Realizar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of realizar — "to carry out, to realise" in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for realizar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Realizar means to carry out or to realise, and it covers carrying out a project, carrying out a survey, making a payment and realising a childhood dream. It is a more formal synonym of hacer, and it is a spelling-change verb: the z becomes c before e. To see it in a real sentence: Él realiza un sueño de la infancia. — "He/she carries out a childhood dream." Work through the table below, then the formation notes, the usage rules and the contrast with the preterite, and test yourself at the end.
Present tense conjugation table: realizar
Every person of realizar in the present tense. The gerund is realizando and the past participle is realizado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | realizo |
| tú | realizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | realiza |
| nosotros/as | realizamos |
| vosotros/as | realizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | realizan |
How the present indicative of realizar is formed
The present indicative of realizar is built from the stem realiz- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | realizo |
| tú | -as | realizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | realiza |
| nosotros/as | -amos | realizamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | realizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | realizan |
realizar is a spelling-change verb: z becomes c before e. That is why the written form changes in some persons — the sound stays the same, and only the spelling adapts. In this tense, watch the first-person form realizo in particular.
The gerund of realizar is realizando and the past participle is realizado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of realizar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and realizar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Habits and routines
The present tense describes things you do regularly. If you do it every day, every week or every morning, the present is the tense to use. For realizar, this use looks like this: "Yo realizo un sueño de la infancia." — "I carry out a childhood dream." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.
General facts
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. It is the tense for definitions and permanent situations. For realizar, this use looks like this: "Él realiza el proyecto en tres meses." — "He/she carries out the project in three months." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.
What is happening now
The present tense also covers what is happening at this moment, especially with verbs that describe an action in progress. For realizar, this use looks like this: "Nosotros realizamos una encuesta entre los alumnos." — "We carry out a survey among the students." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.
Timetables and schedules
The present tense is used for fixed plans and timetables, such as trains, classes and opening times, even when they refer to the future. For realizar, this use looks like this: "Ellos realizan el pago por internet." — "They carry out the payment online." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.
Instructions and requests
The present tense appears in instructions and polite requests, where it sounds softer than a direct command. For realizar, this use looks like this: "Tú realizas un sueño de la infancia." — "You carry out a childhood dream." Notice how the present form carries the time meaning on its own, without any extra word for the tense.
The present tense vs the preterite
Learners often mix up the present and the preterite with realizar. The rule is simple: the present is for habits, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite is for one finished action in the past. The three pairs below show the same idea in both tenses, so you can feel the difference.
Pair 1: present vs preterite
- Present: "Yo realizo un sueño de la infancia." — "I carry out a childhood dream."
- Preterite: "Yo realicé un sueño de la infancia." — "I carried out a childhood dream." The first sentence uses the present because it describes a habit or a present fact; the second uses the preterite because it describes a finished action. The verb is the same — only the tense changes the meaning.
Pair 2: present vs preterite
- Present: "Él realiza el proyecto en tres meses." — "He/she carries out the project in three months."
- Preterite: "Él realizó el proyecto en tres meses." — "He/she carried out the project in three months." The first sentence uses the present because it describes a habit or a present fact; the second uses the preterite because it describes a finished action. The verb is the same — only the tense changes the meaning.
Pair 3: present vs preterite
- Present: "Nosotros realizamos una encuesta entre los alumnos." — "We carry out a survey among the students."
- Preterite: "Nosotros realizamos una encuesta entre los alumnos." — "We carried out a survey among the students." The first sentence uses the present because it describes a habit or a present fact; the second uses the preterite because it describes a finished action. The verb is the same — only the tense changes the meaning.
Example sentences in the present tense
Eight natural sentences with realizar in the present tense only. Each one uses a form from the table above.
- Yo realizo un sueño de la infancia. — I carry out a childhood dream.
- Tú realizas el proyecto en tres meses. — You carry out the project in three months.
- Él realiza una encuesta entre los alumnos. — He/she carries out a survey among the students.
- Nosotros realizamos el pago por internet. — We carry out the payment online.
- Vosotros realizáis un sueño de la infancia. — You all carry out a childhood dream.
- Ellos realizan el proyecto en tres meses. — They carry out the project in three months.
- Yo realizo una encuesta entre los alumnos. — I carry out a survey among the students.
- Él realiza el pago por internet. — He/she carries out the payment online.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Vosotros realizais el proyecto en tres meses. — Right: Vosotros realizáis el proyecto en tres meses. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: realizáis, not realizais.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo realizo una encuesta entre los alumnos. — Right: Ayer, yo realicé una encuesta entre los alumnos. — Ayer means yesterday, so it needs the preterite (realicé), not the present (realizo). The present is for now, not for yesterday.
- Wrong: Yo realiza un sueño de la infancia. — Right: Yo realizo un sueño de la infancia. — The person matters: realiza is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is realizo.
- Wrong: Yo soy realizado el proyecto en tres meses. — Right: Yo he realizado el proyecto en tres meses. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he realizado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Eight questions on the present tense of realizar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ un sueño de la infancia. (present tense) A. realizo B. realizas C. realiza D. realizamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el proyecto en tres meses. (present tense) A. realizas B. realizo C. realiza D. realizamos
Complete the sentence: Él ___ una encuesta entre los alumnos. (present tense) A. realiza B. realizo C. realizas D. realizamos
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el pago por internet. (present tense) A. realizamos B. realizo C. realizas D. realiza
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ___ un sueño de la infancia. (present tense) A. realizáis B. realizo C. realizas D. realiza
Complete the sentence: Ellos ___ el proyecto en tres meses. (present tense) A. realizan B. realizo C. realizas D. realiza
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una encuesta entre los alumnos. (present tense) A. realizo B. realizas C. realiza D. realizamos
Complete the sentence: Él ___ el pago por internet. (present tense) A. realiza B. realizo C. realizas D. realizamos
Answer key
- realizo — The yo present form of realizar is realizo. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
- realizas — The tu present form of realizar is realizas. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
- realiza — The el present form of realizar is realiza. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
- realizamos — The nosotros present form of realizar is realizamos. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
- realizáis — The vosotros present form of realizar is realizáis. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
- realizan — The ellos present form of realizar is realizan. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
- realizo — The yo present form of realizar is realizo. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
- realiza — The el present form of realizar is realiza. The other options are the other persons of the same tense.
Frequently asked questions
When do I use the present tense of realizar?
Use the present tense of realizar for habits, facts and what is happening now. For example: Yo realizo un sueño de la infancia. — "I carry out a childhood dream." The usage rules above give five situations with examples.
How is the present tense of realizar formed?
Take the stem realiz- and add the present endings for -ar verbs. The full table is at the top of this page. Remember the spelling change: z becomes c before e.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of realizar?
The present describes a habit or a present fact, while the preterite describes a finished action. Compare Yo realizo el proyecto en tres meses. with Yo realicé el proyecto en tres meses. — the verb is the same, but the time meaning changes.
How do I practise the present tense of realizar?
Drill the six forms in the table above until you can say them without looking, then use the realizar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and test yourself with the Realizar conjugation page for the full picture across all tenses.
Related links
- Realizar conjugation — the full conjugation of realizar in every tense.
- Realizar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for realizar.
- Spanish Present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Spanish.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense on any verb.