Aterrizar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb aterrizar means to land (a plane), and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Aterrizar means to land, for a plane coming down onto the runway. It is a travel verb used constantly in airports and flight announcements, and it is a spelling-change verb: z becomes c before e. Like every Spanish verb, aterrizar 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 aterrizo en el aeropuerto a las tres, and in the preterite you say aterricé en Madrid después de diez horas. 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: aterrizar
- English: to land (a plane)
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: aterrizando
- Past participle: aterrizado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + aterrizado)
- Spelling change: Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is aterrice and the preterite first person is aterricé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for aterrizar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the preterite first person is aterricé. In the present tense it is regular: aterrizo.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for aterrizar. 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 | aterrizo |
| tú | aterrizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | aterriza |
| nosotros/as | aterrizamos |
| vosotros/as | aterrizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aterrizan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aterricé |
| tú | aterrizaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | aterrizó |
| nosotros/as | aterrizamos |
| vosotros/as | aterrizasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aterrizaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aterrizaba |
| tú | aterrizabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | aterrizaba |
| nosotros/as | aterrizábamos |
| vosotros/as | aterrizabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aterrizaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aterrizaré |
| tú | aterrizarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | aterrizará |
| nosotros/as | aterrizaremos |
| vosotros/as | aterrizaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aterrizarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aterrizaría |
| tú | aterrizarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | aterrizaría |
| nosotros/as | aterrizaríamos |
| vosotros/as | aterrizaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aterrizarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he aterrizado |
| tú | has aterrizado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha aterrizado |
| nosotros/as | hemos aterrizado |
| vosotros/as | habéis aterrizado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han aterrizado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había aterrizado |
| tú | habías aterrizado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había aterrizado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos aterrizado |
| vosotros/as | habíais aterrizado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían aterrizado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré aterrizado |
| tú | habrás aterrizado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá aterrizado |
| nosotros/as | habremos aterrizado |
| vosotros/as | habréis aterrizado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán aterrizado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría aterrizado |
| tú | habrías aterrizado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría aterrizado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos aterrizado |
| vosotros/as | habríais aterrizado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían aterrizado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aterrice |
| tú | aterrices |
| él/ella/Ud. | aterrice |
| nosotros/as | aterricemos |
| vosotros/as | aterricéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aterricen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aterrizara |
| tú | aterrizaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | aterrizara |
| nosotros/as | aterrizáramos |
| vosotros/as | aterrizarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aterrizaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | aterriza |
| él/ella/Ud. | aterrice |
| nosotros/as | aterricemos |
| vosotros/as | aterrizad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aterricen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | aterrices |
| él/ella/Ud. | aterrice |
| nosotros/as | aterricemos |
| vosotros/as | aterricéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aterricen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | aterrizando | with estar for the progressive: estoy aterrizando |
| Past participle | aterrizado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he aterrizado |
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 aterrizar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Aterrizo en el aeropuerto a las tres. 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 aterrice and the preterite first person is aterricé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For aterrizar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, aterricé sin problemas pese a la lluvia. 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 aterrizar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, aterrizaba en Madrid después de diez horas. 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 aterrizar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, aterrizaré en la pista número dos. 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 aterrizar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Aterrizaría en el aeropuerto a las tres 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 aterrizar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he aterrizado sin problemas pese a la lluvia. 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 aterrizar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había aterrizado en Madrid después de diez horas 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 aterrizar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré aterrizado en la pista número dos. 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 aterrizar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría aterrizado en el aeropuerto a las tres 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 aterrice and the preterite first person is aterricé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For aterrizar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él aterrice sin problemas pese a la lluvia. 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 aterrizar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él aterrizara en Madrid después de diez horas, 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 aterrice and the preterite first person is aterricé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For aterrizar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Aterriza en la pista número dos! 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 aterrice and the preterite first person is aterricé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For aterrizar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No aterrices en el aeropuerto a las tres. 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 aterrizar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Aterrizo en el aeropuerto a las tres. — I land at the airport at three.
- Aterriza sin problemas pese a la lluvia. — He/she lands without problems despite the rain.
- Ayer, aterricé en Madrid después de diez horas. — Yesterday, I landed in Madrid after ten hours.
- Antes, nosotros aterrizábamos en la pista número dos. — Before, we used to land on runway number two.
- Mañana, tú aterrizarás en el aeropuerto a las tres. — Tomorrow, you will land at the airport at three.
