Lanzar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb lanzar means to throw, to launch, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Lanzar means to throw or to launch, and it covers throwing a ball into the air, launching a new product onto the market and launching a campaign on social media. It is stronger than tirar, and it is a spelling-change verb: the z becomes c before e, so the preterite is lancé. Like every Spanish verb, lanzar 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 lanzo la pelota al aire, and in the preterite you say lancé una campaña en las redes. 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: lanzar
- English: to throw, to launch
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: lanzando
- Past participle: lanzado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + lanzado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for lanzar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the preterite is lancé and the subjunctive is lance. Lanzar un producto is to launch a product.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for lanzar. 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 | lanzo |
| tú | lanzas |
| él/ella/Ud. | lanza |
| nosotros/as | lanzamos |
| vosotros/as | lanzáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | lanzan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | lancé |
| tú | lanzaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | lanzó |
| nosotros/as | lanzamos |
| vosotros/as | lanzasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | lanzaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | lanzaba |
| tú | lanzabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | lanzaba |
| nosotros/as | lanzábamos |
| vosotros/as | lanzabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | lanzaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | lanzaré |
| tú | lanzarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | lanzará |
| nosotros/as | lanzaremos |
| vosotros/as | lanzaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | lanzarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | lanzaría |
| tú | lanzarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | lanzaría |
| nosotros/as | lanzaríamos |
| vosotros/as | lanzaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | lanzarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he lanzado |
| tú | has lanzado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha lanzado |
| nosotros/as | hemos lanzado |
| vosotros/as | habéis lanzado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han lanzado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había lanzado |
| tú | habías lanzado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había lanzado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos lanzado |
| vosotros/as | habíais lanzado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían lanzado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré lanzado |
| tú | habrás lanzado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá lanzado |
| nosotros/as | habremos lanzado |
| vosotros/as | habréis lanzado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán lanzado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría lanzado |
| tú | habrías lanzado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría lanzado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos lanzado |
| vosotros/as | habríais lanzado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían lanzado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | lance |
| tú | lances |
| él/ella/Ud. | lance |
| nosotros/as | lancemos |
| vosotros/as | lancéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | lancen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | lanzara |
| tú | lanzaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | lanzara |
| nosotros/as | lanzáramos |
| vosotros/as | lanzarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | lanzaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | lanza |
| él/ella/Ud. | lance |
| nosotros/as | lancemos |
| vosotros/as | lanzad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | lancen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | lances |
| él/ella/Ud. | lance |
| nosotros/as | lancemos |
| vosotros/as | lancéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | lancen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | lanzando | with estar for the progressive: estoy lanzando |
| Past participle | lanzado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he lanzado |
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 lanzar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Lanzo la pelota al aire. 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 lancé. For lanzar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, lancé un nuevo producto al mercado. 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 lanzar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, lanzaba una campaña en las redes. 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 lanzar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, lanzaré la moneda al aire. 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 lanzar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Lanzaría la pelota al aire 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 lanzar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he lanzado un nuevo producto al mercado. 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 lanzar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había lanzado una campaña en las redes 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 lanzar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré lanzado la moneda al aire. 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 lanzar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría lanzado la pelota al aire 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 lanzar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él lance un nuevo producto al mercado. 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 lanzar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él lanzara una campaña en las redes, 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 lanzar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Lanza la moneda al aire! 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 lanzar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No lances la pelota al aire. 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 lanzar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Lanzo la pelota al aire. — I throw the ball into the air.
- Lanza un nuevo producto al mercado. — He/she throws a new product onto the market.
- Ayer, lancé una campaña en las redes. — Yesterday, I threw a campaign on social media.
- Antes, nosotros lanzábamos la moneda al aire. — Before, we used to throw the coin into the air.
- Mañana, tú lanzarás la pelota al aire. — Tomorrow, you will throw the ball into the air.
- Yo lanzaría un nuevo producto al mercado si tuviera más tiempo. — I would throw a new product onto the market if I had more time.
- Él ha lanzado una campaña en las redes. — He has thrown a campaign on social media.
- Espero que él lance la moneda al aire. — I hope he throws the coin into the air.
- Yo ya había lanzado la pelota al aire antes de salir. — I had already thrown the ball into the air before leaving.
- Ellos lanzaban un nuevo producto al mercado cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to throw a new product onto the market when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo lanza la pelota al aire. — Right: Yo lanzo la pelota al aire. — The person matters: lanza is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is lanzo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo lanzé un nuevo producto al mercado. — Right: Yo lancé un nuevo producto al mercado. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is lancé, not lanzé. lanzar 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 lanzar and tirar as identical in every context. — Right: Lanzar means to throw, to launch, while tirar means to throw, the close verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: lanzar fits sentences such as Lanzo la pelota al aire, while tirar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy lanzado un nuevo producto al mercado. — Right: Yo he lanzado un nuevo producto al mercado. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he lanzado, has lanzado, ha lanzado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo lancé una campaña en las redes todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo lanzaba una campaña en las redes todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (lanzaba), not the preterite. The preterite (lancé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on lanzar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la pelota al aire. (present tense) A. lanzo B. lanzas C. lanza D. lanzamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ un nuevo producto al mercado. (preterite) A. lancé B. lanzaste C. lanzaron D. lanzó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ una campaña en las redes. (imperfect) A. lanzabas B. lanzaban C. lanzábamos D. lanzaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la moneda al aire. (future) A. lanzaremos B. lanzarás C. lanzaré D. lanzará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la pelota al aire si pudiera. (conditional) A. lanzaría B. lanzarías C. lanzarían D. lanzo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ un nuevo producto al mercado. (present subjunctive) A. lances B. lancemos C. lanzo D. lance
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ una campaña en las redes, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. lanzáramos B. lanzo C. lanzara D. lanzaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la moneda al aire. (present perfect) A. han lanzado B. hemos lanzado C. he lanzado D. has lanzado
Complete the command: ¡___ la pelota al aire! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. lanza B. lance C. lancemos D. lanzad
Which is the gerund of lanzar, used with estar for the progressive? A. lanzado B. lanzo C. lancé D. lanzando
Answer key
- lanzo — The first-person present of lanzar is lanzo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- lanzó — The third-person preterite of lanzar is lanzó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- lanzábamos — The nosotros imperfect of lanzar is lanzábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- lanzarás — The second-person future of lanzar is lanzarás.
- lanzaría — The first-person conditional of lanzar is lanzaría, the form for what would happen.
- lance — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of lanzar is lance.
- lanzara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of lanzar is lanzara.
- hemos lanzado — The nosotros present perfect of lanzar is hemos lanzado: hemos + lanzado.
- lanza — The affirmative tú imperative of lanzar is lanza.
- lanzando — The gerund of lanzar is lanzando: estoy lanzando. The participle lanzado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does lanzar mean in English?
Lanzar means to throw, to launch. It is used in everyday situations such as Lanzo la pelota al aire. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is lanzar regular or irregular?
Lanzar 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 lanzo in the present and lancé in the preterite.
What is the difference between lanzar and tirar?
Lanzar means to throw, to launch, while tirar means to throw, the close verb. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use lanzar when you mean to throw, to launch, as in Lanzo la pelota al aire, and use tirar for to throw, the close verb. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I throw” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo lancé un nuevo producto al mercado. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo lanzaba una campaña en las redes. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he lanzado un nuevo producto al mercado.
How do I practise lanzar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the lanzar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Lanzar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for lanzar.
- Lanzar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for lanzar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Avanzar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with lanzar.
- Simbolizar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with lanzar.
- Bautizar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with lanzar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.