Alzarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb alzarse means to rise up, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Alzarse means to rise up, for a person standing up, a people rising against injustice, or the sun rising over the horizon. It is the reflexive partner of alzar, and it is a spelling-change verb: z becomes c before e. Like every Spanish verb, alzarse 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 me alzo contra la injusticia, and in the preterite you say me alcé en armas en la historia. 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: alzarse
  • English: to rise up
  • Verb type: irregular verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: alzando
  • Past participle: alzado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + alzado)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.
  • Spelling change: Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is alce and the preterite first person is alcé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for alzarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Alzarse is reflexive and a spelling-change verb: me alzo. It is rising up, often with effort or in protest.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for alzarse. 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 Pronoun Form
yo me alzo
tú te alzas
él/ella/Ud. se alza
nosotros/as nos alzamos
vosotros/as os alzáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se alzan

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me alcé
tú te alzaste
él/ella/Ud. se alzó
nosotros/as nos alzamos
vosotros/as os alzasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se alzaron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me alzaba
tú te alzabas
él/ella/Ud. se alzaba
nosotros/as nos alzábamos
vosotros/as os alzabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se alzaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me alzaré
tú te alzarás
él/ella/Ud. se alzará
nosotros/as nos alzaremos
vosotros/as os alzaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se alzarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me alzaría
tú te alzarías
él/ella/Ud. se alzaría
nosotros/as nos alzaríamos
vosotros/as os alzaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se alzarían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he alzado
tú te has alzado
él/ella/Ud. se ha alzado
nosotros/as nos hemos alzado
vosotros/as os habéis alzado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han alzado

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había alzado
tú te habías alzado
él/ella/Ud. se había alzado
nosotros/as nos habíamos alzado
vosotros/as os habíais alzado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían alzado

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré alzado
tú te habrás alzado
él/ella/Ud. se habrá alzado
nosotros/as nos habremos alzado
vosotros/as os habréis alzado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán alzado

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría alzado
tú te habrías alzado
él/ella/Ud. se habría alzado
nosotros/as nos habríamos alzado
vosotros/as os habríais alzado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían alzado

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me alce
tú te alces
él/ella/Ud. se alce
nosotros/as nos alcemos
vosotros/as os alcéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se alcen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me alzara
tú te alzaras
él/ella/Ud. se alzara
nosotros/as nos alzáramos
vosotros/as os alzarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se alzaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te alza
él/ella/Ud. se alce
nosotros/as nos alcemos
vosotros/as os alzad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se alcen

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te alces
él/ella/Ud. se alce
nosotros/as nos alcemos
vosotros/as os alcéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se alcen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund alzando with estar for the progressive: estoy alzando (or me estoy alzando for this reflexive verb)
Past participle alzado with haber for the perfect tenses: he alzado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alzarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me alzo contra la injusticia. 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: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is alce and the preterite first person is alcé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For alzarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me alcé de la silla con esfuerzo. 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 alzarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me alzaba en armas en la historia. 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 alzarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me alzaré sobre el horizonte al amanecer. 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 alzarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me alzaría contra la injusticia 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 alzarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he alzado de la silla con esfuerzo. 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 alzarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había alzado en armas en la historia 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 alzarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré alzado sobre el horizonte al amanecer. 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 alzarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría alzado contra la injusticia 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: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is alce and the preterite first person is alcé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For alzarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se alce de la silla con esfuerzo. 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 alzarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se alzara en armas en la historia, 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: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is alce and the preterite first person is alcé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For alzarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se alce sobre el horizonte al amanecer. 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: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is alce and the preterite first person is alcé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For alzarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te alces contra la injusticia. 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 alzarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me alzo contra la injusticia. — I rise up against injustice.
  2. Se alza de la silla con esfuerzo. — He/she rises up from the chair with effort.
  3. Ayer, me alcé en armas en la historia. — Yesterday, I rose up in arms in history.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos alzábamos sobre el horizonte al amanecer. — Before, we used to rise up over the horizon at dawn.
  5. Mañana, tú te alzarás contra la injusticia. — Tomorrow, you will rise up against injustice.
  6. Yo me alzaría de la silla con esfuerzo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would rise up from the chair with effort if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha alzado en armas en la historia. — He has risen up in arms in history.
  8. Espero que él se alce sobre el horizonte al amanecer. — I hope he rises up over the horizon at dawn.
  9. Yo ya me había alzado contra la injusticia antes de salir. — I had already risen up against injustice before leaving.
  10. Ellos se alzaban de la silla con esfuerzo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to rise up from the chair with effort when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo alzo contra la injusticia. — Right: Yo me alzo contra la injusticia. — Alzarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Espero que yo alze de la silla con esfuerzo. — Right: Espero que yo alce de la silla con esfuerzo. — Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is alce, never alze.
  3. Wrong: Treating alzarse and levantarse as identical in every context. — Right: Alzarse means to rise up, while levantarse means to get up. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: alzarse fits sentences such as Me alzo contra la injusticia, while levantarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy alzado de la silla con esfuerzo. — Right: Yo he alzado de la silla con esfuerzo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he alzado, has alzado, ha alzado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo alcé en armas en la historia todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo alzaba en armas en la historia todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (alzaba), not the preterite. The preterite (alcé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ contra la injusticia. (present tense) A. me alzo B. te alzas C. se alza D. nos alzamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ de la silla con esfuerzo. (preterite) A. me alcé B. te alzaste C. se alzaron D. se alzó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en armas en la historia. (imperfect) A. te alzabas B. se alzaban C. nos alzábamos D. me alzaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ sobre el horizonte al amanecer. (future) A. nos alzaremos B. te alzarás C. me alzaré D. se alzará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ contra la injusticia si pudiera. (conditional) A. me alzaría B. te alzarías C. se alzaría D. se alzarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ de la silla con esfuerzo. (present subjunctive) A. me alce B. te alces C. nos alcemos D. se alce

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en armas en la historia, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se alzara B. nos alzáramos C. me alzara D. te alzaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ sobre el horizonte al amanecer. (present perfect) A. se han alzado B. nos hemos alzado C. me he alzado D. te has alzado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ contra la injusticia. (negative imperative, tú) A. te alces B. se alce C. nos alcemos D. os alcéis

  10. Which is the gerund of alzarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. alzado B. alzo C. alcé D. alzando

Answer key

  1. me alzo — The first-person present of alzarse is me alzo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se alzó — The third-person preterite of alzarse is se alzó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos alzábamos — The nosotros imperfect of alzarse is nos alzábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te alzarás — The second-person future of alzarse is te alzarás.
  5. me alzaría — The first-person conditional of alzarse is me alzaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se alce — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of alzarse is se alce.
  7. me alzara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of alzarse is me alzara.
  8. nos hemos alzado — The nosotros present perfect of alzarse is nos hemos alzado: hemos + alzado.
  9. te alces — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te alces.
  10. alzando — The gerund of alzarse is alzando: estoy alzando. The participle alzado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does alzarse mean in English?

Alzarse means to rise up. It is used in everyday situations such as Me alzo contra la injusticia. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is alzarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Alzarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me alzo contra la injusticia and él se alza de la silla con esfuerzo. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between alzarse and levantarse?

Alzarse means to rise up, while levantarse means to get up. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use alzarse when you mean to rise up, as in Me alzo contra la injusticia, and use levantarse for to get up. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I rise up” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me alcé de la silla con esfuerzo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me alzaba en armas en la historia. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he alzado de la silla con esfuerzo.

How do I practise alzarse?

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

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