fortalecer Preterite Conjugation
fortalecer — to strengthen
Fortalecer is completely regular in the preterite: fortalecí, fortaleciste, fortaleció, fortalecimos, fortalecisteis, fortalecieron.
fortalecer Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a specific event in the past where something was strengthened, such as a one-time workshop or a specific training session.
Notes on fortalecer in the Preterite
Unlike the present tense, there is no 'zc' change here. It follows the standard -er verb endings for the past tense.
Example Sentences
El entrenamiento de ayer fortaleció mi espalda.
Yesterday's workout strengthened my back.
él/ella/usted
Fortalecí mi fe durante el viaje.
I strengthened my faith during the trip.
yo
Ellos fortalecieron el edificio después del sismo.
They strengthened the building after the earthquake.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: fortalezcí
Correct: fortalecí
Why: Learners often try to carry the 'z' from the present 'yo' form into the preterite, but the preterite remains regular.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: fortalezco
Fortalecer is irregular in the 'yo' form (fortalezco), but regular for all other persons in the present tense.
Imperfect
yo: fortalecía
The imperfect of fortalecer is regular: fortalecía, fortalecías, fortalecía, fortalecíamos, fortalecíais, fortalecían.
Future
yo: fortaleceré
The future of fortalecer is regular: just add -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án to the infinitive.
Conditional
yo: fortalecería
The conditional of fortalecer is regular: fortalecería, fortalecerías, fortalecería, fortaleceríamos, fortaleceríais, fortalecerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: fortalezca
The present subjunctive of fortalecer uses the 'fortalezc-' stem for all persons.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: fortaleciera
The imperfect subjunctive of fortalecer is regular: fortaleciera, fortalecieras, fortaleciera, fortaleciéramos, fortalecierais, fortalecieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: fortalece
The imperative of fortalecer uses 'fortalece' for 'tú' and 'fortalezc-' for formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no fortalezcas
All negative commands for fortalecer use the present subjunctive forms with 'no'.