caracterizar

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• caraterizar (Portugal)

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin charactērizō, from Ancient Greek χαρακτηρίζω (kharaktērízō), from χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ka.ɾa.ki.te.ɾiˈza(ʁ)/ [ka.ɾa.ki.te.ɾiˈza(h)], /ka.ɾak.te.ɾiˈza(ʁ)/ [ka.ɾak.te.ɾiˈza(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ka.ɾa.ki.te.ɾiˈza(ʁ)/ [ka.ɾa.ki.te.ɾiˈza(h)], /ka.ɾak.te.ɾiˈza(ʁ)/ [ka.ɾak.te.ɾiˈza(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ka.ɾa.ki.te.ɾiˈza(ɾ)/, /ka.ɾak.te.ɾiˈza(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ka.ɾa.ki.te.ɾiˈza(ʁ)/ [ka.ɾa.ki.te.ɾiˈza(χ)], /ka.ɾak.te.ɾiˈza(ʁ)/ [ka.ɾak.te.ɾiˈza(χ)]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /ka.ɾa.ki.te.ɾiˈza(ɻ)/, /ka.ɾak.te.ɾiˈza(ɻ)/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ka.ɾak.te.ɾiˈza(ʁ)/ [ka.ɾak.te.ɾiˈza(h)], /ka.ɾa.ki.te.ɾiˈza(ʁ)/ [ka.ɾa.ki.te.ɾiˈza(h)]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐ.ɾɐ.ktɨ.ɾiˈzaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐ.ɾɐ.ktɨ.ɾiˈzaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐ.ɾɐ.ktɨ.ɾiˈza.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: ca‧rac‧te‧ri‧zar

Verb

caracterizar (first-person singular present caracterizo, first-person singular preterite caracterizei, past participle caracterizado) (Brazilian Portuguese spelling, European Portuguese spelling)

1. to characterize

Conjugation

    Conjugation of caracterizar (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	caracterizar
Personal	caracterizar	caracterizares	caracterizar	caracterizarmos	caracterizardes	caracterizarem
Gerund
	caracterizando
Past participle
Masculine	caracterizado			caracterizados
Feminine	caracterizada			caracterizadas
Indicative
Present	caracterizo	caracterizas	caracteriza	caracterizamos	caracterizais	caracterizam
Imperfect	caracterizava	caracterizavas	caracterizava	caracterizávamos	caracterizáveis	caracterizavam
Preterite	caracterizei	caracterizaste	caracterizou	caracterizamos1, caracterizámos2	caracterizastes	caracterizaram
Pluperfect	caracterizara	caracterizaras	caracterizara	caracterizáramos	caracterizáreis	caracterizaram
Future	caracterizarei	caracterizarás	caracterizará	caracterizaremos	caracterizareis	caracterizarão
Conditional	caracterizaria	caracterizarias	caracterizaria	caracterizaríamos	caracterizaríeis	caracterizariam
Subjunctive
Present	caracterize	caracterizes	caracterize	caracterizemos	caracterizeis	caracterizem
Imperfect	caracterizasse	caracterizasses	caracterizasse	caracterizássemos	caracterizásseis	caracterizassem
Future	caracterizar	caracterizares	caracterizar	caracterizarmos	caracterizardes	caracterizarem
Imperative
Affirmative		caracteriza	caracterize	caracterizemos	caracterizai	caracterizem
Negative (não)		não caracterizes	não caracterize	não caracterizemos	não caracterizeis	não caracterizem

¹Brazilian Portuguese.
²European Portuguese.

