Alentar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb alentar means to encourage, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Alentar means to encourage someone: alentar a su equipo, alentar a su hija a estudiar. It takes a person as its object and often adds a + infinitive for the encouraged action. Like every Spanish verb, alentar 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 Yo aliento a su equipo antes del partido — "I encourage his team before the match". 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.

The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: aliento, alientas, alienta and alientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: alentamos, alentáis.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: alentar
  • English: to encourage
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie)
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: alentando
  • Past participle: alentado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + alentado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for alentar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for alentar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | aliento | | tú | alientas | | él/ella/Ud. | alienta | | nosotros/as | alentamos | | vosotros/as | alentáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | alientan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | alenté | | tú | alentaste | | él/ella/Ud. | alentó | | nosotros/as | alentamos | | vosotros/as | alentasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | alentaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | alentaba | | tú | alentabas | | él/ella/Ud. | alentaba | | nosotros/as | alentábamos | | vosotros/as | alentabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | alentaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | alentaré | | tú | alentarás | | él/ella/Ud. | alentará | | nosotros/as | alentaremos | | vosotros/as | alentaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | alentarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | alentaría | | tú | alentarías | | él/ella/Ud. | alentaría | | nosotros/as | alentaríamos | | vosotros/as | alentaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | alentarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | aliente | | tú | alientes | | él/ella/Ud. | aliente | | nosotros/as | alentemos | | vosotros/as | alentéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | alienten |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | alentara | | tú | alentaras | | él/ella/Ud. | alentara | | nosotros/as | alentáramos | | vosotros/as | alentarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | alentaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | alienta | | él/ella/Ud. | aliente | | nosotros/as | alentemos | | vosotros/as | alentad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | alienten |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | alientes | | él/ella/Ud. | aliente | | nosotros/as | alentemos | | vosotros/as | alentéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | alienten |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund alentando with estar for the progressive: está alentando
Past participle alentado with haber for the perfect tenses: he alentado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: aliento, alientas, alienta and alientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: alentamos, alentáis. For alentar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo aliento a su equipo antes del partido — "I encourage his team before the match".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alentar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo alenté a su hija a estudiar — "Yesterday, I encouraged his daughter to study".

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 alentar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo alentaba a los alumnos con palabras — "As a child, I used to encourage the pupils with words".

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 alentar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo alentaré a su amigo en los malos momentos — "Tomorrow, I will encourage his friend in hard times".

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 alentar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo alentaría a su equipo antes del partido si pudiera — "I would encourage his team before the match if I could".

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 alentar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he alentado a su hija a estudiar — "Today, I have encouraged his daughter to study".

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 alentar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había alentado a los alumnos con palabras antes de salir — "I already had encouraged the pupils with words before leaving".

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 alentar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré alentado a su amigo en los malos momentos — "By tomorrow, I will have encouraged his friend in hard times".

