How to conjugate Alcanzar in Spanish
Alcanzar in Spanish means to to reach, to catch
Alcanzar is an irregular verb. That means this verb doesn’t follow the traditional conjugation patterns in all verb tenses. It’s important to pay attention to the irregular tenses.
Let’s learn how to conjugate the verb alcanzar so you can use it comfortably in all tenses.
Alcanzar in the Present Tense
The present tense is used to talk about actions or events happening now.
The verb alcanzar is regular in the present tense.
The verb alcanzar is what we call an -ar verb. -ar verbs are verbs that end in -ar. Regular -ar verbs are conjugated by following 2 major rules.
- Take off the -ar
- Replace with a new ending depending on who performs the action.
To review -ar verbs watch my -ar verbs video:
Just in case you need to review conjugation of -er and -ir verbs, Click for Page:
Below you will find the conjugations of the verb alcanzar in the indicative present tense:
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | alcanzo | I reach |
| Tú | alcanzas | you reach |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | alcanza | he/she reaches, you (formal) reach |
| Nosotros (as) | alcanzamos | we reach |
| Vosotros (as) | alcanzáis | you (plural) Spain reach |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | alcanzan | they hang, you (plural) reach |
Examples:
| Yo alcanzo un libro en la estantería | I reach for a book on the shelf |
| Nosotros alcanzamos las metas que nos pone nuestro jefe | We reach for the goals our boss sets for us |
| Él alcanza las frutas del árbol | He reaches for the fruits from the tree |
Alcanzar in the Preterite Tense
The preterite is used to talk about actions that have already been completed. These actions have a clear beginning or ending. The preterite tense is often used with phrases that give a specific time frame. More on the Preterite Tense Here
Things to remember:
- The preterite is NOT used to describe actions or events that are repeated or continuous in the past. That means that those actions do not have a clear beginning or end.
- The preterite is NOT used to describe people in the past.
The verb alcanzar is irregular in the preterite. That means it doesn’t follow the pattern of regular -ar verbs in the preterite. Instead we must follow a different set of rules.
Alcanzar is part of what we call -car, -gar, -zar verbs. Verbs that end in -car, -gar, -zar have a spelling change in the YO form in the preterite.
-car, -gar, -zar verbs have a change in the yo form in the preterite form.
For a video lesson on -car, gar, zar verbs check out my video: https://youtu.be/fpMIYGt_3vw
-car verbs. Verbs that end in -car will have a change in the yo form and only in the yo form. The c changes to qu in the yo form only. The rest of the forms follow normal preterite conjugations and endings.
– gar verbs. Verbs will have a change in the yo form and only in the yo form. The g changes to gu in the yo form only. The rest of the forms follow normal preterite conjugations and endings.
-zar verbs. Verbs that end in -zar like alcanzar will have a change in the yo form and only in the yo form. The z changes to ce in the yo form only. The rest of the forms follow normal preterite conjugations and endings.
Alcanzar ends in -zar.
Below you will find the conjugations of the verb alcanzar in the preterite tense:
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | alcancé | I reached |
| Tú | alcanzaste | you reached |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | alcanzó | he/she reached, you (formal) reached |
| Nosotros (as) | alcanzamos | we reached |
| Vosotros (as) | alcanzasteis | you (plural) Spain reached |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | alcanzaron | they reached, you (plural) reached |
Below are some expressions that are often used when using the preterite:
| la semana pasada | last week |
| el mes pasado | last month |
| el fin de semana pasado | last weekend |
| el año pasado | last year |
| ayer | yesterday |
| anteayer | the day before yesterday |
| anoche | last night |
Examples:
| Ayer alcancé a terminar mis metas de venta | Yesterday I reached to finish my sales target |
| Ayer nosotros alcanzamos a llegar nuestro destino muy tarde | Yesterday we reached to get our destiny very late |
| Anoche ellas alcanzaron su objetivo mensual de ventas | Last night they reached their sales target for the month |
Alcanzar in the Imperfect Tense
The imperfect is a form of past tense. It is primarily used to talk about continuous, repeated, usual or habitual actions in the past. It can also be used to talk about what someone or something was like in the past, what someone used to be or used to do. The imperfect is used when actions don’t have a specific beginning or end.
The verb alcanzar is regular in the imperfect tense.
