prolongar Preterite Conjugation
prolongar — to extend
The preterite of prolongar is regular except for the 'yo' form, which changes to 'prolongué'.
prolongar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a specific time in the past when something was extended, like a meeting that went over its time limit.
Notes on prolongar in the Preterite
Only the 'yo' form is irregular (prolongué) to preserve the hard 'g' sound. All other forms follow regular -ar patterns.
Example Sentences
Prolongué mi estancia en Madrid por una semana.
I extended my stay in Madrid for a week.
yo
El árbitro prolongó el partido cinco minutos.
The referee extended the match by five minutes.
él/ella/usted
Ellos prolongaron la agonía de la espera.
They prolonged the agony of the wait.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'prolonge' for the yo form.
Correct: prolongué
Why: The 'u' is necessary to keep the 'g' hard, and the accent is necessary to mark the past tense.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: prolongo
The present tense of prolongar is completely regular: prolongo, prolongas, prolonga, etc.
Imperfect
yo: prolongaba
The imperfect of prolongar is regular, using the -aba endings: prolongaba, prolongabas, etc.
Future
yo: prolongaré
The future of prolongar is regular: just add the endings to the infinitive (prolongaré).
Conditional
yo: prolongaría
The conditional of prolongar is regular: add -ía endings to the full infinitive.
Present Subjunctive
yo: prolongue
The present subjunctive of prolongar requires a spelling change from 'g' to 'gu' to keep the sound consistent.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: prolongara
The imperfect subjunctive of prolongar is regular, following the 'ra' pattern: prolongara, prolongaras, etc.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: prolonga
The imperative of prolongar uses the 'gu' spelling change for all forms except 'tú' and 'vosotros'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no prolongues
The negative imperative of prolongar always uses the 'gu' spelling change (no prolongues).