alzar Preterite Conjugation
alzar — to lift
The preterite of alzar is regular except for the 'yo' form spelling change: alcé, alzaste, alzó, alzamos, alzasteis, alzaron.
alzar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for completed actions of lifting or raising something at a specific moment in the past.
Notes on alzar in the Preterite
Only the 'yo' form changes 'z' to 'c' (alcé) to keep the pronunciation correct before the 'é'. All other forms use 'z'.
Example Sentences
Alcé la caja del suelo con cuidado.
I lifted the box from the floor carefully.
yo
El atleta alzó el trofeo con orgullo.
The athlete raised the trophy with pride.
él/ella/usted
Alzamos las manos cuando terminó la canción.
We raised our hands when the song ended.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'alzé' for the first person.
Correct: alcé
Why: Spelling rules dictate 'z' changes to 'c' before 'e'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: alzo
The present tense of alzar is fully regular: alzo, alzas, alza, alzamos, alzáis, alzan.
Imperfect
yo: alzaba
The imperfect of alzar is regular for -ar verbs: alzaba, alzabas, alzaba, alzábamos, alzabais, alzaban.
Future
yo: alzaré
The future tense of alzar is regular, using the infinitive as the stem: alzaré, alzarás, alzará, alzaremos, alzaréis, alzarán.
Conditional
yo: alzaría
The conditional of alzar is regular: alzaría, alzarías, alzaría, alzaríamos, alzaríais, alzarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: alce
The present subjunctive of alzar features a Z to C spelling change: alce, alces, alce, alcemos, alcéis, alcen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: alzara
The imperfect subjunctive is regular based on the preterite stem: alzara, alzaras, alzara, alzáramos, alzarais, alzaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: alza
The imperative uses 'alza' for tú and 'alce' for usted, including the Z to C change for formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no alces
Negative commands for alzar always use the present subjunctive forms: no alces, no alce, no alcemos, no alcéis, no alcen.