forzar Preterite Conjugation
forzar — to force
The preterite of forzar has a spelling change in the 'yo' form (forcé) but is otherwise regular.
forzar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific instance where something was forced, like a door that was pried open or a decision made under pressure at a specific point in time.
Notes on forzar in the Preterite
In the 'yo' form, the 'z' changes to 'c' (forcé) to keep the soft 's' sound before the letter 'e'. The stem change (o > ue) does NOT happen in the preterite.
Example Sentences
Forcé la ventana porque olvidé las llaves.
I forced the window open because I forgot my keys.
yo
Él forzó la máquina y ahora no funciona.
He pushed/forced the machine too hard and now it doesn't work.
él/ella/usted
Forzamos la entrada ayer por la tarde.
We forced the entry yesterday afternoon.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'forzé' with a 'z'.
Correct: forcé
Why: In Spanish, 'z' usually changes to 'c' before 'e' or 'i' to maintain the same consonant sound.
Mistake: Using 'fuercé' in the past.
Correct: forcé
Why: The o > ue stem change only happens in the present tense, not the preterite.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: fuerzo
Forzar is a stem-changing verb (o > ue) in the present tense: fuerzo, fuerzas, fuerza, forzamos, forzáis, fuerzan.
Imperfect
yo: forzaba
The imperfect of forzar is completely regular: forzaba, forzabas, forzaba, forzábamos, forzabais, forzaban.
Future
yo: forzaré
The future tense of forzar is regular: forzaré, forzarás, forzará, forzaremos, forzaréis, forzarán.
Conditional
yo: forzaría
The conditional of forzar is regular: forzaría, forzarías, forzaría, forzaríamos, forzaríais, forzarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: fuerce
The present subjunctive follows the stem change (o > ue) and the z > c spelling change: fuerce, fuerces, fuerce, forcemos, forcéis, fuercen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: forzara
The imperfect subjunctive of forzar is regular based on the preterite stem: forzara, forzaras, forzara, forzáramos, forzarais, forzaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: fuerza
The imperative uses the stem change (o > ue) for most commands: fuerza (tú), fuerce (usted), forzad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no fuerces
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive forms: no fuerces (tú), no fuerce (usted), no forcemos (nosotros).