anochecer Present Conjugation
anochecer — to get dark
The present tense of anochecer is irregular in the 'yo' form (anochezco), but otherwise follows regular -er patterns.
anochecer Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to describe the daily transition to night or general facts about when the sun sets. It is often used impersonally (third-person singular) to mean 'it is getting dark.'
Notes on anochecer in the Present
This verb follows the 'zc' pattern in the first person singular (yo anochezco). All other forms are regular.
Example Sentences
Anochece muy temprano en invierno.
It gets dark very early in winter.
él/ella/usted
Siempre anochezco en la oficina terminando el trabajo.
I'm always at the office when night falls, finishing work.
yo
Las nubes hacen que anochezca más rápido.
The clouds make it get dark faster.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'anochece' only for the weather.
Correct: While common as 'it gets dark,' you can use it for people (e.g., 'anochecimos en el camino') to mean 'we were there when night fell.'
Why: Learners often forget that weather verbs can be used personally in Spanish to indicate where someone was at that time of day.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'anochecer' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: anochecí
The preterite of anochecer is regular: anochecí, anocheciste, anocheció, anochecimos, anochecisteis, anochecieron.
Imperfect
yo: anochecía
The imperfect of anochecer is regular: anochecía, anochecías, anochecía, anochecíamos, anochecíais, anochecían.
Future
yo: anocheceré
The future of anochecer is regular: anocheceré, anochecerás, anochecerá, anocheceremos, anocheceréis, anochecerán.
Conditional
yo: anochecería
The conditional of anochecer is regular: anochecería, anochecerías, anochecería, anocheceríamos, anocheceríais, anochecerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: anochezca
The present subjunctive of anochecer uses the irregular 'zc' stem: anochezca, anochezcas, anochezca, etc.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: anocheciera
The imperfect subjunctive of anochecer uses the stem 'anochecie-': anocheciera, anochecieras, anocheciera, etc.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: anochece
The imperative of anochecer is rarely used personally, but forms include: anochece (tú), anochezca (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no anochezcas
The negative imperative of anochecer uses the present subjunctive forms: no anochezca, no anochezcas.