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alargar

ah-lar-GAR/alaɾˈɡaɾ/

to lengthen, to make longer

Also: to let out
VerbB1regular with spelling change ar
A child adding more colorful building blocks to a wooden train track to make it much longer.
gerundalargando
past Participlealargado
infinitivealargar

📝 In Action

Tengo que alargar estos pantalones porque me quedan cortos.

A2

I have to lengthen these pants because they are too short for me.

Vamos a alargar la cuerda para que llegue al suelo.

B1

We are going to make the rope longer so it reaches the ground.

Si quieres alargar el paso, llegaremos más rápido.

B2

If you want to lengthen your stride (walk faster), we will arrive sooner.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • alargar el paso – to walk faster / pick up the pace
  • alargar un vestido – to let out/lengthen a dress

to extend, to prolong

Also: to drag out
VerbB1regular with spelling change ar
A person drawing a long, continuous line with a crayon across a large sheet of paper.
gerundalargando
past Participlealargado
infinitivealargar

📝 In Action

Hemos decidido alargar nuestras vacaciones una semana más.

A2

We have decided to extend our vacation for one more week.

No quiero alargar la reunión innecesariamente.

B1

I don't want to prolong the meeting unnecessarily.

Ella siempre alarga sus historias con muchos detalles.

B2

She always drags out her stories with many details.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • acortar (to shorten)
  • abreviar (to abbreviate/shorten)

Common Collocations

  • alargar la estancia – to extend the stay
  • alargar la vida – to prolong life

to reach out, to hand over

Also: to stretch out
VerbB2regular with spelling change ar
A person reaching their arm out to pick a bright red apple from a high tree branch.
gerundalargando
past Participlealargado
infinitivealargar

📝 In Action

Alargó la mano para coger el libro de la estantería.

B1

He reached out his hand to grab the book from the shelf.

¿Me puedes alargar ese bolígrafo, por favor?

B2

Can you hand me that pen, please?

El niño alargaba el brazo para tocar el agua.

B1

The boy was stretching out his arm to touch the water.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • alargar la mano – to reach out one's hand
  • alargar el brazo – to stretch out one's arm

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesalargaran
yoalargara
túalargaras
vosotrosalargarais
nosotrosalargáramos
él/ella/ustedalargara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesalarguen
yoalargue
túalargues
vosotrosalarguéis
nosotrosalarguemos
él/ella/ustedalargue

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesalargaron
yoalargué
túalargaste
vosotrosalargasteis
nosotrosalargamos
él/ella/ustedalargó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesalargaban
yoalargaba
túalargabas
vosotrosalargabais
nosotrosalargábamos
él/ella/ustedalargaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesalargan
yoalargo
túalargas
vosotrosalargáis
nosotrosalargamos
él/ella/ustedalarga
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: alargar

Question 1 of 3

Which of these is the correct 'I' form of the past tense?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
largo(long) — Adjective
largura(length) — Noun
alargamiento(elongation / lengthening) — Noun
prolongar(to prolong) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Derived from the Spanish adjective 'largo' (long), which comes from the Latin 'largus' (meaning abundant or spacious). The prefix 'a-' is added to indicate a transition or action.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

French: allongerItalian: allungare

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 'alargar' and 'prolongar'?

They are often interchangeable. However, 'alargar' is more common for physical objects (like pants), while 'prolongar' sounds slightly more formal and is mostly used for time (like a meeting).

Does 'alargar' change its stem like 'entender'?

No, it is a regular -ar verb in terms of the stem, but it has a minor spelling change (g to gu) in the past 'yo' form and all 'subjunctive' forms.

Can I use 'alargar' to mean 'to hand something'?

Yes! In informal settings, asking someone to 'alargar' you an object means you want them to reach out and pass it to you.