- Yo aterrizaría sin problemas pese a la lluvia si tuviera más tiempo. — I would land without problems despite the rain if I had more time.
- Él ha aterrizado en Madrid después de diez horas. — He has landed in Madrid after ten hours.
- Espero que él aterrice en la pista número dos. — I hope he lands on runway number two.
- Yo ya había aterrizado en el aeropuerto a las tres antes de salir. — I had already landed at the airport at three before leaving.
- Ellos aterrizaban sin problemas pese a la lluvia cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to land without problems despite the rain when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo aterriza en el aeropuerto a las tres. — Right: Yo aterrizo en el aeropuerto a las tres. — The person matters: aterriza is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aterrizo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Espero que yo aterrize sin problemas pese a la lluvia. — Right: Espero que yo aterrice sin problemas pese a la lluvia. — Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is aterrice, never aterrize.
- Wrong: Treating aterrizar and despegar as identical in every context. — Right: Aterrizar means to land (a plane), while despegar means to take off. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: aterrizar fits sentences such as Aterrizo en el aeropuerto a las tres, while despegar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy aterrizado sin problemas pese a la lluvia. — Right: Yo he aterrizado sin problemas pese a la lluvia. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he aterrizado, has aterrizado, ha aterrizado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo aterricé en Madrid después de diez horas todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo aterrizaba en Madrid después de diez horas todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (aterrizaba), not the preterite. The preterite (aterricé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on aterrizar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el aeropuerto a las tres. (present tense) A. aterrizo B. aterrizas C. aterriza D. aterrizamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ sin problemas pese a la lluvia. (preterite) A. aterricé B. aterrizaste C. aterrizaron D. aterrizó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en Madrid después de diez horas. (imperfect) A. aterrizabas B. aterrizaban C. aterrizábamos D. aterrizaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ en la pista número dos. (future) A. aterrizaremos B. aterrizarás C. aterrizaré D. aterrizará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el aeropuerto a las tres si pudiera. (conditional) A. aterrizaría B. aterrizarías C. aterrizarían D. aterrizo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ sin problemas pese a la lluvia. (present subjunctive) A. aterrices B. aterricemos C. aterrizo D. aterrice
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en Madrid después de diez horas, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. aterrizáramos B. aterrizo C. aterrizara D. aterrizaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en la pista número dos. (present perfect) A. han aterrizado B. hemos aterrizado C. he aterrizado D. has aterrizado
Complete the command: ¡___ en el aeropuerto a las tres! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. aterriza B. aterrice C. aterricemos D. aterrizad
Which is the gerund of aterrizar, used with estar for the progressive? A. aterrizado B. aterrizo C. aterricé D. aterrizando
Answer key
- aterrizo — The first-person present of aterrizar is aterrizo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- aterrizó — The third-person preterite of aterrizar is aterrizó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- aterrizábamos — The nosotros imperfect of aterrizar is aterrizábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- aterrizarás — The second-person future of aterrizar is aterrizarás.
- aterrizaría — The first-person conditional of aterrizar is aterrizaría, the form for what would happen.
- aterrice — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of aterrizar is aterrice.
- aterrizara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of aterrizar is aterrizara.
- hemos aterrizado — The nosotros present perfect of aterrizar is hemos aterrizado: hemos + aterrizado.
- aterriza — The affirmative tú imperative of aterrizar is aterriza.
- aterrizando — The gerund of aterrizar is aterrizando: estoy aterrizando. The participle aterrizado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does aterrizar mean in English?
Aterrizar means to land (a plane). It is used in everyday situations such as Aterrizo en el aeropuerto a las tres. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is aterrizar regular or irregular?
Aterrizar is a spelling-change verb, so it is not fully regular. Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the present subjunctive is aterrice and the preterite first person is aterricé — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. The other tenses follow the regular -ar endings. Learn the changed forms from the tables above rather than applying the regular spelling.
What is the difference between aterrizar and despegar?
Aterrizar means to land (a plane), while despegar means to take off. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use aterrizar when you mean to land (a plane), as in Aterrizo en el aeropuerto a las tres, and use despegar for to take off. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I land (a plane)” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo aterricé sin problemas pese a la lluvia. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo aterrizaba en Madrid después de diez horas. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he aterrizado sin problemas pese a la lluvia.
How do I practise aterrizar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the aterrizar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Aterrizar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for aterrizar.
- Aterrizar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for aterrizar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Desembarcar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with aterrizar.
- Despegar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with aterrizar.
- Enmarcar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with aterrizar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.