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SPANISH VERB

avanzar

to move forward

  • #180 most used
  • Regular -ar verb
  • Gerund: avanzando
  • Past participle: avanzado

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. yo I move forward
  2. tú you move forward
  3. usted, él, ella he/she moves forward
  4. nosotros we move forward
  5. vosotros Spain you all move forward
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they move forward

Past

Pretérito indefinido · finished actions

  1. yo I moved forward
  2. tú you moved forward
  3. usted, él, ella he/she moved forward
  4. nosotros we moved forward
  5. vosotros Spain you all moved forward
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they moved forward

Imperfect

Pretérito imperfecto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. yo I used to move forward
  2. tú you used to move forward
  3. usted, él, ella he/she used to move forward
  4. nosotros we used to move forward
  5. vosotros Spain you all used to move forward
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they used to move forward

Future

Futuro · plans and promises; in speech, “voy a hablar” is just as common

  1. yo I will move forward
  2. tú you will move forward
  3. usted, él, ella he/she will move forward
  4. nosotros we will move forward
  5. vosotros Spain you all will move forward
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they will move forward

Conditional

Condicional · “would”

  1. yo I would move forward
  2. tú you would move forward
  3. usted, él, ella he/she would move forward
  4. nosotros we would move forward
  5. vosotros Spain you all would move forward
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they would move forward

Present subjunctive

Presente de subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”

  1. yo (that) I move forward
  2. tú (that) you move forward
  3. usted, él, ella (that) he/she move forward
  4. nosotros (that) we move forward
  5. vosotros Spain (that) you all move forward
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (that) they move forward

Past subjunctive

Imperfecto de subjuntivo · “if I were”, “si …”

  1. yo (if) I moved forward
  2. tú (if) you moved forward
  3. usted, él, ella (if) he/she moved forward
  4. nosotros (if) we moved forward
  5. vosotros Spain (if) you all moved forward
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (if) they moved forward

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders; a negative one uses the subjunctive (no hables)

  1. tú move forward!
  2. usted move forward! (formal)
  3. nosotros move forward! (let’s)
  4. vosotros Spain move forward! (all of you)
  5. ustedes move forward! (all of you)

How to use avanzar

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    El tráfico avanza muy lento esta mañana.

    The traffic is moving very slowly this morning.

  2. Past

    Avanzamos diez kilómetros antes de parar a comer.

    We went ten kilometers before stopping to eat.

  3. Imperfect

    La fila avanzaba tan despacio que casi me voy.

    The line was moving so slowly I almost left.

  4. Future

    Con esta lluvia no avanzaremos mucho hoy.

    With this rain we won't get far today.

  5. Conditional

    Sin tantas pausas, avanzarías más rápido con el libro.

    Without so many breaks, you'd get through the book faster.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Cuando avance la fila, pasa tú primero.

    When the line moves, you go first.

  7. Past subjunctive

    El policía nos pidió que avanzáramos hasta la esquina.

    The policeman asked us to move up to the corner.

  8. Imperative

    ¡Avanza un poco, que no cabemos en el ascensor!

    Move up a bit, we don't fit in the elevator!

Good to know

  • "Avanzar" is also to make progress: "¿cómo vas avanzando con el curso?"

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -ar verb.