The verb alcanzar is what we call an -ar verb. -ar verbs are verbs that end in -ar. Regular -ar verbs are conjugated by following 2 major rules.
- Take off the -ar
- Replace with a new ending depending on who performs the action.
To review how to conjugate -ar verbs in the imperfect watch my video: Click for Video
To review how to conjugate -er and -ir verbs in the imperfect watch my video: Click for Video
Below you will find the conjugations of the verb alcanzar in the imperfect tense:
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | alcanzaba | I used to reach |
| Tú | alcanzabas | you used to reach |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | alcanzaba | he/she used to reach, you (formal) used to reach |
| Nosotros (as) | alcanzábamos | we used to reach |
| Vosotros (as) | alcanzabais | you (plural) Spain used to reach |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | alcanzaban | they used to reach, you (plural) used to reach |
Below are some expressions that are often used when using the Imperfect:
| a menudo | often |
| usualmente | usually |
| todos los días | every day |
| todos los meses | every month |
| todos los años | every year |
| casi siempre | almost always |
| a veces | sometimes |
| de niño/niña | as a child … |
| siempre | always |
| normalmente | normally |
Examples:
| Normalmente yo alcanzaba la repisa | Normally I used to be able to reach the shelf |
| De niños nosotros alcanzábamos a subirnos al árbol | As children we used to reach to claim the treed |
| Hace años ellos alcanzaban a cumplir sus metas de la empresa muy rápido | Years ago they used reach to accomplish their goals very quickly |
Alcanzar in the Future Tense
The future is used to talk about an action or event that will happen in the future.
The verb alcanzar is regular in the future tense.
To form the future tense of regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs add the following endings to the verb in the infinitive (verbs that have not been conjugated and end in -ar, -er, -ir). The verb alcanzar is in its purest form (it has not been conjugated) it’s in the infinitive.
The verb alcanzar is what we call an -ar verb. -ar verbs are verbs that end in -ar. To conjugate alcanzar in the future, follow these two rules:
- Find the infinitive of the verb (verbs that have not been conjugated and end in -ar, -er, -ir). In this case alcanzar.
- Then attach the ending to the end of the infinitive. The ending depends on who is performing the action.
| Yo | é |
| Tú | ás |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | á |
| Nosotros (as) | emos |
| Vosotros (as) | éis |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | án |
Below you will find the conjugations of the verb alcanzar using the future tense:
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | alcanzaré | I will reach |
| Tú | alcanzarás | you will reach |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | alcanzará | he/she will reach, you (formal) will reach |
| Nosotros (as) | alcanzaremos | we will reach |
| Vosotros (as) | alcanzaréis | you (plural) Spain will reach |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | alcanzarán | they will reach, you (plural) will reach |
Examples:
| Yo alcanzaré a cumplir mis sueños | I will reach to accomplish my dreams |
| Nosotros no alcanzaremos a cumplir las metas de este mes | We will not reach to accomplish the goals for this month |
| Ellas alcanzarán sus objetivos en la vida | They will reach their goals in life |
Alcanzar in the Informal Future Tense
The informal future is used to talk about an action or event that is going to take place in the near future. To form the informal future, you must use the correct form of the verb ir (to go) + a + the verb in the infinitive.
The verb alcanzar is regular in the informal future tense.
Follow this rule:
- Ir (conjugated) + a + infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir and has not been conjugated). Example : Yo voy a alcanzar
The conjugation of the verb ir (to go) in the present tense are:
| Yo | voy |
| Tú | vas |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | va |
| Nosotros (as) | vamos |
| Vosotros (as) | vais |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | van |
To review how to conjugate the informal future watch my video: Click for Video
Below you will find the conjugations of the verb alcanzar using the informal future:
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | voy a alcanzar | I will reach |
| Tú | vas a alcanzar | you will reach |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | va a alcanzar | he/she will reach, you (formal) will reach |
| Nosotros (as) | vamos a alcanzar | we will reach |
| Vosotros (as) | vais a alcanzar | you (plural) Spain will reach |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | van a alcanzar | they will reach, you (plural) will reach |
Examples:
| Yo voy a alcanzar los libros de la estantería | I will reach the books on the shelf |
| Nosotros no vamos a alcanzar a llegar a nuestro destino | We will not reach to get to our destination |
| Él va a alcanzar sus sueños si sigue trabajando así | He will reach his dreams if he keeps working like that |
Alcanzar in the Present Progressive Tense.
