Crecer Conjugation | How to Conjugate Crecer in Spanish

Crecer means “to grow” or “to increase.” You will learn the zc spelling in crezco and crezca, the otherwise regular -ER tense families, and how the verb describes physical growth and increases in size, amount, or importance.

Crecer conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Irregular. Linguistically, crecer is mostly a regular -ER verb with a zc alternation in the yo present and the entire present-subjunctive family: crezco — “I grow” — and crezca — “that I / he / she grow.” Gerund creciendo — “growing” — and participle crecido — “grown” — are regular.

Crecer gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — in compound forms. With haber, the participle remains unchanged for gender and number.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	crecer	to grow, to increase
Gerund	creciendo	growing
Past participle	crecido	grown

Crecer meaning and essential uses

Crecer — “to grow” — is commonly intransitive: Los niños crecen rápido. — “Children grow quickly.”

It also describes increases in things such as populations, businesses, rivers, or amounts: La empresa crece cada año. — “The company grows every year.”

Crecer irregular conjugation patterns

The distinctive form is crezco — “I grow,” with z inserted before c in the yo present. That zc spelling carries through all present-subjunctive forms: crezca, crezcas, crezcamos, crezcáis, crezcan — contextual guides such as “that I grow,” “that you grow,” and “that they grow.” Preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, gerund creciendo — “growing,” and participle crecido — “grown” — otherwise follow regular -ER morphology.

Crecer indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Crecer present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for present actions, habits, facts, and current states. Apply the verb-specific pattern described above to the present endings.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	crezco	I grow
Tú — you, singular informal	creces	you grow
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	crece	he / she grows; you grow (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	crecemos	we grow
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	crecéis	you grow (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	crecen	they grow; you grow (plural)

• La planta crece cerca de la ventana. — The plant grows near the window.

Crecer preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. The table shows the verified preterite forms for this verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	crecí	I grew
Tú — you, singular informal	creciste	you grew
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	creció	he / she grew; you grew (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	crecimos	we grew
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	crecisteis	you grew (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	crecieron	they grew; you grew (plural)

• La ciudad creció mucho en diez años. — The city grew a lot in ten years.

Crecer imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for past habits, background descriptions, and situations viewed as ongoing. This verb uses the regular imperfect ending family.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	crecía	I used to grow / was growing
Tú — you, singular informal	crecías	you used to grow / were growing
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	crecía	he / she used to grow / was growing; you used to grow / were growing (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	crecíamos	we used to grow / were growing
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	crecíais	you used to grow / were growing (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	crecían	they used to grow / were growing; you used to grow / were growing (plural)

• El negocio crecía lentamente. — The business was growing slowly.

Crecer present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with a present form of estar — “to be” — plus the verified gerund.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy creciendo	I am growing
Tú — you, singular informal	estás creciendo	you are growing
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está creciendo	he / she is growing; you are growing (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos creciendo	we are growing
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis creciendo	you are growing (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están creciendo	they are growing; you are growing (plural)

• La demanda está creciendo este mes. — Demand is growing this month.

Crecer near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses a plan, intention, or expected event. Form it with a present form of ir — “to go” — plus a — “to” — and the infinitive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a crecer	I am going to grow
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a crecer	you are going to grow
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a crecer	he / she is going to grow; you are going to grow (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a crecer	we are going to grow
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a crecer	you are going to grow (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a crecer	they are going to grow; you are going to grow (plural)

• La empresa va a crecer el próximo año. — The company is going to grow next year.

Crecer future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, where context supports it, probability. The endings attach to the full infinitive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	creceré	I will grow
Tú — you, singular informal	crecerás	you will grow
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	crecerá	he / she will grow; you will grow (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	creceremos	we will grow
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	creceréis	you will grow (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	crecerán	they will grow; you will grow (plural)

• La población crecerá durante la próxima década. — The population will grow during the next decade.

Crecer conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical results, softened statements, or other conditional meanings supported by context. The endings attach to the full infinitive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	crecería	I would grow
Tú — you, singular informal	crecerías	you would grow
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	crecería	he / she would grow; you would grow (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	creceríamos	we would grow
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	creceríais	you would grow (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	crecerían	they would grow; you would grow (plural)

• El negocio crecería más con otra inversión. — The business would grow more with another investment.

Crecer present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Form it with present haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the past participle. The participle is crecido — “grown.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he crecido	I have grown
Tú — you, singular informal	has crecido	you have grown
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha crecido	he / she has grown; you have grown (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos crecido	we have grown
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis crecido	you have grown (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han crecido	they have grown; you have grown (plural)

• La empresa ha crecido rápidamente. — The company has grown rapidly.

Crecer past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. The participle is crecido — “grown.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había crecido	I had grown
Tú — you, singular informal	habías crecido	you had grown
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había crecido	he / she had grown; you had grown (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos crecido	we had grown
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais crecido	you had grown (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían crecido	they had grown; you had grown (plural)

• La ciudad había crecido antes de la crisis. — The city had grown before the crisis.

Crecer future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. The participle is crecido — “grown.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré crecido	I will have grown
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás crecido	you will have grown
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá crecido	he / she will have grown; you will have grown (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos crecido	we will have grown
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis crecido	you will have grown (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán crecido	they will have grown; you will have grown (plural)

• Para entonces la planta habrá crecido bastante. — By then the plant will have grown quite a lot.

