Forzar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb forzar means to force, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Forzar means to force something open, or to force a person: forzar a alguien a + infinitive means to make someone do something. It can also mean to strain something, as in forzar la voz. Like every Spanish verb, forzar 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 fuerzo la puerta del garaje — "I force the garage door". 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: fuerzo, fuerzas, fuerza and fuerzan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: forzamos, forzáis. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is forcé and the present subjunctive yo form is fuerce.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: forzar
  • English: to force
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ar verb (o → ue)
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: forzando
  • Past participle: forzado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + forzado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fuerzo | | tú | fuerzas | | él/ella/Ud. | fuerza | | nosotros/as | forzamos | | vosotros/as | forzáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fuerzan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | forcé | | tú | forzaste | | él/ella/Ud. | forzó | | nosotros/as | forzamos | | vosotros/as | forzasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | forzaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | forzaba | | tú | forzabas | | él/ella/Ud. | forzaba | | nosotros/as | forzábamos | | vosotros/as | forzabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | forzaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | forzaré | | tú | forzarás | | él/ella/Ud. | forzará | | nosotros/as | forzaremos | | vosotros/as | forzaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | forzarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | forzaría | | tú | forzarías | | él/ella/Ud. | forzaría | | nosotros/as | forzaríamos | | vosotros/as | forzaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | forzarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fuerce | | tú | fuerces | | él/ella/Ud. | fuerce | | nosotros/as | forcemos | | vosotros/as | forcéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fuercen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | forzara | | tú | forzaras | | él/ella/Ud. | forzara | | nosotros/as | forzáramos | | vosotros/as | forzarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | forzaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | fuerza | | él/ella/Ud. | fuerce | | nosotros/as | forcemos | | vosotros/as | forzad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fuercen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | fuerces | | él/ella/Ud. | fuerce | | nosotros/as | forcemos | | vosotros/as | forcéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fuercen |

Gerund and past participle

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

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: fuerzo, fuerzas, fuerza and fuerzan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: forzamos, forzáis. For forzar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo fuerzo la puerta del garaje — "I force the garage door".

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. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is forcé and the present subjunctive yo form is fuerce. For forzar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo forcé una sonrisa incómoda — "Yesterday, I forced an awkward smile".

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 forzar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo forzaba la cerradura con una llave — "As a child, I used to force the lock with a key".

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 forzar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo forzaré a su hijo a estudiar — "Tomorrow, I will force his son to study".

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 forzar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo forzaría la puerta del garaje si pudiera — "I would force the garage door 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 forzar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he forzado una sonrisa incómoda — "Today, I have forced an awkward smile".

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 forzar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había forzado la cerradura con una llave antes de salir — "I already had forced the lock with a key 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 forzar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré forzado a su hijo a estudiar — "By tomorrow, I will have forced his son to study".

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 forzar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría forzado la puerta del garaje con más tiempo — "I would have forced the garage door 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: fuerzo, fuerzas, fuerza and fuerzan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: forzamos, forzáis. For forzar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él fuerce una sonrisa incómoda — "I hope he forces an awkward smile".

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 forzar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo forzara la cerradura con una llave, todo cambiaría — "If I forced the lock with a key, 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: fuerzo, fuerzas, fuerza and fuerzan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: forzamos, forzáis. For forzar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Fuerza a su hijo a estudiar. — "Force his son to study.".