The present progressive is used to talk about actions or events happening now. In other words, we use the present progressive to talk about actions that are in the process of happening at the current moment.
The verb alcanzar is regular in the present progressive tense.
The present progressive is formed by using the correct form of the verb estar (to be) plus the present participle (-ing form of a verb).
To form the present participle of a verb:
- Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir)
- Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir).
- Add -ando for -ar verbs
- Add -iendo for -er and –ir verbs
Let’s apply it to alcanzar:
- Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir) = (alcanzar)
- Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir) = (alcanz)
- Add -ando for -ar verbs = (alcanzando)
The present participle of alcanzar is alcanzando.
The conjugations of the verb estar in the present tense are:
| Yo | estoy |
| Tú | estás |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | está |
| Nosotros (as) | estamos |
| Vosotros (as) | estáis |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | están |
The present participle of the verb alcanzar is: alcanzando
To review the present progressive and present participles in Spanish, watch my Present Progressive Video:Click for Video
Just in case you need to review the verb estar, watch my Estar video: Click for Video
Below you will find the conjugations of the verb alcanzar using the present progressive:
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | estoy alcanzando | I am reaching |
| Tú | estás alcanzando | you are reaching |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | está alcanzando | he/she is reaching, you (formal) are reaching |
| Nosotros (as) | estamos alcanzando | we are reaching |
| Vosotros (as) | estáis alcanzando | you (plural) Spain are reaching |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | están alcanzando | they are reaching, you (plural) are reaching |
Examples:
| Yo estoy alcanzando mis objetivos | I am reaching my targets |
| Todavía no estamos alcanzando los propósitos de la empresa | We are not reaching the company’s purpose yet |
| ¿Estás alcanzando tus sueños? | Are you reaching your dreams? |
Alcanzar in the Conditional Tense
The conditional tense is used to talk about actions or events that may happen in the future. Think of it as a possibility, a hypothesis, a probability.
The verb alcanzar is regular in the conditional tense.
The verb alcanzar is what we call an -ar verb. -ar verbs are verbs that end in -ar. To conjugate alcanzar in the conditional tense follow these two rules:
- Find the infinitive of the verb (verbs that have not been conjugated and end in -ar, -er, -ir). In this case alcanzar.
- Then attach the ending to the end of the infinitive. The ending depends on who is performing the action.
To form the conditional of a verb add the following endings to the infinitive of the verb:
| Yo | ía |
| Tú | ías |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | ía |
| Nosotros (as) | íamos |
| Vosotros (as) | íais |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | ían |
The infinitive of the verb alcanzar is alcanzar.
Below you will find the conjugations of the verb alcanzar using the conditional tense:
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | alcanzaría | I would reach |
| Tú | alcanzarías | you would reach |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | alcanzaría | he/she would reach, you (formal) would reach |
| Nosotros (as) | alcanzaríamos | we would reach |
| Vosotros (as) | alcanzaríais | you (plural) Spain would reach |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | alcanzarían | they would reach, you (plural) would reach |
Examples:
| Yo alcanzaría mis sueños si tuviera la oportunidad | I would reach my dreams if I had the chance |
| Nosotros no alcanzaríamos a cumplir la meta de ventas a menos que hoy vendamos mucho | We would not reach the sales target unless we sell everything today |
| Ellas alcanzarían sus sueños si se lo proponen | They would reach their dreams if they work hard for it |
Alcanzar in the Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect is used to talk about actions or events that have started recently (in the past) and are still happening. It can also be used to talk about things that have been done recently or to describe experiences a person has had in their lives.
The verb alcanzar is regular in the present perfect tense.
To form the present perfect, you must use the helping verb “haber” in the present tense. This will let us know who has performed the action. Then, we add the past participle of the verb.
The conjugations of haber in the present tense are:
| Yo | he |
| Tú | has |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | ha |
| Nosotros (as) | hemos |
| Vosotros (as) | habéis |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | han |
To form the past participle of a verb:
- Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir)
- Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir).
- Add -ado for -ar verbs
- Add -ido for -er and –ir verbs
Let’s apply it to alcanzar:
- Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir) = (alcanzar)
- Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir) = (alcanz)
- Add -ado for -ar verbs = (alcanzado)
The past participle of the verb alcanzar is alcanzado.
