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alcanzar

Spanish, verb/alkanˈθaɾ/

alcanzar is a Spanish verb meaning “to reach; to get to to catch up” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) defines it as “Avanzar y llegar hasta algo o alguien que va adelante, física o figuradamente”.

What does alcanzar mean in English?

verb

  1. 1

    to reach; to get to to catch up

    Los alcancé a tiempo.

  2. 2

    to accomplish; to achieve

  3. 3

    to be enough; to suffice

  4. 4

    Latin-Americato pass

    Alcánzame un tenedor, por favor.

  5. 5

    to peak, to peak at

    Ese tipo alcanzó su punto más alto en secundaria.

  6. 6

    to get it (to receive punishment; to receive a beating)

Source: English Wiktionary, Spanish section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How Spanish dictionaries define it

verb: 1. Avanzar y llegar hasta algo o alguien que va adelante, física o figuradamente. 2. Llegar a tener algo que se deseaba o buscaba. 3. Coger alguna cosa alargando la mano para tomarla. 4. Avanzar hasta tocar, juntarse o hacer impacto con algo o alguien.

verb: 1. Llegar a cierto punto, distancia o nivel. 2. Ser o haber suficiente para un propósito.

The definition in the Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), in Spanish.

Source: Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.

Forms of alcanzar

  • alcanzo first-person present singular
  • alcancé first-person preterite singular
  • alcanzado participle past
  • c-z alternation
  • alcanzando gerund
  • alcanzada feminine participle past
  • alcanzados masculine participle past
  • alcanzadas feminine participle past
  • alcanzas indicative informal present
  • alcanzás indicative informal present
  • alcanza indicative present singular
  • alcanzamos first-person indicative plural
  • alcanzáis indicative plural present
  • alcanzan indicative plural present
  • alcanzaba first-person imperfect indicative
  • alcanzabas imperfect indicative second-person
  • alcanzábamos first-person imperfect indicative
  • alcanzabais imperfect indicative plural

Source: English Wiktionary and Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).

How do you pronounce alcanzar?

  • /alkanˈθaɾ/
  • [al.kãn̟ˈθaɾ]
  • /alkanˈsaɾ/

Sources: English Wiktionary, Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.

English words that translate to alcanzar

Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.

How common is alcanzar in Spanish?

alcanzar appears 47 times per million words in written Spanish.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).