alcanzar imperfect tense conjugation
Alcanzar (to reach/achieve) in the imperfect tense: alcanzaba, alcanzabas, alcanzaba, alcanzábamos, alcanzabais, alcanzaban.
Pretérito imperfecto Imperfect
| yo | |
|---|---|
| tú | |
| él/ella/usted | |
| nosotros | |
| vosotros | |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
ending regular · irr breaks the pattern · tap a form to hear it
When to use the imperfect tense
The imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) describes the past as background: habits (“used to”), ongoing actions (“was doing”), descriptions, age and time. “Cuando era niño, vivía en Sevilla.”
How it is formed
Regular endings: -ar → aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban; -er/-ir → ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían. Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect: ser (era), ir (iba) and ver (veía).
Alcanzar is regular here, so it is a good model for other verbs of the same class.
Read more: Preterite vs imperfect: when to use each
Alcanzar in a sentence
- Alcanzo mis metas con esfuerzo.I reach my goals with effort.
- Alcanzamos la cima de la montaña.We reached the summit of the mountain.
Spelling change z→c before e: preterite yo 'alcancé'.
FAQ
What is the imperfect tense of alcanzar?
Alcanzar in the Spanish imperfect tense: yo alcanzaba, tú alcanzabas, él/ella/usted alcanzaba, nosotros alcanzábamos, vosotros alcanzabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes alcanzaban.
Is alcanzar irregular in the imperfect tense?
No. In the imperfect tense alcanzar takes the regular endings for its verb class, so alcanzaba follows the same pattern as any regular verb.
When do you use the Spanish imperfect tense?
The imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) describes the past as background: habits (“used to”), ongoing actions (“was doing”), descriptions, age and time. “Cuando era niño, vivía en Sevilla.”
How is the imperfect tense formed?
Regular endings: -ar → aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban; -er/-ir → ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían. Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect: ser (era), ir (iba) and ver (veía).
Full alcanzar conjugation, all tenses →
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