avanzar Preterite Conjugation
avanzar — to move forward
The preterite of avanzar features a spelling change in the 'yo' form (avancé) but is otherwise regular.
avanzar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a specific moment when progress was made or a movement was completed, like reaching a milestone or moving forward in a line.
Notes on avanzar in the Preterite
This verb has a 'Z to C' spelling change in the first person singular (yo avancé) to maintain the soft 'S' sound before the letter 'e'. All other forms use the 'z'.
Example Sentences
Avancé tres metros en la fila.
I moved forward three meters in the line.
yo
El proyecto avanzó mucho ayer.
The project moved forward a lot yesterday.
él/ella/usted
Avanzamos hasta la meta final.
We advanced to the finish line.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'avanzé' instead of 'avancé'.
Correct: avancé
Why: In Spanish, the letter 'z' almost never appears before 'e' or 'i'; it changes to 'c' to keep the same sound.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: avanzo
The present tense of avanzar is regular: avanzo, avanzas, avanza, avanzamos, avanzáis, avanzan.
Imperfect
yo: avanzaba
The imperfect of avanzar is regular: avanzaba, avanzabas, avanzaba, avanzábamos, avanzabais, avanzaban.
Future
yo: avanzaré
The future of avanzar is regular, formed by adding endings to the infinitive: avanzaré, avanzarás, avanzará...
Conditional
yo: avanzaría
The conditional of avanzar is regular: avanzaría, avanzarías, avanzaría, avanzaríamos, avanzaríais, avanzarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: avance
The present subjunctive of avanzar always uses a 'c' (avance, avances, avance...) to keep the sound consistent.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: avanzara
The imperfect subjunctive of avanzar is regular: avanzara, avanzaras, avanzara, avanzáramos, avanzarais, avanzaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: avanza
The imperative of avanzar uses 'avanza' for tú and 'avance/avancen' for formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no avances
The negative imperative of avanzar uses 'no' plus the present subjunctive forms (no avances, no avance...).