Popularizar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
popularizar means "to popularise" 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 popularizar with the village music, the sport among young people, the recipe in the country and the dance at school — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo popularizo la música del pueblo. — "Every day, I popularise the village music." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
popularizar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with popularizar, 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 popularizo la música del pueblo. — "Every day, I popularise the village music." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo popularicé el deporte entre los jóvenes. — "Yesterday, I popularised the sport among young people." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo popularizaba la receta en el país. — "In the past, I used to popularise the recipe in the country." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros popularizaremos el baile en la escuela. — "Tomorrow, we will popularise the dance at school." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú popularizarías la música del pueblo. — "If you could, you would popularise the village music." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he popularizado el deporte entre los jóvenes. — "I have popularised the sport among young people." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él populariza la receta en el país. — "Normally, he/she popularises the recipe in the country." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él popularizó el baile en la escuela. — "Yesterday, he/she popularised the dance at school." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros popularizábamos la música del pueblo. — "In the past, we used to popularise the village music." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo popularizaré el deporte entre los jóvenes. — "Tomorrow, I will popularise the sport among young people." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él popularice la receta en el país. — "I hope that he/she popularises the recipe in the country." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Populariza el baile en la escuela! — "Popularise the dance at school!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using popularizar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the village music, the sport among young people, the recipe in the country and the dance at school.
Dialogue 1: talking about the village music
Ana: ¿Tú popularizas la música del pueblo? — "Do you popularise the village music?" Luis: Sí, yo popularizo la música del pueblo. — "I popularise the village music." Ana: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Luis: Ayer, yo popularicé el deporte entre los jóvenes. — "Yesterday, I popularised the sport among young people." Ana: Mañana, nosotros popularizaremos la receta en el país. — "Tomorrow, we will popularise the recipe in the country." Luis: Si pudiera, yo popularizaría el baile en la escuela. — "If I could, I would popularise the dance at school." Ana: Antes, yo popularizaba el deporte entre los jóvenes. — "In the past, I used to popularise the sport among young people." Luis: Yo he popularizado la música del pueblo. — "I have popularised the village music." Ana: ¡Populariza la receta en el país! — "Popularise the recipe in the country!"
In this dialogue popularizar 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 recipe in the country
Ana: Él populariza la receta en el país. — "he/she popularises the recipe in the country." Luis: ¿De verdad? ¿Él populariza la receta en el país todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she popularises the recipe in the country every day?" Ana: Sí, y ellos popularizan el baile en la escuela. — "they popularise the dance at school." Luis: Ayer, ellos popularizaron la receta en el país. — "Yesterday, they popularised the recipe in the country." Ana: Espero que él popularice el baile en la escuela. — "I hope that he/she popularises the dance at school." Luis: Mañana, él popularizará la receta en el país. — "Tomorrow, he/she will popularise the recipe in the country." Ana: Antes, nosotros popularizábamos el baile en la escuela. — "In the past, we used to popularise the dance at school." Luis: Nosotros popularizamos la música del pueblo también. — "we popularise the village music too."
This dialogue shows popularizar 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 popularizar
The errors learners actually make with popularizar 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 popularizo la música del pueblo.
- Right: Yo popularizo la música del pueblo.
- Why: popularizar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo popularizo la música del pueblo. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo popularizar la música del pueblo.
- Right: Yo popularizo la música del pueblo.
- Why: The infinitive popularizar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form popularizo.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo popularizo el deporte entre los jóvenes.
- Right: Ayer, yo popularicé el deporte entre los jóvenes.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo popularicé el deporte entre los jóvenes. — "Yesterday, I popularised the sport among young people."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy popularizado la receta en el país.
- Right: Estoy popularizando la receta en el país.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund popularizando for the progressive. The participle popularizado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he popularizado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros populariza la música del pueblo.
- Right: Nosotros popularizamos la música del pueblo.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes popularizamos, while populariza belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: popularizar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on popularizar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of popularizar in the present tense?
- (a) popularizas
- (b) populariza
- (c) popularizamos
- (d) popularizo
Answer: (d) popularizo. The yo form is popularizo.
2. What is the tú form of popularizar in the present tense?
- (a) populariza
- (b) popularizamos
- (c) popularizas
- (d) popularizo
Answer: (c) popularizas. The tú form is popularizas.
3. What is the él/ella form of popularizar in the present tense?
- (a) popularizamos
- (b) populariza
- (c) popularizo
- (d) popularizas
Answer: (b) populariza. The él/ella form is populariza.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ la música del pueblo.
- (a) popularizo
- (b) popularizas
- (c) populariza
- (d) popularizamos
Answer: (a) popularizo. The sentence needs the yo form popularizo.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ el deporte entre los jóvenes.
- (a) popularizaste
- (b) popularizó
- (c) popularizamos
- (d) popularicé
Answer: (d) popularicé. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is popularicé.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ la receta en el país.
- (a) popularizábamos
- (b) popularizabais
- (c) popularizaba
- (d) popularizabas
Answer: (c) popularizaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is popularizaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ el baile en la escuela.
- (a) popularizaremos
- (b) popularizaré
- (c) popularizarás
- (d) popularizará
Answer: (b) popularizaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is popularizaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la música del pueblo.
- (a) hemos popularizado
- (b) he popularizado
- (c) has popularizado
- (d) ha popularizado
Answer: (b) he popularizado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he popularizado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la receta en el país.
- (a) popularices
- (b) popularicemos
- (c) popularicéis
- (d) popularice
Answer: (d) popularice. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is popularice.
10. What does popularizar mean in English?
- (a) to value, to appreciate
- (b) to visualise
- (c) to build, to erect
- (d) to popularise
Answer: (d) to popularise. popularizar means "to popularise" in English.
Frequently asked questions about popularizar
What does popularizar mean?
popularizar means "to popularise" in English. Use it when you talk about the village music, the sport among young people, the recipe in the country and the dance at school — for example: Cada día, yo popularizo la música del pueblo. — "Every day, I popularise the village music."
Is there a reflexive form of popularizar?
No. popularizar is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo popularizo la música del pueblo. — "Every day, I popularise the village music."
What is the most common mistake with popularizar?
The spelling change. Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the yo preterite is popularicé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example popularice. 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 popularizar?
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.