carecer Present Conjugation
carecer — to lack
The present of carecer is irregular in the 'yo' form (carezco), but regular elsewhere.
carecer Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to state facts about what someone or something lacks right now, such as a lack of resources, experience, or specific qualities.
Notes on carecer in the Present
Carecer follows the pattern of verbs ending in -ecer; it adds a 'z' before the 'c' in the first-person singular (yo carezco).
Example Sentences
Yo carezco de la experiencia necesaria para el puesto.
I lack the necessary experience for the position.
yo
Muchos pueblos todavía carecen de agua potable.
Many towns still lack drinking water.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Su argumento carece de sentido lógico.
His argument lacks logical sense.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'careco' for the yo form.
Correct: The correct form is 'carezco'.
Why: Verbs ending in -ecer require the z-c spelling change to maintain the soft 'th' or 's' sound before the 'o'.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: carecí
Imperfect
yo: carecía
The imperfect of carecer is regular: carecía, carecías, carecía, carecíamos, carecíais, carecían.
Future
yo: careceré
The future of carecer is regular: careceré, carecerás, carecerá, careceremos, careceréis, carecerán.
Conditional
yo: carecería
The conditional of carecer is regular: carecería, carecerías, carecería, careceríamos, careceríais, carecerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: carezca
The present subjunctive of carecer uses the 'carezc-' stem for all forms: carezca, carezcas, carezca, etc.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: careciera
The imperfect subjunctive of carecer uses the 'carecie-' stem: careciera, carecieras, careciera, etc.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: carece
The imperative of carecer uses 'carece' (tú) and 'carezca' (usted/ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no carezcas
The negative imperative of carecer always uses the 'carezc-' stem: no carezcas, no carezca, etc.