Privatizar Present Tense in Spanish
privatizar means "to privatise" 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 privatizar, 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 privatizo la empresa de electricidad. — "Every day, I privatise the electricity company." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of privatizar: full table
Every person of privatizar in the present tense. The gerund is privatizando and the past participle is privatizado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | privatizo |
| tú | privatizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | privatiza |
| nosotros/as | privatizamos |
| vosotros/as | privatizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | privatizan |
The gerund of privatizar is privatizando and the past participle is privatizado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy privatizando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he privatizado).
How the present tense of privatizar is formed
The present tense of privatizar is built from the stem privatiz- 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 privatizo, tú privatizas, él privatiza, nosotros privatizamos, vosotros privatizáis and ellos privatizan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | privatizo |
| tú | -as | privatizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | privatiza |
| nosotros/as | -amos | privatizamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | privatizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | privatizan |
Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the yo preterite is privaticé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example privatice.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is privatizando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy privatizando. The past participle is privatizado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he privatizado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with privatizar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo privatizo la empresa de electricidad. — "Every day, I privatise the electricity company." The complement in this sentence is about the electricity company, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear privatizar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú privatizas el hospital de la ciudad. — "Now, you privatise the city hospital." The complement in this sentence is about the city hospital, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear privatizar 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 privatiza el agua de la región. — "Normally, he/she privatises the region's water." The complement in this sentence is about the region's water, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear privatizar 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 privatizamos el transporte del pueblo. — "Tomorrow, we privatise the village transport." The complement in this sentence is about the village transport, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear privatizar 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 privatizan la empresa de electricidad. — "Always, they privatise the electricity company." The complement in this sentence is about the electricity company, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear privatizar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: privatizar
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 privatizar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo privatizo la empresa de electricidad. — "Every day, I privatise the electricity company."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo privaticé la empresa de electricidad. — "Yesterday, I privatised the electricity company."
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 privatizas el hospital de la ciudad. — "Every day, you privatise the city hospital."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú privatizaste el hospital de la ciudad. — "Yesterday, you privatised the city hospital."
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 privatiza el agua de la región. — "Every day, he/she privatises the region's water."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él privatizó el agua de la región. — "Yesterday, he/she privatised the region's water."
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: privatizar in the present tense
These eight sentences show privatizar 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 privatizo la empresa de electricidad. — "I privatise the electricity company."
- Tú privatizas el hospital de la ciudad. — "you privatise the city hospital."
- Él privatiza el agua de la región. — "he/she privatises the region's water."
- Nosotros privatizamos el transporte del pueblo. — "we privatise the village transport."
- Vosotros privatizáis la empresa de electricidad. — "you (plural) privatise the electricity company."
- Ellos privatizan el hospital de la ciudad. — "they privatise the city hospital."
- Yo privatizo el agua de la región. — "I privatise the region's water."
- Tú privatizas el transporte del pueblo. — "you privatise the village transport."
Common mistakes with privatizar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros privatizais la empresa de electricidad.
- Right: Vosotros privatizáis la empresa de electricidad.
- Why: The vosotros form privatizáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me privatizo la empresa de electricidad.
- Right: Yo privatizo la empresa de electricidad.
- Why: privatizar 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 privatizo el hospital de la ciudad.
- Right: Ayer, yo privaticé el hospital de la ciudad.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo privaticé el hospital de la ciudad. — "Yesterday, I privatised the city hospital." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo privatizo el agua de la región.
- Right: Antes, yo privatizaba el agua de la región.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo privatizaba el agua de la región. — "In the past, I used to privatise the region's water." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros privatiza la empresa de electricidad.
- Right: Nosotros privatizamos la empresa de electricidad.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes privatizamos, while privatiza belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of privatizar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of privatizar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of privatizar in the present tense?
- (a) privatiza
- (b) privatizamos
- (c) privatizo
- (d) privatizas
Answer: (c) privatizo. The yo form is privatizo. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of privatizar in the present tense?
- (a) privatizamos
- (b) privatizas
- (c) privatizo
- (d) privatiza
Answer: (b) privatizas. The tú form is privatizas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of privatizar in the present tense?
- (a) privatiza
- (b) privatizo
- (c) privatizas
- (d) privatizamos
Answer: (a) privatiza. The él/ella form is privatiza. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of privatizar in the present tense?
- (a) privatizo
- (b) privatizas
- (c) privatiza
- (d) privatizamos
Answer: (d) privatizamos. The nosotros form is privatizamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of privatizar in the present tense?
- (a) privatizas
- (b) privatiza
- (c) privatizan
- (d) privatizo
Answer: (c) privatizan. The ellos/ellas form is privatizan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ la empresa de electricidad.
- (a) privatizamos
- (b) privatizo
- (c) privatizas
- (d) privatiza
Answer: (b) privatizo. The sentence needs the yo form privatizo (Every day, I privatise the electricity company.)
7. What is the gerund of privatizar?
- (a) privatizar
- (b) privatizando
- (c) privatizado
- (d) privatizo
Answer: (b) privatizando. The gerund is privatizando, used for the progressive: estoy privatizando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, yo privatizo el hospital de la ciudad.
- (b) Antes, yo privatizaba el hospital de la ciudad.
- (c) Ayer, yo privaticé el hospital de la ciudad.
- (d) Mañana, yo privatizaré el hospital de la ciudad.
Answer: (a) Cada día, yo privatizo el hospital de la ciudad.. Cada día, yo privatizo el hospital de la ciudad. (Every day, I privatise the city hospital.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo privaticé el hospital de la ciudad. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo privatizaré el hospital de la ciudad. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of privatizar
Is privatizar regular in the present tense?
Almost. privatizar 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 privaticé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example privatice.
How do you say 'privatise' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo privatizo la empresa de electricidad. — "Every day, I privatise the electricity company." 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 privatizar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo privatizo el hospital de la ciudad. — "Every day, I privatise the city hospital." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo privaticé el hospital de la ciudad. — "Yesterday, I privatised the city hospital." 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 privatizar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros privatizamos el transporte del pueblo. — "Tomorrow, we privatise the village transport." 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.