fortalecer

Fortalecer is a Spanish verb meaning to make something stronger, more robust, or more effective. It is used to increase physical strength, health, abilities, or the resilience of institutions, policies, and relationships. The act can refer to muscles, teams, economies, or communities, indicating a deliberate process of growth or reinforcement.

Etymology: Fortalecer derives from fuerte, meaning strong, combined with the suffix -alecer to form a transitive verb meaning to make strong. The related noun is fortalecimiento, referring to the process or result of strengthening. The word is common in both technical and everyday language.

Conjugation overview: Fortalecer is an -er verb with a characteristic spelling change in the first-person present tense. Present indicative: fortalezco, fortaleces, fortalece, fortalecemos, fortalecen. Preterite: fortalecí, fortaleciste, fortaleció, fortalecimos, fortalecieron. Imperfect: fortalecía, fortalecías, fortalecía, fortalecíamos, fortalecían. Future: fortaleceré, fortalecerás, fortalecerá, fortaleceremos, fortalecerán. Present participle: fortaleciendo. Past participle: fortalecido. The yo form fortalezco is a hallmark of this group of verbs, while the rest follows the regular -er conjugation patterns.

Usage examples: En el deporte, entrenar regularmente fortalece la musculatura. Las autoridades buscan fortalecer la seguridad y la economía; fortalecer vínculos entre comunidades es un objetivo social. En medicina, fortalecer el sistema inmunitario puede mejorar la respuesta ante infecciones.

See also: fortalecer is closely related to refuerza, reforzar, robustecer, y fortalecimiento.