Alargar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb alargar means to lengthen, to extend, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Alargar means to lengthen or to extend, and it covers lengthening a dress, extending a meeting until six, holding out a hand to greet and extending a project deadline. It is a spelling-change verb: the g becomes gu before e. Like every Spanish verb, alargar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say alargo el vestido para la fiesta, and in the preterite you say alargué la mano para saludar. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: alargar
  • English: to lengthen, to extend
  • Verb type: irregular verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: alargando
  • Past participle: alargado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + alargado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for alargar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is alargué and the subjunctive is alargue.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for alargar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo alargo
tú alargas
él/ella/Ud. alarga
nosotros/as alargamos
vosotros/as alargáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. alargan

Preterite

Person Form
yo alargué
tú alargaste
él/ella/Ud. alargó
nosotros/as alargamos
vosotros/as alargasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. alargaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo alargaba
tú alargabas
él/ella/Ud. alargaba
nosotros/as alargábamos
vosotros/as alargabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. alargaban

Future

Person Form
yo alargaré
tú alargarás
él/ella/Ud. alargará
nosotros/as alargaremos
vosotros/as alargaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. alargarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo alargaría
tú alargarías
él/ella/Ud. alargaría
nosotros/as alargaríamos
vosotros/as alargaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. alargarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he alargado
tú has alargado
él/ella/Ud. ha alargado
nosotros/as hemos alargado
vosotros/as habéis alargado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han alargado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había alargado
tú habías alargado
él/ella/Ud. había alargado
nosotros/as habíamos alargado
vosotros/as habíais alargado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían alargado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré alargado
tú habrás alargado
él/ella/Ud. habrá alargado
nosotros/as habremos alargado
vosotros/as habréis alargado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán alargado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría alargado
tú habrías alargado
él/ella/Ud. habría alargado
nosotros/as habríamos alargado
vosotros/as habríais alargado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían alargado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo alargue
tú alargues
él/ella/Ud. alargue
nosotros/as alarguemos
vosotros/as alarguéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. alarguen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo alargara
tú alargaras
él/ella/Ud. alargara
nosotros/as alargáramos
vosotros/as alargarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. alargaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú alarga
él/ella/Ud. alargue
nosotros/as alarguemos
vosotros/as alargad
ellos/ellas/Uds. alarguen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú alargues
él/ella/Ud. alargue
nosotros/as alarguemos
vosotros/as alarguéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. alarguen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund alargando with estar for the progressive: estoy alargando
Past participle alargado with haber for the perfect tenses: he alargado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For alargar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Alargo el vestido para la fiesta. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. Note the spelling change in the first person: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite first person is alargué. For alargar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, alargué la reunión hasta las seis. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alargar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, alargaba la mano para saludar. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alargar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, alargaré el plazo del proyecto. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alargar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Alargaría el vestido para la fiesta si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alargar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he alargado la reunión hasta las seis. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alargar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había alargado la mano para saludar antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alargar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré alargado el plazo del proyecto. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alargar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría alargado el vestido para la fiesta con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For alargar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él alargue la reunión hasta las seis. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alargar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él alargara la mano para saludar, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For alargar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Alarga el plazo del proyecto! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For alargar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No alargues el vestido para la fiesta. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with alargar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Alargo el vestido para la fiesta. — I lengthen the dress for the party.
  2. Alarga la reunión hasta las seis. — He/she lengthens the meeting until six.
  3. Ayer, alargué la mano para saludar. — Yesterday, I lengthened my hand to greet.
  4. Antes, nosotros alargábamos el plazo del proyecto. — Before, we used to lengthen the project deadline.
  5. Mañana, tú alargarás el vestido para la fiesta. — Tomorrow, you will lengthen the dress for the party.
  6. Yo alargaría la reunión hasta las seis si tuviera más tiempo. — I would lengthen the meeting until six if I had more time.
  7. Él ha alargado la mano para saludar. — He has lengthened my hand to greet.
  8. Espero que él alargue el plazo del proyecto. — I hope he lengthens the project deadline.
  9. Yo ya había alargado el vestido para la fiesta antes de salir. — I had already lengthened the dress for the party before leaving.
  10. Ellos alargaban la reunión hasta las seis cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to lengthen the meeting until six when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo alarga el vestido para la fiesta. — Right: Yo alargo el vestido para la fiesta. — The person matters: alarga is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is alargo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo alargé la reunión hasta las seis. — Right: Yo alargué la reunión hasta las seis. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is alargué, not alargé. alargar is a spelling-change verb: g becomes gu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating alargar and extender as identical in every context. — Right: Alargar means to lengthen, to extend, while extender means to extend, the close synonym. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: alargar fits sentences such as Alargo el vestido para la fiesta, while extender belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy alargado la reunión hasta las seis. — Right: Yo he alargado la reunión hasta las seis. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he alargado, has alargado, ha alargado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo alargué la mano para saludar todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo alargaba la mano para saludar todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (alargaba), not the preterite. The preterite (alargué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on alargar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el vestido para la fiesta. (present tense) A. alargo B. alargas C. alarga D. alargamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la reunión hasta las seis. (preterite) A. alargué B. alargaste C. alargaron D. alargó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la mano para saludar. (imperfect) A. alargabas B. alargaban C. alargábamos D. alargaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el plazo del proyecto. (future) A. alargaremos B. alargarás C. alargaré D. alargará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el vestido para la fiesta si pudiera. (conditional) A. alargaría B. alargarías C. alargarían D. alargo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la reunión hasta las seis. (present subjunctive) A. alargues B. alarguemos C. alargo D. alargue

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la mano para saludar, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. alargáramos B. alargo C. alargara D. alargaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el plazo del proyecto. (present perfect) A. han alargado B. hemos alargado C. he alargado D. has alargado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ el vestido para la fiesta! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. alarga B. alargue C. alarguemos D. alargad

  10. Which is the gerund of alargar, used with estar for the progressive? A. alargado B. alargo C. alargué D. alargando

Answer key

  1. alargo — The first-person present of alargar is alargo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. alargó — The third-person preterite of alargar is alargó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. alargábamos — The nosotros imperfect of alargar is alargábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. alargarás — The second-person future of alargar is alargarás.
  5. alargaría — The first-person conditional of alargar is alargaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. alargue — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of alargar is alargue.
  7. alargara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of alargar is alargara.
  8. hemos alargado — The nosotros present perfect of alargar is hemos alargado: hemos + alargado.
  9. alarga — The affirmative tú imperative of alargar is alarga.
  10. alargando — The gerund of alargar is alargando: estoy alargando. The participle alargado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does alargar mean in English?

Alargar means to lengthen, to extend. It is used in everyday situations such as Alargo el vestido para la fiesta. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is alargar regular or irregular?

Alargar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including alargo in the present and alargué in the preterite.

What is the difference between alargar and extender?

Alargar means to lengthen, to extend, while extender means to extend, the close synonym. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use alargar when you mean to lengthen, to extend, as in Alargo el vestido para la fiesta, and use extender for to extend, the close synonym. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I lengthen” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo alargué la reunión hasta las seis. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo alargaba la mano para saludar. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he alargado la reunión hasta las seis.

How do I practise alargar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the alargar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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