To summarize. Correct form of haber in the present + past participle = present perfect.
Below you will find the conjugations of the verb alcanzar in the present perfect:
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | he alcanzado | I have reached |
| Tú | has alcanzado | you have reached |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | ha alcanzado | he/she have reached, you (formal) have reached |
| Nosotros (as) | hemos alcanzado | we have reached |
| Vosotros (as) | habéis alcanzado | you (plural) Spain have reached |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | han alcanzado | they have reached, you (plural) have reached |
Examples:
| Yo he alcanzado mis metas | I have reached my goals |
| Nosotros hemos alcanzado nuestros objetivos este mes | We have reached our targets this month |
Alcanzar in the Past Perfect Tense (Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto)
The past perfect is used to talk about actions or events that happened before. It is widely used to describe a series of events and it comes in handy to tell stories.
The verb alcanzar is regular in the past perfect tense.
To form the past perfect you must use the verb haber in the imperfect. This will let us know who has performed the action.
The conjugations of haber in the imperfect tense are:
| Yo | había |
| Tú | habías |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | había |
| Nosotros (as) | habíamos |
| Vosotros (as) | habíais |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | habían |
Then, we add the past participle of the verb. In this case alcanzar.
To form the past participle of a verb:
- Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir)
- Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir).
- Add -ado for -ar verbs
- Add -ido for -er and –ir verbs
Let’s apply it to alcanzar:
- Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir) = (alcanzar)
- Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir) = (alcanz)
- Add -ado for -ar verbs = (alcanzado)
The past participle of alcanzar is alcanzado.
To summarize. Use the correct form of haber in the imperfect + past participle = past perfect.
Below you will find the conjugations of the verb alcanzar in the past perfect:
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | había alcanzado | I had reached |
| Tú | habías alcanzado | you had reached |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | había alcanzado | he/she had reached, you (formal) had reached |
| Nosotros (as) | habíamos alcanzado | we had reached |
| Vosotros (as) | habíais alcanzado | you (plural) Spain had reached |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | habían alcanzado | they had reached, you (plural) had reached |
Examples:
| Yo había alcanzado a poner el libro en el buzón | I had reached to put the book in the mailbox |
| El anterior año a esta época tú ya habías alcanzado tu target | This time last year you had already reached your target |
| Él ya había alcanzado a entregar sus tareas | He had already reached to turn in his homework |
Alcanzar in the Future Perfect Tense
The future perfect is used to talk about something that hasn’t happened yet but is predicted to take place. It is used to describe what will have happened in the future.
The verb alcanzar is regular in the future perfect tense.
To form the future perfect you must use the verb haber in the simple future tense. This will let us know who has performed the action.
The conjugations of haber in the future tense are:
| Yo | habré |
| Tú | habrás |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | habrá |
| Nosotros (as) | habremos |
| Vosotros (as) | habréis |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | habrán |
Then, we add the past participle of the verb. In this case alcanzar. To form the past participle, you simply add the appropriate ending to the stem of the verb.
To form the past participle of a verb:
- Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir)
- Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir).
- Add -ado for -ar verbs
- Add -ido for -er and –ir verbs
Let’s apply it to alcanzar:
- Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir) = (alcanzar)
- Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir) = (alcanz)
- Add -ado for -ar verbs = (alcanzado)
The past participle of alcanzar is alcanzado.
To summarize. Correct form of haber in the simple future tense + past participle = future perfect.
Below you will find the conjugations of the verb alcanzar in the future perfect:
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | habré alcanzado | I will have reached |
| Tú | habrás alcanzado | you will have reached |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | habrá alcanzado | he/she will have reached, you (formal) will have reached |
| Nosotros (as) | habremos alcanzado | we will have reached |
| Vosotros (as) | habréis alcanzado | you (plural) Spain will have reached |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | habrán alcanzado | they will have reached, you (plural) will have reached |
Examples:
| Mañana a esta hora ya habremos alcanzado a llegar a la finca | Tomorrow at this time, we will have reached to get to the farm |
| Mañana Pedro habrá alcanzado las metas de ventas de patrocinio | Tomorrow Pedro will have reached his sales goals |
Alcanzar in the Conditional Perfect Tense
The conditional perfect is used to talk about an action or event that would have happened in the past but didn’t take place due to another action happening. It is used to express possibility in the past. Basically think of it as actions that could or would have taken place if …
The verb alcanzar is regular in the conditional perfect tense.