Derived terms

• caracterização
• caracterizado

Further reading

• “caracterizar”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “caracterizar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin charactērizō, from Ancient Greek χαρακτηρίζω (kharaktērízō), from χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaɾaɡteɾiˈθaɾ/ [ka.ɾaɣ̞.t̪e.ɾiˈθaɾ] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• IPA^(key): /kaɾaɡteɾiˈsaɾ/ [ka.ɾaɣ̞.t̪e.ɾiˈsaɾ] (Latin America, Philippines)

• Audio (Venezuela):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: ca‧rac‧te‧ri‧zar

Verb

caracterizar (first-person singular present caracterizo, first-person singular preterite caractericé, past participle caracterizado)

1. (transitive) to characterize

Conjugation

    Conjugation of caracterizar (c-z alternation) (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			caracterizar
gerund			caracterizando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		caracterizado		caracterizada
		plural		caracterizados		caracterizadas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	caracterizo	caracterizastú caracterizásvos	caracteriza	caracterizamos	caracterizáis	caracterizan
	imperfect	caracterizaba	caracterizabas	caracterizaba	caracterizábamos	caracterizabais	caracterizaban
	preterite	caractericé	caracterizaste	caracterizó	caracterizamos	caracterizasteis	caracterizaron
	future	caracterizaré	caracterizarás	caracterizará	caracterizaremos	caracterizaréis	caracterizarán
	conditional	caracterizaría	caracterizarías	caracterizaría	caracterizaríamos	caracterizaríais	caracterizarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	caracterice	caractericestú caractericésvos2	caracterice	caractericemos	caractericéis	caractericen
	imperfect (ra)	caracterizara	caracterizaras	caracterizara	caracterizáramos	caracterizarais	caracterizaran
	imperfect (se)	caracterizase	caracterizases	caracterizase	caracterizásemos	caracterizaseis	caracterizasen
	future1	caracterizare	caracterizares	caracterizare	caracterizáremos	caracterizareis	caracterizaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		caracterizatú caracterizávos	caracterice	caractericemos	caracterizad	caractericen
	negative		no caracterices	no caracterice	no caractericemos	no caractericéis	no caractericen

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of caracterizar (c-z alternation)

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive caracterizar	dative	caracterizarme	caracterizarte	caracterizarle, caracterizarse	caracterizarnos	caracterizaros	caracterizarles, caracterizarse
	accusative	caracterizarme	caracterizarte	caracterizarlo, caracterizarla, caracterizarse	caracterizarnos	caracterizaros	caracterizarlos, caracterizarlas, caracterizarse
with gerund caracterizando	dative	caracterizándome	caracterizándote	caracterizándole, caracterizándose	caracterizándonos	caracterizándoos	caracterizándoles, caracterizándose
	accusative	caracterizándome	caracterizándote	caracterizándolo, caracterizándola, caracterizándose	caracterizándonos	caracterizándoos	caracterizándolos, caracterizándolas, caracterizándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative caracteriza	dative	caracterízame	caracterízate	caracterízale	caracterízanos	not used	caracterízales
	accusative	caracterízame	caracterízate	caracterízalo, caracterízala	caracterízanos	not used	caracterízalos, caracterízalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative caracterizá	dative	caracterizame	caracterizate	caracterizale	caracterizanos	not used	caracterizales
	accusative	caracterizame	caracterizate	caracterizalo, caracterizala	caracterizanos	not used	caracterizalos, caracterizalas
with formal second-person singular imperative caracterice	dative	caracteríceme	not used	caracterícele, caracterícese	caracterícenos	not used	caracteríceles
	accusative	caracteríceme	not used	caracterícelo, caracterícela, caracterícese	caracterícenos	not used	caracterícelos, caracterícelas
with first-person plural imperative caractericemos	dative	not used	caractericémoste	caractericémosle	caractericémonos	caractericémoos	caractericémosles
	accusative	not used	caractericémoste	caractericémoslo, caractericémosla	caractericémonos	caractericémoos	caractericémoslos, caractericémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative caracterizad	dative	caracterizadme	not used	caracterizadle	caracterizadnos	caracterizaos	caracterizadles
	accusative	caracterizadme	not used	caracterizadlo, caracterizadla	caracterizadnos	caracterizaos	caracterizadlos, caracterizadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative caractericen	dative	caracterícenme	not used	caracterícenle	caracterícennos	not used	caracterícenles, caracterícense
	accusative	caracterícenme	not used	caracterícenlo, caracterícenla	caracterícennos	not used	caracterícenlos, caracterícenlas, caracterícense

Related terms

• característica
• característico
• caracterización
• caracterizador

Further reading

• “caracterizar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025