finalizar Preterite Conjugation
finalizar — to finish
The preterite has a spelling change in the 'yo' form (finalicé), but otherwise follows regular -ar endings.
finalizar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a completed action that ended at a specific point in the past, like a project or a race.
Notes on finalizar in the Preterite
There is a 'z' to 'c' spelling change in the 'yo' form (finalicé) to maintain the soft 's' sound before the letter 'e'.
Example Sentences
Finalicé el informe anoche.
I finished the report last night.
yo
¿Cuándo finalizaste el curso?
When did you finish the course?
tú
La película finalizó con un gran aplauso.
The movie ended with a great round of applause.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'finalizé'.
Correct: finalicé
Why: In Spanish, the letter 'z' usually changes to 'c' before 'e' or 'i'.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'finalizar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: finalizo
The present tense of finalizar is regular: finalizo, finalizas, finaliza, finalizamos, finalizáis, finalizan.
Imperfect
yo: finalizaba
The imperfect of finalizar is regular: finalizaba, finalizabas, finalizaba, finalizábamos, finalizabais, finalizaban.
Future
yo: finalizaré
The future of finalizar is regular: finalizaré, finalizarás, finalizará, finalizaremos, finalizaréis, finalizarán.
Conditional
yo: finalizaría
The conditional of finalizar is regular: finalizaría, finalizarías, finalizaría, finalizaríamos, finalizaríais, finalizarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: finalice
The present subjunctive uses the 'c' spelling change: finalice, finalices, finalice, finalicemos, finalicéis, finalicen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: finalizara
The imperfect subjunctive of finalizar is regular: finalizara, finalizaras, finalizara, finalizáramos, finalizarais, finalizaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: finaliza
The imperative forms are: finaliza (tú), finalice (usted), finalicemos (nosotros), finalizad (vosotros), finalicen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no finalices
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive forms: no finalices, no finalice, no finalicemos, no finalicéis, no finalicen.