The preterite of lanzar is used to express when something was thrown or launched at a specific moment in the past. For example, “The company launched the new product last month” – “La empresa lanzó el nuevo producto el mes pasado.”
This verb follows the -zar spelling-changing pattern in the preterite. The ‘z’ changes to ‘c’ before ‘e’ to maintain the same sound, which occurs in the yo form (lancé).
Conjugations
Conjugations of Lanzar (to throw/launch) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | lancé |
| Tú | lanzaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | lanzó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | lanzamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | lanzasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | lanzaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Lanzar (to throw/launch) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Lanzar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of lanzar indicates completed actions of throwing or launching.
To throw/launch: Used for a single, completed action of throwing or launching something, for example Lancé la pelota al jardín (I threw the ball into the garden).
To release/launch (product/campaign): Describes initiating or releasing something new, for example La empresa lanzó un nuevo producto (The company launched a new product).
Examples
Examples of Lanzar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
El equipo lanzó su nuevo producto al mercado. (The team launched their new product to the market.)
Lancé la pelota por encima de la valla. (I threw the ball over the fence.)
La empresa lanzó una campaña innovadora. (The company launched an innovative campaign.)
Los manifestantes lanzaron consignas durante la protesta. (The protesters shouted slogans during the protest.)
Lanzaste una idea brillante en la reunión. (You threw out a brilliant idea in the meeting.)
El astronauta lanzó un mensaje desde el espacio. (The astronaut broadcast a message from space.)
Lanzamos el proyecto la semana pasada. (We launched the project last week.)
El artista lanzó su nuevo álbum ayer. (The artist released their new album yesterday.)
Lanzaron una advertencia a todos los empleados. (They issued a warning to all employees.)
¿Por qué lanzaste esos documentos? (Why did you throw away those documents?)
El cohete se lanzó exitosamente. (The rocket launched successfully.)
Lanzamos una encuesta entre los clientes. (We launched a survey among customers.)
La actriz lanzó su línea de ropa. (The actress launched her clothing line.)
Lanzaron el programa piloto en tres ciudades. (They launched the pilot program in three cities.)
El periodista lanzó una pregunta controversial. (The journalist threw out a controversial question.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Lanzar (to throw/launch) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo lancé | I threw |
| Tú lanzaste | You threw |
| Él / Ella / Usted lanzó | He / She / You (formal) threw |
| Nosotros / Nosotras lanzamos | We threw |
| Vosotros / Vosotras lanzasteis | You all threw |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes lanzaron | They / You all (formal) threw |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.