autorizar
“autorizar” means “to authorize” in Spanish (giving official permission).
to authorize
Also: to permit, to approve
📝 In Action
El director tiene que autorizar tu viaje de estudios.
A2The director has to authorize your study trip.
El banco todavía no ha autorizado la transferencia de dinero.
B1The bank has not authorized the money transfer yet.
Mis padres me autorizaron a salir hasta medianoche.
B2My parents authorized me to stay out until midnight.
Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Indicative
Preterite
Imperfect
Present
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: autorizar
Question 1 of 3
How do you say 'I authorized' (past tense) in Spanish?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin word 'auctorizare', which stems from 'auctor' meaning 'creator' or 'author'. It essentially means to give someone the weight or backing of an author or authority.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'autorizar' only for official business?
No, while it sounds more formal than 'dejar' (to let), parents often use it with children or teachers with students in everyday Spanish.
Does it have an irregular stem like 'entender'?
No, the stem 'autoriz-' remains the same; the only changes are the standard spelling rule where 'z' becomes 'c' before 'e'.
What is the noun form of this verb?
The noun form is 'autorización' (authorization/permission).