To form the conditional perfect you must use the verb haber in the conditional. This will let us know who has performed the action.
The conjugations of haber in the conditional tense are:
| Yo | habría |
| Tú | habrías |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | habría |
| Nosotros (as) | habríamos |
| Vosotros (as) | habríais |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | habrían |
Then, we add the past participle of the verb. In this case alcanzar. To form the past participle, you simply add the appropriate ending to the stem of the verb.
To form the past participle of a verb:
- Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir)
- Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir).
- Add -ado for -ar verbs
- Add -ido for -er and –ir verbs
Let’s apply it to alcanzar:
- Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir) = (alcanzar)
- Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir) = (alcanz)
- Add -ado for -ar verbs = (alcanzado)
The past participle of alcanzar is alcanzado.
Below you will find the conjugations of the verb alcanzar in the future perfect:
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | habría alcanzado | I would have reached |
| Tú | habrías alcanzado | you would have reached |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | habría alcanzado | he/she would have reached, you (formal) would have reached |
| Nosotros (as) | habríamos alcanzado | we would have reached |
| Vosotros (as) | habríais alcanzado | you (plural) Spain will would reached |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | habrían alcanzado | they would have reached, you (plural) would have reached |
Examples:
| Yo habría alcanzado a cumplir las metas de ventas pero no tuve buena suerte | I would have reached my sales goal but I was not lucky |
| Ellos habrían alcanzado sus sueños juntos sino se hubieran divorciado | They would have reached their dreams together if they had not divorce |
Alcanzar in the Subjunctive Present Tense
The Subjunctive present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty. For example emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. The main difference between the subjunctive and the indicative mode is that the subjunctive is uncertain, hypothetical or not real.
The verb alcanzar is irregular in the subjunctive present form. That means it doesn’t follow the pattern of regular -ar verbs in the preterite. Instead we must follow a different set of rules.
Alcanzar is part of what we call -car, -gar, -zar verbs. Verbs that end in -car, -gar, -zar have a spelling change in the YO form in the preterite.
-car, -gar, -zar verbs have a change in the yo form in the preterite form.
For a video lesson on -car, gar, zar verbs check out my video: https://youtu.be/fpMIYGt_3vw
-car verbs. Verbs that end in -car will have a change in the yo form and only in the yo form. The c changes to qu in the yo form only. The rest of the forms follow normal preterite conjugations and endings.
– gar verbs. Verbs will have a change in the yo form and only in the yo form. The g changes to gu in the yo form only. The rest of the forms follow normal preterite conjugations and endings.
-zar verbs. Verbs that end in -zar like alcanzar will have a change in the yo form and only in the yo form. The z changes to ce in the yo form only. The rest of the forms follow normal preterite conjugations and endings.
To form the subjunctive present of most verbs, you must take off the -o endings of the yo form of the present simple and then add a new ending based on who is performing the action.
Subjunctive present endings for -ar:
| Yo | e |
| Tú | es |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | e |
| Nosotros (as) | emos |
| Vosotros (as) | éis |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | en |
Subjunctive present endings for -er and -ir verbs:
| Yo | a |
| Tú | as |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | as |
| Nosotros (as) | amos |
| Vosotros (as) | áis |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | an |
Keep in mind that the verb alcanzar is irregular in the subjunctive present. The z changes to ce.
Below you will find the conjugations of the verb alcanzar in the subjunctive present:
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | alcance | I may reach |
| Tú | alcances | you may reach |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | alcance | he/she may reach, you (formal) may reach |
| Nosotros (as) | alcancemos | we may reach |
| Vosotros (as) | alcancéis | you (plural) Spain may reach |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | alcancen | they may reach, you (plural) may reach |
Examples:
| Quizás yo alcance a entregar mi tesis esta noche | Perhaps, I may reached to turn in my thesis tonight |
| Es posible que ellos se alcancen su límite si siguen haciendo cosas malas | It’s possible they may reached their limit if they keep on doing bad stuff |
Alcanzar in the Subjunctive Imperfect Tense
The subjunctive imperfect is used to talk about situations of uncertainty in the past. For example emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes in the past. It is also used to express politeness or deference, primarily when making a request.
