alcanzar Preterite Conjugation
alcanzar — to reach
Alcanzar has a spelling change in the yo form (alcancé) to maintain the soft 'c' sound.
alcanzar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when you successfully reached a destination, caught a bus, or achieved a specific milestone at a definite point in the past.
Notes on alcanzar in the Preterite
There is a 'z' to 'c' spelling change in the 'yo' form (alcancé). This is a standard rule in Spanish because 'z' usually changes to 'c' before the letter 'e'.
Example Sentences
Alcancé la meta en menos de diez minutos.
I reached the finish line in less than ten minutes.
yo
Él alcanzó el autobús justo a tiempo.
He caught the bus just in time.
él/ella/usted
Ellos alcanzaron un acuerdo ayer.
They reached an agreement yesterday.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: alcancé written as 'alcanzé'.
Correct: alcancé
Why: In Spanish, the 'z' changes to 'c' before 'e' or 'i' to keep the pronunciation consistent.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'alcanzar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: alcanzo
The present tense of alcanzar is regular: alcanzo, alcanzas, alcanza, alcanzamos, alcanzáis, alcanzan.
Imperfect
yo: alcanzaba
The imperfect of alcanzar is regular: alcanzaba, alcanzabas, alcanzaba, alcanzábamos, alcanzabais, alcanzaban.
Future
yo: alcanzaré
The future of alcanzar uses the full infinitive as the base: alcanzaré, alcanzarás, alcanzará, alcanzaremos, alcanzaréis, alcanzarán.
Conditional
yo: alcanzaría
The conditional of alcanzar is regular: alcanzaría, alcanzarías, alcanzaría, alcanzaríamos, alcanzaríais, alcanzarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: alcance
The present subjunctive of alcanzar features a 'z' to 'c' spelling change in every form: alcance, alcances, alcance, etc.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: alcanzara
The imperfect subjunctive of alcanzar is regular based on the preterite stem: alcanzara, alcanzaras, alcanzara, alcanzáramos, alcanzarais, alcanzaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: alcanza
The imperative of alcanzar uses 'alcanza' for tú and 'alcance(n)' for formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no alcances
The negative imperative of alcanzar uses the present subjunctive forms with 'no'.