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: fuerzo, fuerzas, fuerza and fuerzan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: forzamos, forzáis. For forzar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No fuerces la puerta del garaje. — "Do not force the garage door.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo fuerzo la puerta del garaje — "I force the garage door"
  2. Mi amigo fuerza una sonrisa incómoda — "My friend forces an awkward smile"
  3. Ayer, yo forcé la cerradura con una llave — "Yesterday, I forced the lock with a key"
  4. Antes, nosotros forzábamos a su hijo a estudiar — "Before, we used to force his son to study"
  5. Mañana, tú forzarás la situación con amenazas — "Tomorrow, you will force the situation with threats"
  6. Yo forzaría la puerta del garaje si tuviera más tiempo — "I would force the garage door if I had more time"
  7. Él ha forzado una sonrisa incómoda — "He has forced an awkward smile"
  8. Espero que él fuerce la cerradura con una llave — "I hope he forces the lock with a key"
  9. Yo ya había forzado a su hijo a estudiar antes de salir — "I already had forced his son to study before leaving"
  10. Ellos forzaban la situación con amenazas cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to force the situation with threats when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo forzo una sonrisa incómoda. — Right: Yo fuerzo una sonrisa incómoda. — forzar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is fuerzo, not forzo.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo forzé la cerradura con una llave. — Right: Ayer, yo forcé la cerradura con una llave. — The z of forzar becomes c before e, so the preterite yo form is forcé, never forzé.
  3. Wrong: Espero que él fuerza una sonrisa incómoda — Right: Espero que él fuerce una sonrisa incómoda — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él fuerce una sonrisa incómoda — not the indicative Espero que él fuerza una sonrisa incómoda.
  4. Wrong: Ayer, yo fuerzo la cerradura con una llave — Right: Ayer, yo forcé la cerradura con una llave — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo forcé la cerradura con una llave.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo forcé a su hijo a estudiar todos los días — Right: De niño, yo forzaba a su hijo a estudiar todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo forzaba a su hijo a estudiar todos los días.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la puerta del garaje — "I force the garage door" (present) A. fuerza B. forzamos C. fuerzo D. fuerzas

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ una sonrisa incómoda — "He forced an awkward smile" (preterite) A. forzó B. forcé C. forzaste D. forzamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la cerradura con una llave — "We used to force the lock with a key" (imperfect) A. forzabais B. forzábamos C. forzaba D. forzabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ a su hijo a estudiar — "You will force his son to study" (future) A. forzará B. forzaremos C. forzarás D. forzaré

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la situación con amenazas — "I would force the situation with threats" (conditional) A. forzaríais B. forzaría C. forzarías D. forzaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la puerta del garaje — "I hope he forces the garage door" (present subjunctive) A. forcemos B. forcéis C. fuerce D. fuerces

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ una sonrisa incómoda, todo cambiaría — "If I forced an awkward smile, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. forzara B. forzaras C. forzáramos D. forzarais

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la cerradura con una llave — "We have forced the lock with a key" (present perfect) A. has forzado B. ha forzado C. hemos forzado D. he forzado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ a su hijo a estudiar. — "Do not force his son to study." (negative imperative) A. forcemos B. forcéis C. fuerces D. fuerce

  10. Which is the gerund of forzar, used with estar for the progressive? A. fuerzo B. forcé C. forzando D. forzado

Answer key

  1. fuerzo — The present form for yo is fuerzo.
  2. forzó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is forzó.
  3. forzábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is forzábamos.
  4. forzarás — The future form for tú is forzarás.
  5. forzaría — The conditional form for yo is forzaría.
  6. fuerce — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is fuerce.
  7. forzara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is forzara.
  8. hemos forzado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos forzado.
  9. fuerces — The negative imperative form is fuerces.
  10. forzando — The gerund of forzar is forzando: estoy forzando. The participle forzado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does forzar mean in English?

forzar means to force. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo fuerzo la puerta del garaje — "I force the garage door". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is forzar regular?

No. forzar is a stem-changing -ar verb (o → ue). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: fuerzo, fuerzas, fuerza and fuerzan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: forzamos, forzáis. 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 forzar?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo forcé una sonrisa incómoda — "Yesterday, I forced an awkward smile". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo forzaba la cerradura con una llave — "As a child, I used to force the lock with a key". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he forzado una sonrisa incómoda — "Today, I have forced an awkward smile".

What is the difference between forzar and obligar?

Obligar means to oblige or compel someone, often by duty or by law. Forzar is more physical and direct — you force a door, a lock or a smile. Forzar means to force something open, or to force a person: forzar a alguien a + infinitive means to make someone do something. It can also mean to strain something, as in forzar la voz.

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