Alzar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of alzar — “to raise, to lift” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for alzar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Alzar means to raise or to lift, to move something up, such as a hand, a voice or a flag. It is used in classrooms, meetings and ceremonies, and it is a spelling-change verb: z becomes c before e. It is a spelling-change verb (z becomes c before e), but the present tense itself is regular — the spelling change shows up in the subjunctive and the preterite. To see it in a real sentence: Alzo la mano para preguntar. — “I raise my hand to ask a question.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of alzar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: alzar
Every person of alzar in the present tense. The gerund is alzando and the past participle is alzado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alzo |
| tú | alzas |
| él/ella/Ud. | alza |
| nosotros/as | alzamos |
| vosotros/as | alzáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alzan |
How the present indicative of alzar is formed
The present indicative of alzar is built from the stem plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | alzo |
| tú | -as | alzas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | alza |
| nosotros/as | -amos | alzamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | alzáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | alzan |
Alzar is a spelling-change verb. In the present tense the forms are regular, so the table above follows the normal -ar endings. The spelling change appears when the ending starts with e: the present subjunctive is alce and the preterite first person is alcé. The sound stays the same; only the spelling changes to keep it.
The gerund of alzar is alzando and the past participle is alzado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of alzar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and alzar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and alzar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo alzo la mano para preguntar todos los días.” — “I raise my hand to ask a question every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él alza la voz en la reunión.” — “He/she raises my voice in the meeting.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so alzo can mean both “I raise” and “I am raiseing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo alzo la bandera en el mástil.” — “Right now, I raise the flag on the mast.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo alzo el telón del teatro.” — “Tomorrow, I will raise the theatre curtain.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú alzas la mano para preguntar?” — “Do you raise my hand to ask a question?”
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Alza la voz en la reunión. — “He/she raises my voice in the meeting.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Alzó la voz en la reunión. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add “used to” in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Alzan la bandera en el mástil. — “They raise the flag on the mast.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Alzaban la bandera en el mástil. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Alzas el telón del teatro. — “You raise the theatre curtain.”
- Future — what will happen: Alzarás el telón del teatro. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: alzar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show alzar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo alzo la mano para preguntar. — “I raise my hand to ask a question.”
- Tú alzas la voz en la reunión. — “You raise my voice in the meeting.”
- Él alza la bandera en el mástil. — “He raises the flag on the mast.”
- Nosotros alzamos el telón del teatro. — “We raise the theatre curtain.”
- Vosotros alzáis la mano para preguntar. — “You (plural) raise my hand to ask a question.”
- Ellos alzan la voz en la reunión. — “They raise my voice in the meeting.”
- ¿Tú alzas la bandera en el mástil? — “Do you raise the flag on the mast?”
Common mistakes with alzar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with alzar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo alzar la mano para preguntar. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo alzo la mano para preguntar.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of alzar is alzo, not the infinitive alzar.
✗ Vosotros alzais la mano para preguntar. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros alzáis la mano para preguntar.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: alzáis, not alzais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo alzo la voz en la reunión. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo alcé la voz en la reunión.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: alzo is happening now, while alcé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating alzar and levantar as identical in every context. (confusing alzar with levantar).
✓ Correct: Alzar means to raise, to lift, while levantar means to lift up.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: alzar fits sentences such as Alzo la mano para preguntar, while levantar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: alzar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of alzar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of alzar for tú?
- a) alzas
- b) alzo
- c) alza
- d) alzan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la mano para preguntar. — “I raise my hand to ask a question.”
- a) alza
- b) alzamos
- c) alzas
- d) alzo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la voz en la reunión. — “He/she raises my voice in the meeting.” (present tense)
- a) alzaba
- b) alzará
- c) alza
- d) alzó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of alzar for nosotros?
- a) alzan
- b) alzamos
- c) alzo
- d) alza
5. Which sentence uses alzar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él alzó la voz en la reunión.
- b) Él alza la voz en la reunión.
- c) Él alzará la voz en la reunión.
- d) Ellos alza la voz en la reunión.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la bandera en el mástil. — “They raise the flag on the mast.”
- a) alzo
- b) alza
- c) alzamos
- d) alzan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ el telón del teatro? — “Do you raise the theatre curtain?”
- a) alza
- b) alzarás
- c) alzas
- d) alzo
8. What is the gerund of alzar?
- a) alcé
- b) alzando
- c) alzado
- d) alzo
Answer key
a) alzas — The tú form is alzas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; alzo is yo, alza is él/ella and alzan is ellos/ellas.
d) alzo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: alzo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) alza — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: alza. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) alzamos — Nosotros takes alzamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él alza la voz en la reunión. — Él alza la voz en la reunión. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) alzan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is alzan.
c) alzas — The question needs the tú form in the present: alzas.
b) alzando — The gerund is alzando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle alzado.
Frequently asked questions
Is alzar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Alzar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: alzo, alzas, alza, alzamos, alzáis and alzan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of alzar?
The gerund is alzando and the past participle is alzado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I raise” in Spanish?
Say alzo. For example: Alzo la mano para preguntar. — “I raise my hand to ask a question.”
What is the difference between alzar and levantar?
Alzar means “to raise, to lift”, while levantar means “to lift up”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use alzar when you mean “to raise, to lift” and levantar when you mean “to lift up”. The full conjugation of alzar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of alzar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- alzar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Alumbrar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with alzar.
- Amamantar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with alzar.
- Alterar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with alzar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.