The verb alcanzar is regular in the subjunctive imperfect tense.
To form the subjunctive imperfect find the ellos/ellas form of the verb in the preterite, take off -aron or -ieron and add a new ending.
Subjunctive Imperfect endings for -ar verbs like alcanzar the endings are:
| Yo | ara |
| Tú | aras |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | ara |
| Nosotros (as) | áramos |
| Vosotros (as) | arais |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | aran |
You can also use the endings below as alternative endings and the meaning doesn’t change. Keep in mind the ones above are more common
| Yo | ase |
| Tú | ases |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | ase |
| Nosotros (as) | ásemos |
| Vosotros (as) | aseis |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | asen |
Subjunctive Imperfect endings for -er & -ir verbs like he endings are:
| Yo | iera |
| Tú | ieras |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | iera |
| Nosotros (as) | iéramos |
| Vosotros (as) | ierais |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | ieran |
You can also use the endings below as alternative endings and the meaning doesn’t change. Keep in mind the ones above are more common:
| Yo | iese |
| Tú | ieses |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | iese |
| Nosotros (as) | iésemos |
| Vosotros (as) | ieseis |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | iesen |
Here are the steps in action:
- Alcanzar
- The third person of the preterite (ellos/ellas) would be: alcanzar – alcanzaron
- Now remove -aron and you are left with alcanz
- Then, add a new ending.
Below you will find the conjugations of the verb alcanzar in the subjunctive imperfect:
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | alcanzara | I might reach |
| Tú | alcanzaras | you might reach |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | alcanzara | he/she might reach, you (formal) might reach |
| Nosotros (as) | alcanzáramos | we might reach |
| Vosotros (as) | alcanzarais | you (plural) Spain might reach |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | alcanzaran | they might reach, you (plural) might reach |
OR
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | alcanzase | I might reach |
| Tú | alcanzases | you might reach |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | alcanzase | he/she might reach, you (formal) might reach |
| Nosotros (as) | alcanzásemos | we might reach |
| Vosotros (as) | alcanzaseis | you (plural) Spain might reach |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | alcanzasen | they might reach, you (plural) might reach |
Examples:
| Si nosotros alcanzásemos los objetivos de la empresa nos darían un premio | If we might reach the companies objectives they will give us an award |
| Si ellos alcanzasen a cumplir con sus metas de ventas podrán pedir vacaciones | If they might reach to accomplish their sales target they will be able to ask for vacations |
Alcanzar in the Subjunctive Future Tense
The subjunctive future is used to describe an event or action or a possible or hypothetical situation. It can also be used to describe something you wished or hoped would happen in the future. This tense is rarely used in Spanish but it doesn’t hurt to learn it.
The verb alcanzar is regular in the subjunctive future tense.
To form the future subjunctive simply add the following endings to the verb in the infinitive (the most pure form of the verb. Verbs in the infinitive have not been conjugated (they end in -ar, -er & -ir)).
Subjunctive Future endings for -ar verbs like alcanzar the endings are:
| Yo | e |
| Tú | es |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | e |
| Nosotros (as) | emos (accent on á of the stem) |
| Vosotros (as) | eis |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | en |
Subjunctive Future endings for -er verbs the endings are:
| Yo | iere |
| Tú | ieres |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | iere |
| Nosotros (as) | iéremos |
| Vosotros (as) | iereis |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | ieran |
Subjunctive Future endings for -ir verbs the endings are:
| Yo | iere |
| Tú | ieres |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | iere |
| Nosotros (as) | iéremos |
| Vosotros (as) | iereis |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | ieren |
Below you will find the conjugations of the verb alcanzar in the subjunctive future:
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | alcanzare | I will reach |
| Tú | alcanzares | you will reach |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | alcanzare | he/she will reach, you (formal) will reach |
| Nosotros (as) | alcanzáremos | we will reach |
| Vosotros (as) | alcanzareis | you (plural) Spain will reach |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | alcanzaren | they will reach, you (plural) will reach |
Example:
| El día que alcanzare mis objetivos me sentiré muy contenta | The day I will reach my objectives I will be very happy |
Alcanzar in the Subjunctive Present Perfect Tense
The subjunctive present perfect is used to describe actions that are connected to the present. It is also used to talk about actions that will have happened by a certain time in the future.
