Avanzar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb avanzar means to advance, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Avanzar means to advance, and it is used for advancing towards a goal with the ball, advancing on a project every week, traffic advancing slowly and advancing in your Spanish studies. It is a spelling-change verb: the z becomes c before e, so the preterite is avancé. Like every Spanish verb, avanzar 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 avanzo hacia la meta con el balón, and in the preterite you say avancé lento por el tráfico. 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: avanzar
- English: to advance
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: avanzando
- Past participle: avanzado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + avanzado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for avanzar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the preterite is avancé and the subjunctive is avance.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for avanzar. 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 | avanzo |
| tú | avanzas |
| él/ella/Ud. | avanza |
| nosotros/as | avanzamos |
| vosotros/as | avanzáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | avanzan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | avancé |
| tú | avanzaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | avanzó |
| nosotros/as | avanzamos |
| vosotros/as | avanzasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | avanzaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | avanzaba |
| tú | avanzabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | avanzaba |
| nosotros/as | avanzábamos |
| vosotros/as | avanzabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | avanzaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | avanzaré |
| tú | avanzarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | avanzará |
| nosotros/as | avanzaremos |
| vosotros/as | avanzaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | avanzarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | avanzaría |
| tú | avanzarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | avanzaría |
| nosotros/as | avanzaríamos |
| vosotros/as | avanzaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | avanzarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he avanzado |
| tú | has avanzado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha avanzado |
| nosotros/as | hemos avanzado |
| vosotros/as | habéis avanzado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han avanzado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había avanzado |
| tú | habías avanzado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había avanzado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos avanzado |
| vosotros/as | habíais avanzado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían avanzado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré avanzado |
| tú | habrás avanzado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá avanzado |
| nosotros/as | habremos avanzado |
| vosotros/as | habréis avanzado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán avanzado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría avanzado |
| tú | habrías avanzado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría avanzado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos avanzado |
| vosotros/as | habríais avanzado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían avanzado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | avance |
| tú | avances |
| él/ella/Ud. | avance |
| nosotros/as | avancemos |
| vosotros/as | avancéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | avancen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | avanzara |
| tú | avanzaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | avanzara |
| nosotros/as | avanzáramos |
| vosotros/as | avanzarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | avanzaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | avanza |
| él/ella/Ud. | avance |
| nosotros/as | avancemos |
| vosotros/as | avanzad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | avancen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | avances |
| él/ella/Ud. | avance |
| nosotros/as | avancemos |
| vosotros/as | avancéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | avancen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | avanzando | with estar for the progressive: estoy avanzando |
| Past participle | avanzado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he avanzado |
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: z becomes c before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For avanzar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Avanzo hacia la meta con el balón. 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: z becomes c before e, so the preterite first person is avancé. For avanzar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, avancé en el proyecto cada semana. 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 avanzar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, avanzaba lento por el tráfico. 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 avanzar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, avanzaré en sus estudios de español. 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 avanzar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Avanzaría hacia la meta con el balón 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 avanzar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he avanzado en el proyecto cada semana. 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 avanzar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había avanzado lento por el tráfico 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 avanzar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré avanzado en sus estudios de español. 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 avanzar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría avanzado hacia la meta con el balón 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: z becomes c before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For avanzar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él avance en el proyecto cada semana. 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 avanzar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él avanzara lento por el tráfico, 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: z becomes c before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For avanzar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Avanza en sus estudios de español! 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: z becomes c before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For avanzar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No avances hacia la meta con el balón. 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 avanzar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Avanzo hacia la meta con el balón. — I advance towards the goal with the ball.
- Avanza en el proyecto cada semana. — He/she advances on the project every week.
- Ayer, avancé lento por el tráfico. — Yesterday, I advanced slowly because of the traffic.
- Antes, nosotros avanzábamos en sus estudios de español. — Before, we used to advance in his Spanish studies.
- Mañana, tú avanzarás hacia la meta con el balón. — Tomorrow, you will advance towards the goal with the ball.
