alargar Preterite Conjugation
alargar — to lengthen
The preterite of alargar features a 'g' to 'gu' change in the 'yo' form: alargué.
alargar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific time you extended or lengthened something in the past, like a meeting that ran over.
Notes on alargar in the Preterite
The 'yo' form changes from 'g' to 'gu' (alargué) to keep the hard 'g' sound before the letter 'e'. All other forms are regular.
Example Sentences
Alargué la falda porque era muy corta.
I lengthened the skirt because it was too short.
yo
El profesor alargó la clase media hora.
The teacher extended the class by half an hour.
él/ella/usted
Alargamos el viaje para ver a mi abuela.
We extended the trip to see my grandmother.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'alargé' instead of 'alargué'.
Correct: alargué
Why: Without the 'u', the 'g' followed by 'e' would sound like a Spanish 'j' (like 'al-ar-HE').
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: alargo
The present tense of alargar is regular: alargo, alargas, alarga, alargamos, alargáis, alargan.
Imperfect
yo: alargaba
The imperfect of alargar is regular: alargaba, alargabas, alargaba, alargábamos, alargabais, alargaban.
Future
yo: alargaré
The future of alargar is regular: alargaré, alargarás, alargará, alargaremos, alargaréis, alargarán.
Conditional
yo: alargaría
The conditional of alargar is regular: alargaría, alargarías, alargaría, alargaríamos, alargaríais, alargarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: alargue
The present subjunctive of alargar requires a 'gu' spelling change in all forms: alargue, alargues, alargue, etc.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: alargara
The imperfect subjunctive of alargar is regular: alargara, alargaras, alargara, alargáramos, alargarais, alargaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: alarga
The affirmative imperative of alargar uses: alarga (tú), alargue (usted), alarguemos (nosotros), alargad (vosotros), alarguen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no alargues
The negative imperative of alargar always uses the 'gu' spelling: no alargues, no alargue, no alarguemos, no alarguéis, no alarguen.