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 alentar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría alentado a su equipo antes del partido con más tiempo — "I would have encouraged his team before the match with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: aliento, alientas, alienta and alientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: alentamos, alentáis. For alentar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él aliente a su hija a estudiar — "I hope he encourages his daughter to study".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are 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 alentar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo alentara a los alumnos con palabras, todo cambiaría — "If I encouraged the pupils with words, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: aliento, alientas, alienta and alientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: alentamos, alentáis. For alentar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Alienta a su amigo en los malos momentos. — "Encourage his friend in hard times.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: aliento, alientas, alienta and alientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: alentamos, alentáis. For alentar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No alientes a su equipo antes del partido. — "Do not encourage his team before the match.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo aliento a su equipo antes del partido — "I encourage his team before the match"
  2. Mi amigo alienta a su hija a estudiar — "My friend encourages his daughter to study"
  3. Ayer, yo alenté a los alumnos con palabras — "Yesterday, I encouraged the pupils with words"
  4. Antes, nosotros alentábamos a su amigo en los malos momentos — "Before, we used to encourage his friend in hard times"
  5. Mañana, tú alentarás al público a participar — "Tomorrow, you will encourage the public to take part"
  6. Yo alentaría a su equipo antes del partido si tuviera más tiempo — "I would encourage his team before the match if I had more time"
  7. Él ha alentado a su hija a estudiar — "He has encouraged his daughter to study"
  8. Espero que él aliente a los alumnos con palabras — "I hope he encourages the pupils with words"
  9. Yo ya había alentado a su amigo en los malos momentos antes de salir — "I already had encouraged his friend in hard times before leaving"
  10. Ellos alentaban al público a participar cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to encourage the public to take part when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo alento a su hija a estudiar. — Right: Yo aliento a su hija a estudiar. — alentar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is aliento, not alento.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él alienta a su hija a estudiar — Right: Espero que él aliente a su hija a estudiar — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él aliente a su hija a estudiar — not the indicative Espero que él alienta a su hija a estudiar.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo aliento a los alumnos con palabras — Right: Ayer, yo alenté a los alumnos con palabras — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo alenté a los alumnos con palabras.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo alenté a su amigo en los malos momentos todos los días — Right: De niño, yo alentaba a su amigo en los malos momentos todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo alentaba a su amigo en los malos momentos todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo aliento su equipo antes del partido. — Right: Yo aliento a su equipo antes del partido. — alentar takes a before this complement: Yo aliento a su equipo antes del partido. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a su equipo antes del partido — "I encourage his team before the match" (present) A. alienta B. alentamos C. aliento D. alientas

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a su hija a estudiar — "He encouraged his daughter to study" (preterite) A. alentaste B. alentamos C. alentó D. alenté

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ a los alumnos con palabras — "We used to encourage the pupils with words" (imperfect) A. alentábamos B. alentaba C. alentabas D. alentabais

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ a su amigo en los malos momentos — "You will encourage his friend in hard times" (future) A. alentarás B. alentaré C. alentará D. alentaremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ al público a participar — "I would encourage the public to take part" (conditional) A. alentaría B. alentarías C. alentaríamos D. alentaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ a su equipo antes del partido — "I hope he encourages his team before the match" (present subjunctive) A. alentemos B. alentéis C. aliente D. alientes

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ a su hija a estudiar, todo cambiaría — "If I encouraged his daughter to study, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. alentáramos B. alentarais C. alentara D. alentaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ a los alumnos con palabras — "We have encouraged the pupils with words" (present perfect) A. ha alentado B. hemos alentado C. he alentado D. has alentado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ a su amigo en los malos momentos. — "Do not encourage his friend in hard times." (negative imperative) A. alientes B. aliente C. alentemos D. alentéis

  10. Which is the gerund of alentar, used with estar for the progressive? A. alentado B. aliento C. alenté D. alentando

Answer key

  1. aliento — The present form for yo is aliento.
  2. alentó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is alentó.
  3. alentábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is alentábamos.
  4. alentarás — The future form for tú is alentarás.
  5. alentaría — The conditional form for yo is alentaría.
  6. aliente — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is aliente.
  7. alentara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is alentara.
  8. hemos alentado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos alentado.
  9. alientes — The negative imperative form is alientes.
  10. alentando — The gerund of alentar is alentando: estoy alentando. The participle alentado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does alentar mean in English?

alentar means to encourage. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo aliento a su equipo antes del partido — "I encourage his team before the match". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is alentar regular?

No. alentar is a stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: aliento, alientas, alienta and alientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: alentamos, alentáis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of alentar?

The gerund is alentando and the past participle is alentado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I encourage" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo alenté a su hija a estudiar — "Yesterday, I encouraged his daughter to study". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo alentaba a los alumnos con palabras — "As a child, I used to encourage the pupils with words". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he alentado a su hija a estudiar — "Today, I have encouraged his daughter to study".

What is the difference between alentar and animar?

Animar is the everyday verb for encouraging someone or cheering them up. Alentar is the more formal synonym, common in speeches and writing. Alentar means to encourage someone: alentar a su equipo, alentar a su hija a estudiar. It takes a person as its object and often adds a + infinitive for the encouraged action.

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