How to Say "to found" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to found” is “establecer” — use this to establish or set up companies, institutions, or laws.
establecer
es-ta-ble-SÉRest̪aβleˈseɾ
Examples
El gobierno quiere establecer nuevas leyes de tráfico.
The government wants to establish new traffic laws.
Decidieron establecer una sucursal en Madrid el año pasado.
They decided to set up a branch office in Madrid last year.
The 'ZC' Change
This verb is slightly irregular. When the 'yo' form of the present tense and all forms of the present subjunctive are used, the 'c' changes to 'zc' (e.g., establezco, establezca). This is a very common pattern for verbs ending in -ecer.
Forgetting the 'ZC'
Mistake: “Yo estableco”
Correction: Yo establezco. Remember that 'zc' is needed to keep the pronunciation consistent before the 'o' or 'a'.
fundar
foon-DAHRfunˈdaɾ
Examples
Ellos decidieron fundar una nueva empresa tecnológica.
They decided to found a new technology company.
Pedro de Valdivia fundó la ciudad de Santiago en 1541.
Pedro de Valdivia founded the city of Santiago in 1541.
Mi abuelo fundó este club deportivo para los niños del barrio.
My grandfather established this sports club for the neighborhood kids.
A Regular Hero
Good news! Fundar is a regular -ar verb, meaning it follows the exact same pattern as 'hablar' or 'cantar' in all tenses.
Action vs. Result
While 'fundar' is the act of starting something, the result is a 'fundación' (foundation). Use 'fundar' when focusing on the person who started the project.
Don't Melt Your Business
Mistake: “Yo fundo el metal para crear una empresa.”
Correction: Yo fundé la empresa el año pasado. (Don't confuse 'fundar' (to found) with 'fundir' (to melt/fuse); they look similar in some forms!)
crear
kray-ARkɾeˈaɾ
Examples
El presidente quiere crear un nuevo ministerio de educación.
The president wants to establish a new ministry of education.
Ellos crearon la empresa hace diez años.
They founded the company ten years ago.
basar
bah-SAHRbaˈsaɾ
Examples
Tienes que basar tus argumentos en hechos reales.
You have to base your arguments on real facts.
El arquitecto decidió basar el diseño en la luz natural.
The architect decided to base the design on natural light.
No puedes basar una relación únicamente en la apariencia.
You cannot base a relationship solely on appearance.
The 'EN' Rule
In Spanish, you almost always follow 'basar' with the word 'en' to say what you are basing something on.
Active vs. Passive
Use 'basar' when you are the one doing the basing, but use 'basarse' when you want to say something 'is based on' something else.
Wrong Preposition
Mistake: “Basar sobre hechos.”
Correction: Basar en hechos. Even though 'sobre' means 'on', Spanish logic uses 'en' (in) for foundations.
erigir
eh-ree-HEEReɾiˈxiɾ
Examples
El congreso busca erigir un nuevo sistema de justicia.
Congress seeks to establish a new justice system.
La región se erigió en estado independiente.
The region established itself as an independent state.
Querían erigir una academia de ciencias.
They wanted to found an academy of sciences.
Using 'en' with erigir
When someone sets themselves up as something (like a judge or leader), we use the reflexive form 'erigirse' followed by 'en': 'Él se erigió en juez' (He set himself up as a judge).
Fundar vs. Establecer
Related Translations
Learn Spanish with Inklingo
Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.