- Yo avanzaría en el proyecto cada semana si tuviera más tiempo. — I would advance on the project every week if I had more time.
- Él ha avanzado lento por el tráfico. — He has advanced slowly because of the traffic.
- Espero que él avance en sus estudios de español. — I hope he advances in his Spanish studies.
- Yo ya había avanzado hacia la meta con el balón antes de salir. — I had already advanced towards the goal with the ball before leaving.
- Ellos avanzaban en el proyecto cada semana cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to advance on the project every week when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo avanza hacia la meta con el balón. — Right: Yo avanzo hacia la meta con el balón. — The person matters: avanza is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is avanzo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo avanzé en el proyecto cada semana. — Right: Yo avancé en el proyecto cada semana. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is avancé, not avanzé. avanzar is a spelling-change verb: z becomes c before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
- Wrong: Treating avanzar and progresar as identical in every context. — Right: Avanzar means to advance, while progresar means to progress, the formal synonym. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: avanzar fits sentences such as Avanzo hacia la meta con el balón, while progresar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy avanzado en el proyecto cada semana. — Right: Yo he avanzado en el proyecto cada semana. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he avanzado, has avanzado, ha avanzado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo avancé lento por el tráfico todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo avanzaba lento por el tráfico todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (avanzaba), not the preterite. The preterite (avancé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on avanzar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ hacia la meta con el balón. (present tense) A. avanzo B. avanzas C. avanza D. avanzamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ en el proyecto cada semana. (preterite) A. avancé B. avanzaste C. avanzaron D. avanzó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ lento por el tráfico. (imperfect) A. avanzabas B. avanzaban C. avanzábamos D. avanzaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ en sus estudios de español. (future) A. avanzaremos B. avanzarás C. avanzaré D. avanzará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ hacia la meta con el balón si pudiera. (conditional) A. avanzaría B. avanzarías C. avanzarían D. avanzo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en el proyecto cada semana. (present subjunctive) A. avances B. avancemos C. avanzo D. avance
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ lento por el tráfico, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. avanzáramos B. avanzo C. avanzara D. avanzaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en sus estudios de español. (present perfect) A. han avanzado B. hemos avanzado C. he avanzado D. has avanzado
Complete the command: ¡___ hacia la meta con el balón! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. avanza B. avance C. avancemos D. avanzad
Which is the gerund of avanzar, used with estar for the progressive? A. avanzado B. avanzo C. avancé D. avanzando
Answer key
- avanzo — The first-person present of avanzar is avanzo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- avanzó — The third-person preterite of avanzar is avanzó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- avanzábamos — The nosotros imperfect of avanzar is avanzábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- avanzarás — The second-person future of avanzar is avanzarás.
- avanzaría — The first-person conditional of avanzar is avanzaría, the form for what would happen.
- avance — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of avanzar is avance.
- avanzara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of avanzar is avanzara.
- hemos avanzado — The nosotros present perfect of avanzar is hemos avanzado: hemos + avanzado.
- avanza — The affirmative tú imperative of avanzar is avanza.
- avanzando — The gerund of avanzar is avanzando: estoy avanzando. The participle avanzado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does avanzar mean in English?
Avanzar means to advance. It is used in everyday situations such as Avanzo hacia la meta con el balón. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is avanzar regular or irregular?
Avanzar 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 avanzo in the present and avancé in the preterite.
What is the difference between avanzar and progresar?
Avanzar means to advance, while progresar means to progress, the formal synonym. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use avanzar when you mean to advance, as in Avanzo hacia la meta con el balón, and use progresar for to progress, the formal synonym. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I advance” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo avancé en el proyecto cada semana. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo avanzaba lento por el tráfico. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he avanzado en el proyecto cada semana.
How do I practise avanzar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the avanzar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Avanzar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for avanzar.
- Avanzar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for avanzar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Lanzar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with avanzar.
- Simbolizar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with avanzar.
- Bautizar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with avanzar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.