A robust, tall sunflower plant that has grown large, standing in rich soil under a blue sky.

crecí

kreh-SEE

verbA1irregular (spelling change) er

I grew?physical or metaphorical growth,I grew up?childhood and upbringing

Also:I became bigger?physical growth,I increased?less common, referring to a number or quantity

Quick Reference

infinitivecrecer

gerundcreciendo

past Participlecrecido

📝 In Action

Yo crecí en una ciudad pequeña, pero me gusta la capital.

I grew up in a small city, but I like the capital.

Crecí mucho el año pasado, ahora soy más alto que mi hermano.

I grew a lot last year; now I am taller than my brother.

Cuando crecí, entendí la importancia de ahorrar dinero.

When I grew older, I understood the importance of saving money.

Word Connections

Synonyms

desarrollarse (to develop)
madurar (to mature)

Antonyms

decrecer (to decrease)

Common Collocations

crecer rápidamente – to grow quickly
crecer profesionalmente – to grow professionally

💡 Grammar Points

Tense Identification

This is the simple past tense (preterite). It describes an action that started and finished completely in the past, like 'I grew up' or 'I finished growing'.

The 'Yo' Form Exception

The base verb is 'crecer.' Notice that the 'I' form in the present tense is 'crezco' (I grow), but in the simple past, it is 'crecí,' following the regular pattern for 'er' verbs.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Simple Past vs. Ongoing Past

Mistake: "Usar 'crecía' cuando se habla de un evento único."

Correction: Use 'crecí' (simple past) for a specific, completed event like 'I grew up in X town.' Use 'crecía' (imperfect) only to describe a past state or habit, like 'I was growing tall.'

⭐ Usage Tips

Talking about Childhood

Whenever you talk about where you were raised or the environment of your youth, 'crecí' is the correct verb form to use.

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedcrece

yocrezco

túcreces

ellos/ellas/ustedescrecen

nosotroscrecemos

vosotroscrecéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedcrecía

yocrecía

túcrecías

ellos/ellas/ustedescrecían

nosotroscrecíamos

vosotroscrecíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedcreció

yocrecí

túcreciste

ellos/ellas/ustedescrecieron

nosotroscrecimos

vosotroscrecisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedcrezca

yocrezca

túcrezcas

ellos/ellas/ustedescrezcan

nosotroscrezcamos

vosotroscrezcáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedcreciera/creciese

yocreciera/creciese

túcrecieras/crecieses

ellos/ellas/ustedescrecieran/creciesen

nosotroscreciéramos/creciésemos

vosotroscrecierais/crecieseis

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: crecí

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'crecí' to talk about a finished action in the past?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

crecer(to grow) - verb

crecimiento(growth) - noun

crecido(grown / tall) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'crecí' and 'crecía'?

'Crecí' (simple past) describes a singular, completed action, usually 'I grew up' or 'I got taller at that moment.' 'Crecía' (imperfect past) describes an ongoing process or a state in the past, like 'I was growing' or 'I used to grow.'

Is 'crecí' pronounced with a hard 'c' sound?

No. In Spanish, 'c' followed by an 'e' or 'i' makes an 's' sound (or a 'th' sound in parts of Spain). So, 'crecí' sounds like 'kreh-SEE'.