abusar Preterite Conjugation
abusar — to take advantage of
The preterite of abusar (abusé, abusaste, abusó) marks completed actions of taking advantage in the past.
abusar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'abusar' to talk about a specific instance when someone took advantage of a situation or person, and that action is finished. For example, 'Ayer abusó de mi paciencia' (Yesterday he took advantage of my patience).
Notes on abusar in the Preterite
Abusar is a regular -ar verb and is completely regular in the preterite tense. The forms are: abusé, abusaste, abusó, abusamos, abusasteis, abusaron.
Example Sentences
Ayer abusé de tu confianza y lo siento.
Yesterday I took advantage of your trust and I'm sorry.
yo
Él abusó de su fuerza para conseguir lo que quería.
He used his strength to get what he wanted.
él/ella/usted
¿Ustedes abusaron de la promoción?
Did you all take advantage of the promotion?
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Ella abusó de la situación para obtener beneficios.
She took advantage of the situation to gain benefits.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single completed action.
Correct: For a specific completed act of taking advantage, use the preterite: 'Él abusó', not 'Él abusaba'.
Why: The preterite focuses on the completion of the action, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'abusó' (él/ella/usted) and 'abusé' (yo).
Correct: Remember the written accent: 'abusó' and 'abusé'.
Why: The accent marks the stressed syllable and distinguishes these forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: abuso
The present tense of abusar (abuso, abusas, abusa) describes current or habitual actions of taking advantage.
Imperfect
yo: abusaba
The imperfect of abusar (abusaba, abusabas) describes habitual or ongoing past actions of taking advantage.
Future
yo: abusaré
The future tense of abusar (abusaré, abusarás) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: abusaría
The conditional of abusar (abusaría, abusarías) expresses 'would' actions or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: abuse
The present subjunctive of abusar (abuse, abuses, abusen) follows expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: abusara
The imperfect subjunctive of abusar (e.g., abusara, abusaras) is used for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: abusa
Use 'abusa' (tú) and 'abuse' (usted/ustedes) for direct commands with abusar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no abuses
Negative commands with 'abusar' use the present subjunctive with 'no', like 'no abuses'.