
- (c) paraliza
- (d) paralizamos
Answer: (a) paralizas. The tú form is paralizas.
3. What is the él/ella form of paralizar in the present tense?
- (a) paralizo
- (b) paralizas
- (c) paralizamos
- (d) paraliza
Answer: (d) paraliza. The él/ella form is paraliza.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ el tráfico de la ciudad.
- (a) paraliza
- (b) paralizamos
- (c) paralizo
- (d) paralizas
Answer: (c) paralizo. The sentence needs the yo form paralizo.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ la producción de la fábrica.
- (a) paralizamos
- (b) paralicé
- (c) paralizaste
- (d) paralizó
Answer: (b) paralicé. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is paralicé.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ el país con la huelga.
- (a) paralizaba
- (b) paralizabas
- (c) paralizábamos
- (d) paralizabais
Answer: (a) paralizaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is paralizaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ sus piernas de miedo.
- (a) paralizarás
- (b) paralizará
- (c) paralizaremos
- (d) paralizaré
Answer: (d) paralizaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is paralizaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el tráfico de la ciudad.
- (a) has paralizado
- (b) ha paralizado
- (c) hemos paralizado
- (d) he paralizado
Answer: (d) he paralizado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he paralizado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el país con la huelga.
- (a) paralicéis
- (b) paralice
- (c) paralices
- (d) paralicemos
Answer: (b) paralice. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is paralice.
10. What does paralizar mean in English?
- (a) to regularise
- (b) to paralyse
- (c) to privatise
- (d) to deepen
Answer: (b) to paralyse. paralizar means "to paralyse" in English.
Frequently asked questions about paralizar
What does paralizar mean?
paralizar means "to paralyse" in English. Use it when you talk about the city traffic, the factory production, the country with the strike and his legs with fear — for example: Cada día, yo paralizo el tráfico de la ciudad. — "Every day, I paralyse the city traffic."
Is there a reflexive form of paralizar?
No. paralizar is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo paralizo el tráfico de la ciudad. — "Every day, I paralyse the city traffic."
What is the most common mistake with paralizar?
The spelling change. Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the yo preterite is paralicé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example paralice. 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 paralizar?
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.