Paralizar Present Tense in Spanish
paralizar means "to paralyse" 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 paralizar, 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 paralizo el tráfico de la ciudad. — "Every day, I paralyse the city traffic." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of paralizar: full table
Every person of paralizar in the present tense. The gerund is paralizando and the past participle is paralizado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | paralizo |
| tú | paralizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | paraliza |
| nosotros/as | paralizamos |
| vosotros/as | paralizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | paralizan |
The gerund of paralizar is paralizando and the past participle is paralizado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy paralizando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he paralizado).
How the present tense of paralizar is formed
The present tense of paralizar is built from the stem paraliz- 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 paralizo, tú paralizas, él paraliza, nosotros paralizamos, vosotros paralizáis and ellos paralizan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | paralizo |
| tú | -as | paralizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | paraliza |
| nosotros/as | -amos | paralizamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | paralizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | paralizan |
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.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is paralizando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy paralizando. The past participle is paralizado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he paralizado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with paralizar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo paralizo el tráfico de la ciudad. — "Every day, I paralyse the city traffic." The complement in this sentence is about the city traffic, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear paralizar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú paralizas la producción de la fábrica. — "Now, you paralyse the factory production." The complement in this sentence is about the factory production, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear paralizar 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 paraliza el país con la huelga. — "Normally, he/she paralyses the country with the strike." The complement in this sentence is about the country with the strike, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear paralizar 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 paralizamos sus piernas de miedo. — "Tomorrow, we paralyse his legs with fear." The complement in this sentence is about his legs with fear, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear paralizar 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 paralizan el tráfico de la ciudad. — "Always, they paralyse the city traffic." The complement in this sentence is about the city traffic, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear paralizar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: paralizar
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 paralizar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo paralizo el tráfico de la ciudad. — "Every day, I paralyse the city traffic."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo paralicé el tráfico de la ciudad. — "Yesterday, I paralysed the city traffic."
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 paralizas la producción de la fábrica. — "Every day, you paralyse the factory production."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú paralizaste la producción de la fábrica. — "Yesterday, you paralysed the factory production."
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 paraliza el país con la huelga. — "Every day, he/she paralyses the country with the strike."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él paralizó el país con la huelga. — "Yesterday, he/she paralysed the country with the strike."
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: paralizar in the present tense
These eight sentences show paralizar 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 paralizo el tráfico de la ciudad. — "I paralyse the city traffic."
- Tú paralizas la producción de la fábrica. — "you paralyse the factory production."
- Él paraliza el país con la huelga. — "he/she paralyses the country with the strike."
- Nosotros paralizamos sus piernas de miedo. — "we paralyse his legs with fear."
- Vosotros paralizáis el tráfico de la ciudad. — "you (plural) paralyse the city traffic."
- Ellos paralizan la producción de la fábrica. — "they paralyse the factory production."
- Yo paralizo el país con la huelga. — "I paralyse the country with the strike."
- Tú paralizas sus piernas de miedo. — "you paralyse his legs with fear."
Common mistakes with paralizar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros paralizais el tráfico de la ciudad.
- Right: Vosotros paralizáis el tráfico de la ciudad.
- Why: The vosotros form paralizáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: 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. The extra pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence.
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." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo paralizo el país con la huelga.
- Right: Antes, yo paralizaba el país con la huelga.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo paralizaba el país con la huelga. — "In the past, I used to paralyse the country with the strike." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
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. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of paralizar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of 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) paralizas
- (b) paraliza
- (c) paralizamos
- (d) paralizo
Answer: (d) paralizo. The yo form is paralizo. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of paralizar in the present tense?
- (a) paraliza
- (b) paralizamos
- (c) paralizas
- (d) paralizo
Answer: (c) paralizas. The tú form is paralizas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of paralizar in the present tense?
- (a) paralizamos
- (b) paraliza
- (c) paralizo
- (d) paralizas
Answer: (b) paraliza. The él/ella form is paraliza. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of paralizar in the present tense?
- (a) paralizamos
- (b) paralizo
- (c) paralizas
- (d) paraliza
Answer: (a) paralizamos. The nosotros form is paralizamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of paralizar in the present tense?
- (a) paralizo
- (b) paralizas
- (c) paraliza
- (d) paralizan
Answer: (d) paralizan. The ellos/ellas form is paralizan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. 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 (Every day, I paralyse the city traffic.)
7. What is the gerund of paralizar?
- (a) paralizo
- (b) paralizar
- (c) paralizando
- (d) paralizado
Answer: (c) paralizando. The gerund is paralizando, used for the progressive: estoy paralizando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Mañana, yo paralizaré la producción de la fábrica.
- (b) Cada día, yo paralizo la producción de la fábrica.
- (c) Antes, yo paralizaba la producción de la fábrica.
- (d) Ayer, yo paralicé la producción de la fábrica.
Answer: (b) Cada día, yo paralizo la producción de la fábrica.. Cada día, yo paralizo la producción de la fábrica. (Every day, I paralyse the factory production.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo paralicé la producción de la fábrica. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo paralizaré la producción de la fábrica. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of paralizar
Is paralizar regular in the present tense?
Almost. paralizar 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 paralicé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example paralice.
How do you say 'paralyse' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo paralizo el tráfico de la ciudad. — "Every day, I paralyse the city traffic." 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 paralizar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo paralizo la producción de la fábrica. — "Every day, I paralyse the factory production." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo paralicé la producción de la fábrica. — "Yesterday, I paralysed the factory production." 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 paralizar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros paralizamos sus piernas de miedo. — "Tomorrow, we paralyse his legs with fear." 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.