aterrizar Preterite Conjugation
aterrizar — to land
The preterite of aterrizar features a spelling change (z to c) in the 'yo' form: aterricé.
aterrizar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe the specific moment a plane or bird touched the ground. It marks a completed action in the past with a definite timeframe.
Notes on aterrizar in the Preterite
Aterrizar is regular except for a spelling change in the 'yo' form. To keep the soft 'th/s' sound, the 'z' changes to 'c' before 'e': aterricé.
Example Sentences
El avión aterricé con diez minutos de retraso.
The plane landed ten minutes late.
él/ella/usted
Aterricé en Madrid a las seis de la mañana.
I landed in Madrid at six in the morning.
yo
¿A qué hora aterrizasteis?
What time did you guys land?
vosotros
Los pájaros aterrizaron sobre el césped.
The birds landed on the lawn.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: aterrizé
Correct: aterricé
Why: In Spanish, 'z' rarely appears before 'e' or 'i'. It must change to 'c' to maintain the correct spelling rules.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: aterrizo
Aterrizar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense: aterrizo, aterrizas, aterriza...
Imperfect
yo: aterrizaba
Aterrizar is regular in the imperfect: aterrizaba, aterrizabas, aterrizaba...
Future
yo: aterrizaré
The future of aterrizar is formed by adding endings to the infinitive: aterrizaré, aterrizarás...
Conditional
yo: aterrizaría
The conditional uses the infinitive plus endings: aterrizaría, aterrizarías, aterrizaría...
Present Subjunctive
yo: aterrice
The present subjunctive of aterrizar requires a spelling change to 'c': aterrice, aterrices...
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: aterrizara
The imperfect subjunctive is regular: aterrizara, aterrizaras, aterrizara...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: aterriza
The imperative uses 'aterriza' for 'tú' and 'aterrice' for formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no aterrices
Negative commands always use the present subjunctive forms: no aterrices, no aterrice...