Crecer conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. The participle is crecido — “grown.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría crecido	I would have grown
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías crecido	you would have grown
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría crecido	he / she would have grown; you would have grown (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos crecido	we would have grown
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais crecido	you would have grown (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían crecido	they would have grown; you would have grown (plural)

• Con más espacio habría crecido más. — With more space it would have grown more.

Crecer subjunctive conjugations

Crecer present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate contexts involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. The table shows this verb’s verified present-subjunctive family.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	crezca	that I grow
Tú — you, singular informal	crezcas	that you grow
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	crezca	that he / she grow; that you grow (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	crezcamos	that we grow
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	crezcáis	that you grow (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	crezcan	that they grow; that you grow (plural)

• Espero que la planta crezca bien. — I hope the plant grows well.

Crecer imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated in the examples; the two series should not be treated as mechanically interchangeable in every special construction.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	creciera	that I grew
Tú — you, singular informal	crecieras	that you grew
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	creciera	that he / she grew; that you grew (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	creciéramos	that we grew
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	crecierais	that you grew (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	crecieran	that they grew; that you grew (plural)

• Querían que el negocio creciera más rápido. — They wanted the business to grow faster.
• Prefería que crecieses en un entorno tranquilo. — She preferred that you grow up in a calm environment.

Crecer future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts and is included here as a reference system.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	creciere	if / when I should grow
Tú — you, singular informal	crecieres	if / when you should grow
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	creciere	if / when he / she should grow; if / when you should grow (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	creciéremos	if / when we should grow
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	creciereis	if / when you should grow (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	crecieren	if / when they should grow; if / when you should grow (plural)

• Quien creciere por encima del límite deberá declararlo. — Whoever should grow above the limit must report it.

Crecer present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the corresponding subjunctive form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus crecido — “grown.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya crecido	that I have grown
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas crecido	that you have grown
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya crecido	that he / she has grown; that you have grown (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos crecido	that we have grown
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis crecido	that you have grown (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan crecido	that they have grown; that you have grown (plural)

• Me alegra que la empresa haya crecido. — I am glad that the company has grown.

Crecer past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and appears in an example below. Form it with the corresponding subjunctive form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus crecido — “grown.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera crecido	that I had grown
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras crecido	that you had grown
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera crecido	that he / she had grown; that you had grown (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos crecido	that we had grown
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais crecido	that you had grown (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran crecido	that they had grown; that you had grown (plural)

• Si hubiera crecido más, necesitaría otra maceta. — If it had grown more, it would need another pot.
• Si hubieses crecido allí, conocerías bien la zona. — If you had grown up there, you would know the area well.

Crecer future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It is a reference form used mainly in formal, legal, literary, or historical contexts. Form it with the corresponding subjunctive form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus crecido — “grown.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere crecido	if / when I should have grown
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres crecido	if / when you should have grown
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere crecido	if / when he / she should have grown; if / when you should have grown (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos crecido	if / when we should have grown
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis crecido	if / when you should have grown (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren crecido	if / when they should have grown; if / when you should have grown (plural)

• Si hubiere crecido por encima del umbral, deberá revisarse. — If it should have grown above the threshold, it must be reviewed.

Crecer imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. Spanish uses different morphological sources depending on person and polarity; the nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Crecer affirmative commands

Use affirmative commands when a direct instruction with this verb is semantically natural. The table includes the five core addressee or exhortative rows.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	crece	grow
Usted — you, singular formal	crezca	grow (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	crezcamos	let’s grow
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	creced	grow (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	crezcan	grow (plural)

• Crece a tu propio ritmo. — Grow at your own pace.

Crecer negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms. The particle no — “not / do not” — comes before the command form.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no crezcas	do not grow
Usted — you, singular formal	no crezca	do not grow (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no crezcamos	let’s not grow
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no crezcáis	do not grow (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no crezcan	do not grow (plural)

• No crezcas demasiado rápido. — Do not grow too quickly.

Common constructions with Crecer

These target-verb patterns show complements or sentence frames that materially affect how the conjugated verb is used.

• Crecer rápido. — To grow quickly.
• Crecer un diez por ciento. — To grow by ten percent.
• Crecer con el tiempo. — To grow over time.

Example sentences with Crecer

These examples reinforce the target verb across useful forms and contexts already explained in the lesson.

• Los niños crecen muy rápido. — Children grow very quickly.
• La empresa creció el año pasado. — The company grew last year.
• La demanda estaba creciendo. — Demand was growing.
• Esperamos que el mercado crezca este año. — We hope the market grows this year.
• La población ha crecido mucho. — The population has grown a lot.
• Crece con paciencia y constancia. — Grow with patience and consistency.

Regional and usage notes for Crecer

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes for project comparability. Where voseo is common, present-indicative and affirmative-command forms may differ from the core tú forms; the examples below show the verified voseo forms without replacing the main paradigm.

• Vos crecés muy rápido. — You grow very quickly. (voseo)
• Crecé a tu propio ritmo. — Grow at your own pace. (affirmative vos command)

With crecer, most of the paradigm is predictable once you isolate the zc family: crezco in the yo present and crezc- throughout the present subjunctive and its related commands.