crear
“crear” means “to create” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
to create, to make
Also: to invent, to design
📝 In Action
Ella quiere crear un vestido nuevo para la fiesta.
A1She wants to create a new dress for the party.
El artista pasó meses creando esa escultura.
A2The artist spent months creating that sculpture.
Necesitamos crear una contraseña segura.
A2We need to create a secure password.
to establish, to set up
Also: to found
📝 In Action
El presidente quiere crear un nuevo ministerio de educación.
B1The president wants to establish a new ministry of education.
Ellos crearon la empresa hace diez años.
B2They founded the company ten years ago.
to cause, to generate
Also: to provoke
📝 In Action
Su actitud creó mucha tensión en el grupo.
B2His attitude caused a lot of tension in the group.
La crisis ha creado una necesidad de cambio urgente.
C1The crisis has generated an urgent need for change.
🔄 Conjugations
subjunctive
imperfect
present
indicative
preterite
imperfect
present
🔀 Commonly Confused With
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: crear
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'crear' in the sense of 'to cause/generate' (B2 level)?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin verb *creare*, meaning 'to produce, beget, bring forth,' especially in the context of divine or natural generation. It has maintained this core meaning of bringing something into existence.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre 'crear' y 'hacer'?
Both mean 'to make,' but 'hacer' is generally used for simple actions or physical tasks (hacer la cena, hacer ejercicio). 'Crear' is reserved for things that require imagination, originality, or significant effort to bring into existence (crear una empresa, crear una obra de arte).
Does 'crear' ever require the subjunctive mood?
Usually, no. Because 'crear' expresses a fact or intent, it typically uses the normal verb form (indicative). However, if you use 'crear' in a negative statement expressing doubt ('No creo que sea verdad' - I don't believe it is true), the verb in the second part of the sentence will change to the special form (subjunctive).