Valorizar Present Tense in Spanish
valorizar means "to value, to appreciate" 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 valorizar, 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 valorizo el trabajo de los maestros. — "Every day, I value the teachers' work." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of valorizar: full table
Every person of valorizar in the present tense. The gerund is valorizando and the past participle is valorizado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | valorizo |
| tú | valorizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | valoriza |
| nosotros/as | valorizamos |
| vosotros/as | valorizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | valorizan |
The gerund of valorizar is valorizando and the past participle is valorizado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy valorizando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he valorizado).
How the present tense of valorizar is formed
The present tense of valorizar is built from the stem valoriz- 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 valorizo, tú valorizas, él valoriza, nosotros valorizamos, vosotros valorizáis and ellos valorizan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | valorizo |
| tú | -as | valorizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | valoriza |
| nosotros/as | -amos | valorizamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | valorizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | valorizan |
Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the yo preterite is valoricé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example valorice.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is valorizando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy valorizando. The past participle is valorizado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he valorizado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with valorizar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo valorizo el trabajo de los maestros. — "Every day, I value the teachers' work." The complement in this sentence is about the teachers' work, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear valorizar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú valorizas la cultura del pueblo. — "Now, you value the village culture." The complement in this sentence is about the village culture, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear valorizar 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 valoriza el arte de la región. — "Normally, he/she values the region's art." The complement in this sentence is about the region's art, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear valorizar 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 valorizamos el esfuerzo de sus alumnos. — "Tomorrow, we value his pupils' effort." The complement in this sentence is about his pupils' effort, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear valorizar 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 valorizan el trabajo de los maestros. — "Always, they value the teachers' work." The complement in this sentence is about the teachers' work, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear valorizar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: valorizar
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 valorizar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo valorizo el trabajo de los maestros. — "Every day, I value the teachers' work."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo valoricé el trabajo de los maestros. — "Yesterday, I valued the teachers' work."
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 valorizas la cultura del pueblo. — "Every day, you value the village culture."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú valorizaste la cultura del pueblo. — "Yesterday, you valued the village culture."
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 valoriza el arte de la región. — "Every day, he/she values the region's art."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él valorizó el arte de la región. — "Yesterday, he/she valued the region's art."
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: valorizar in the present tense
These eight sentences show valorizar 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 valorizo el trabajo de los maestros. — "I value the teachers' work."
- Tú valorizas la cultura del pueblo. — "you value the village culture."
- Él valoriza el arte de la región. — "he/she values the region's art."
- Nosotros valorizamos el esfuerzo de sus alumnos. — "we value his pupils' effort."
- Vosotros valorizáis el trabajo de los maestros. — "you (plural) value the teachers' work."
- Ellos valorizan la cultura del pueblo. — "they value the village culture."
- Yo valorizo el arte de la región. — "I value the region's art."
- Tú valorizas el esfuerzo de sus alumnos. — "you value his pupils' effort."
Common mistakes with valorizar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros valorizais el trabajo de los maestros.
- Right: Vosotros valorizáis el trabajo de los maestros.
- Why: The vosotros form valorizáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me valorizo el trabajo de los maestros.
- Right: Yo valorizo el trabajo de los maestros.
- Why: valorizar 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 valorizo la cultura del pueblo.
- Right: Ayer, yo valoricé la cultura del pueblo.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo valoricé la cultura del pueblo. — "Yesterday, I valued the village culture." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo valorizo el arte de la región.
- Right: Antes, yo valorizaba el arte de la región.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo valorizaba el arte de la región. — "In the past, I used to value the region's art." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros valoriza el trabajo de los maestros.
- Right: Nosotros valorizamos el trabajo de los maestros.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes valorizamos, while valoriza belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of valorizar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of valorizar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of valorizar in the present tense?
- (a) valorizo
- (b) valorizas
- (c) valoriza
- (d) valorizamos
Answer: (a) valorizo. The yo form is valorizo. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of valorizar in the present tense?
- (a) valorizo
- (b) valoriza
- (c) valorizamos
- (d) valorizas
Answer: (d) valorizas. The tú form is valorizas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of valorizar in the present tense?
- (a) valorizas
- (b) valorizamos
- (c) valoriza
- (d) valorizo
Answer: (c) valoriza. The él/ella form is valoriza. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of valorizar in the present tense?
- (a) valoriza
- (b) valorizamos
- (c) valorizo
- (d) valorizas
Answer: (b) valorizamos. The nosotros form is valorizamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of valorizar in the present tense?
- (a) valorizan
- (b) valorizo
- (c) valorizas
- (d) valoriza
Answer: (a) valorizan. The ellos/ellas form is valorizan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ el trabajo de los maestros.
- (a) valorizas
- (b) valoriza
- (c) valorizamos
- (d) valorizo
Answer: (d) valorizo. The sentence needs the yo form valorizo (Every day, I value the teachers' work.)
7. What is the gerund of valorizar?
- (a) valorizado
- (b) valorizo
- (c) valorizar
- (d) valorizando
Answer: (d) valorizando. The gerund is valorizando, used for the progressive: estoy valorizando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Ayer, yo valoricé la cultura del pueblo.
- (b) Mañana, yo valorizaré la cultura del pueblo.
- (c) Cada día, yo valorizo la cultura del pueblo.
- (d) Antes, yo valorizaba la cultura del pueblo.
Answer: (c) Cada día, yo valorizo la cultura del pueblo.. Cada día, yo valorizo la cultura del pueblo. (Every day, I value the village culture.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo valoricé la cultura del pueblo. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo valorizaré la cultura del pueblo. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of valorizar
Is valorizar regular in the present tense?
Almost. valorizar 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 valoricé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example valorice.
How do you say 'value' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo valorizo el trabajo de los maestros. — "Every day, I value the teachers' work." 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 valorizar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo valorizo la cultura del pueblo. — "Every day, I value the village culture." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo valoricé la cultura del pueblo. — "Yesterday, I valued the village culture." 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 valorizar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros valorizamos el esfuerzo de sus alumnos. — "Tomorrow, we value his pupils' effort." 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.