The verb alcanzar is regular in the subjunctive present perfect tense.
To form the subjunctive present perfect you must use the present subjunctive of the verb haber + the past participle of the verb.
Here are the conjugations of the verb haber in the present subjunctive:
| Yo | haya |
| Tú | hayas |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | haya |
| Nosotros (as) | hayamos |
| Vosotros (as) | hayáis |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | hayan |
The past participle of the verb alcanzar is: alcanzado
Now, let’s put it together . Here are the conjugations of the verb alcanzar in the subjunctive present perfect.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | haya alcanzado | I may have reached |
| Tú | hayas alcanzado | you may have reached |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | haya alcanzado | he/she may have reached, you (formal) may have reached |
| Nosotros (as) | hayamos alcanzado | we may have reached |
| Vosotros (as) | hayáis alcanzado | you (plural) Spain may have reached |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | hayan alcanzado | they may have reached, you (plural) may have reached |
Example:
| Dudo que haya alcanzado a coger la fruta del árbol | I doubt that he may have reached to get the fruit from the tree |
| Es posible que ellos hayan alcanzado a cumplir sus sueños | It’s possible they may have reached to accomplish their dreams |
Alcanzar in the Subjunctive Past Perfect Tense (Pluscuamperfecto del Subjuntivo)
The subjunctive past perfect is used to talk about hypothetical situations or actions in the past. It can also be used to talk about past actions that preceded other past actions.
To form the subjunctive past perfect you must use the imperfect subjunctive of the verb haber + the past participle of the verb.
The imperfect subjunctive of haber can be conjugated in two different ways. Having said that, the first conjugations are more commonly used.
Here are the conjugations of the verb haber in the imperfect subjunctive of the verb haber:
| Yo | hubiera |
| Tú | hubieras |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | hubiera |
| Nosotros (as) | hubiéramos |
| Vosotros (as) | hubierais |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | hubieran |
The other conjugations of haber in the imperfect subjunctive are:
| Yo | hubiese |
| Tú | hubieses |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | hubiese |
| Nosotros (as) | hubiésemos |
| Vosotros (as) | hubieseis |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | hubiesen |
To form the past participle of a verb:
- Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir)
- Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir).
- Add -ado for -ar verbs
- Add -ido for -er and –ir verbs
Let’s apply it to alcanzar:
- Find the verb in the infinitive (verb that ends in -ar, -er, -ir) = (alcanzar)
- Remove the ending (-ar, -er, -ir) = (alcanz)
- Add -ado for -ar verbs = (alcanzado)
The past participle of the verb alcanzar is alcanzado.
Now, let’s put it together . Here are the conjugations of the verb alcanzar in the subjunctive past perfect.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | hubiese alcanzado | I might have reached |
| Tú | hubieses alcanzado | you might have reached |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | hubiese alcanzado | he/she might have reached, you (formal) might have reached |
| Nosotros (as) | hubiésemos alcanzado | we might have reached |
| Vosotros (as) | hubieseis alcanzado | you (plural) Spain might have reached |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | hubiesen alcanzado | they might have reached, you (plural) might have reached |
OR
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| Yo | hubiera alcanzado | I might have reached |
| Tú | hubieras alcanzado | you might have reached |
| Él / Ella / Usted (Ud.) | hubiera alcanzado | he/she might have reached, you (formal) might have reached |
| Nosotros (as) | hubiéramos alcanzado | we might have reached |
| Vosotros (as) | hubierais alcanzado | you (plural) Spain might have reached |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes (Uds.) | hubieran alcanzado | they might have reached, you (plural) might have reached |
Example:
| Yo hubiera alcanzado el libro de la estantería si fuera más alta | I might have reached the book if on the stand if I was taller |
| Desearía que no hubieras alcanzado a recogerme | I wish you might have not reached to pick me up |
Alcanzar as an Imperative Affirmative Command
The imperative Affirmative commands are used to tell someone or a group of people what to do. We do not give commands in the 1st or 3rd person which is why yo, él, ella, ellos, and ellas have been removed for this tense.
Alcanzar is irregular when forming Imperative Affirmative Commands.
