Pertenecer
Pertenecer is a Spanish verb meaning to belong or pertain to something or someone. It is used to indicate ownership, association, or relevance, and it can describe membership in a group, a relationship to a place, or the applicability of a thing to a category or system. The verb can take the preposition a to mark the possessor or the entity to which belonging is attributed, as in este libro pertenece a mi hermano or esa norma pertenece a la ciencia.
Pertenecer is transitive and typically combined with a to-marked complement, as in pertenecer a alguien (to
Pertenecer is an irregular -ecer verb in the present tense and other forms. Key conjugations include:
- Present indicative: pertenezco, perteneces, pertenece, pertenecemos, pertenecéis, pertenecen.
- Preterite: pertenecí, perteneciste, perteneció, pertenecimos, pertenecisteis, pertenecieron.
- Imperfect: pertenecía, pertenecías, pertenecía, pertenecíamos, pertenecíais, pertenecían.
- Present subjunctive: pertenezca, pertenezcas, pertenezca, pertenezcamos, pertenezcáis, pertenezcan.
- Gerund: perteneciendo; past participle: pertenecido.
The verb derives from Latin pertinere, formed by per- (through, to) + tenere (to hold), by extension
Infinitive: pertenecer. Related phrases include pertenecer a, pertenecer a un grupo, and expressions using ser de/ser