Reforzar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of reforzar — "to reinforce" 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 reforzar 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. Reforzar means to strengthen something that already exists: a wall, a team, an idea, a security system. It is used for both physical reinforcement and for arguments and ideas. To see it in a real sentence: Yo refuerzo los cimientos de la casa — "I reinforce the foundations of the house".
Present tense conjugation table: reforzar
Every person of reforzar in the present tense. The gerund is reforzando and the past participle is reforzado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | refuerzo |
| tú | refuerzas |
| él/ella/Ud. | refuerza |
| nosotros/as | reforzamos |
| vosotros/as | reforzáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | refuerzan |
How the present of reforzar is formed
The present of reforzar is built from the stem reforz- 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 | refuerzo |
| tú | -as | refuerzas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | refuerza |
| nosotros/as | -amos | reforzamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | reforzáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | refuerzan |
The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: refuerzo, refuerzas, refuerza and refuerzan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: reforzamos, reforzáis. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is reforcé and the present subjunctive yo form is refuerce.
The gerund of reforzar is reforzando and the past participle is reforzado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of reforzar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and reforzar 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 describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, yo refuerzo los cimientos de la casa" — "Every day, I reinforce the foundations of the house"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo refuerza la seguridad del edificio" — "My friend reinforces the building's security"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo refuerzo el equipo con dos jugadores" — "Right now, I reinforce the team with two players"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros reforzamos la idea con ejemplos" — "Tomorrow, we reinforce the idea with examples"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos refuerzan el muro con hormigón" — "They reinforce the wall with concrete"
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}yo refuerzo los cimientos de la casa — "I reinforce the foundations of the house"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo reforcé los cimientos de la casa — "I reinforced the foundations of the house"
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: {}tú refuerzas la seguridad del edificio — "You reinforce the building's security"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú reforzabas la seguridad del edificio — "You used to reinforce the building's security"
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él refuerza el equipo con dos jugadores — "He reinforces the team with two players"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él reforzará el equipo con dos jugadores — "He will reinforce the team with two players"
Examples: reforzar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show reforzar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo refuerzo los cimientos de la casa — "I reinforce the foundations of the house"
- Tú refuerzas la seguridad del edificio — "You reinforce the building's security"
- Él refuerza el equipo con dos jugadores — "He reinforces the team with two players"
- Nosotros reforzamos la idea con ejemplos — "We reinforce the idea with examples"
- Vosotros reforzáis el muro con hormigón — "You reinforce the wall with concrete"
- Ellos refuerzan los cimientos de la casa — "They reinforce the foundations of the house"
- Yo refuerzo la seguridad del edificio — "I reinforce the building's security"
Common mistakes with reforzar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with reforzar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo reforzo los cimientos de la casa.
✓ Correct: Yo refuerzo los cimientos de la casa.
reforzar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is refuerzo, not reforzo.
✗ *Tú refuerza la seguridad del edificio.
✓ Correct: Tú refuerzas la seguridad del edificio.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes refuerzas, él takes refuerza.
✗ *Cada día, yo reforcé el equipo con dos jugadores
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo refuerzo el equipo con dos jugadores
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros reforzais la idea con ejemplos.
✓ Correct: Vosotros reforzáis la idea con ejemplos.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: reforzáis, not reforzais.
Quiz: reforzar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of reforzar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of reforzar for tú? A. reforzamos B. refuerzas C. refuerzo D. refuerza
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ los cimientos de la casa — "I reinforce the foundations of the house" (present) A. reforzamos B. refuerzo C. refuerzas D. refuerza
Complete the sentence: Él ______ la seguridad del edificio — "He reinforces the building's security" (present) A. refuerzas B. reforzamos C. refuerza D. refuerzo
Which is the correct present form of reforzar for nosotros? A. reforzamos B. refuerzas C. refuerza D. refuerzan
Which sentence uses reforzar correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo reforzaba el equipo con dos jugadores B. Mi amigo reforzamos el equipo con dos jugadores C. Mi amigo refuerza el equipo con dos jugadores D. Mi amigo refuerzas el equipo con dos jugadores
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ la idea con ejemplos — "You reinforce the idea with examples" (present) A. reforzáis B. refuerzo C. refuerzas D. refuerza
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el muro con hormigón — "They reinforce the wall with concrete" (present) A. refuerzas B. refuerza C. refuerzan D. refuerzo
What is the gerund of reforzar? A. reforzado B. refuerzo C. reforcé D. reforzando
Answer key
- refuerzas — The tú form in the present is refuerzas.
- refuerzo — The present form for yo is refuerzo.
- refuerza — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is refuerza.
- reforzamos — The nosotros form in the present is reforzamos.
- Mi amigo refuerza el equipo con dos jugadores — Mi amigo refuerza el equipo con dos jugadores is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- reforzáis — The present form for vosotros/as is reforzáis.
- refuerzan — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is refuerzan.
- reforzando — The gerund is reforzando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle reforzado.
Frequently asked questions
Is reforzar regular in the present tense?
No — in the present the stem changes: The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: refuerzo, refuerzas, refuerza and refuerzan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: reforzamos, reforzáis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem.
What is the gerund and the past participle of reforzar?
The gerund is reforzando and the past participle is reforzado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I reinforce" in the present tense?
Say refuerzo. For example: Yo refuerzo los cimientos de la casa — "I reinforce the foundations of the house".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of reforzar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo refuerzo los cimientos de la casa — "I reinforce the foundations of the house". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo reforcé los cimientos de la casa — "Yesterday, I reinforced the foundations of the house". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of reforzar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- reforzar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.