Mostly we will give commands or tell someone we treat as (tú) what to do. Let’s learn how to conjugate that part first.
To find the Affirmative Informal tú command of a verb follow these steps:
- Find the tú form of the verb in the present tense.
- Take off the “s”
- That will give you the affirmative informal command of a verb in the tú form.
Reminders: Stem changing verbs should continue to have the change in the stem.
For example, The affirmative informal tú command of the verb alcanzar would be alcanza.
Let’s see the process:
- Find the tú form of the verb in the present tense. (alcanzas)
- Take off the “s”. (alcanza)
- That will give you the affirmative informal command of a verb in the tú form. (alcanza)
To review how to use Affirmative informal (tú) commands watch my video: Click for Video
Alcanzar is irregular when forming Imperative Affirmative Commands. That means it doesn’t follow the pattern of regular -ar verbs in the preterite. Instead we must follow a different set of rules.
Alcanzar is part of what we call -car, -gar, -zar verbs. Verbs that end in -car, -gar, -zar have a spelling change in the YO form in the preterite.
-car, -gar, -zar verbs have a change in the yo form in the preterite form.
For a video lesson on -car, gar, zar verbs check out my video: https://youtu.be/fpMIYGt_3vw
-car verbs. Verbs that end in -car will have a change in the yo form and only in the yo form. The c changes to qu in the yo form only. The rest of the forms follow normal preterite conjugations and endings.
– gar verbs. Verbs will have a change in the yo form and only in the yo form. The g changes to gu in the yo form only. The rest of the forms follow normal preterite conjugations and endings.
-zar verbs. Verbs that end in –zar like alcanzar will have a change in the yo form and only in the yo form. The z changes to ce in the yo form only. The rest of the forms follow normal preterite conjugations and endings.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Tú | ¡alcanza! | reach! |
| Usted (Ud.) | ¡alcance! | reach! |
| Nosotros (as) | ¡alcancemos! | reach! |
| Vosotros (as) | ¡alcanzad! | reach! |
| Ustedes (Uds.) | ¡alcancen! | reach! |
Examples:
| ¡Alcanza el libro! | Reach the book! |
| ¡Alcancen sus objetivos! | Reach your objectives! |
Alcanzar as an Imperative Negative Command
The imperative Negative commands are used to tell someone or a group of people what NOT to do. We do not give commands in the 1st or 3rd person which is why yo, él, ella, ellos, and ellas have been removed for this tense.
Mostly we will give commands or tell someone we treat as (tú) what to do. Let’s learn how to conjugate that part first.
To find the Negative Informal tú command of a regular verb follow these steps:
- Start with No
- Find the yo form of the verb in the present tense.
- Take off the “o”
- Add -es if it’s an -ar verb or -as if it’s and -er or -ir verb.
To review how to use Negative informal (tú) commands watch my video: Click for Video
Alcanzar is irregular when forming Imperative Negative Commands. That means it doesn’t follow the pattern of regular -ar verbs in the preterite. Instead we must follow a different set of rules.
Alcanzar is part of what we call -car, -gar, -zar verbs. Verbs that end in -car, -gar, -zar have a spelling change in the YO form in the preterite.
-car, -gar, -zar verbs have a change in the yo form in the preterite form.
For a video lesson on -car, gar, zar verbs check out my video: https://youtu.be/fpMIYGt_3vw
-car verbs. Verbs that end in -car will have a change in the yo form and only in the yo form. The c changes to qu in the yo form only. The rest of the forms follow normal preterite conjugations and endings.
– gar verbs. Verbs will have a change in the yo form and only in the yo form. The g changes to gu in the yo form only. The rest of the forms follow normal preterite conjugations and endings.
-zar verbs. Verbs that end in –zar like alcanzar will have a change in the yo form and only in the yo form. The z changes to ce in the yo form only. The rest of the forms follow normal preterite conjugations and endings.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Tú | ¡No alcances! | Don’t reach! |
| Usted (Ud.) | ¡No alcance! | Don’t reach! |
| Nosotros (as) | ¡No alcancemos! | Don’t reach! |
| Vosotros (as) | ¡No alcancéis! | Don’t reach! |
| Ustedes (Uds.) | ¡No alcancen! | Don’t reach! |
Examples
| ¡No alcance sus sueños! | Don’t reach your dreams! |