
acentuar Preterite Conjugation
acentuar — to accent
The preterite of acentuar is regular: acentué, acentuaste, acentuó, acentuamos, acentuasteis, acentuaron.
acentuar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific instance where someone added an accent mark or when a specific event intensified a problem in the past.
Notes on acentuar in the Preterite
Acentuar is regular in the preterite. The 'u' does not receive an extra accent mark like it does in the present tense, except for the standard endings.
Example Sentences
Acentué la 'e' por error.
I accented the 'e' by mistake.
yo
La crisis acentuó los problemas sociales.
The crisis emphasized the social problems.
él/ella/usted
Ellos acentuaron su descontento durante la reunión.
They emphasized their discontent during the meeting.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: acentuó (for yo)
Correct: acentué
Why: Learners often mix up the -ar endings for 'yo' (-é) and 'él' (-ó).
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'acentuar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: acentúo
In the present tense, acentuar follows the 'u-varying' pattern where the 'u' takes an accent in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Imperfect
yo: acentuaba
The imperfect of acentuar is regular: acentuaba, acentuabas, acentuaba, acentuábamos, acentuabais, acentuaban.
Future
yo: acentuaré
The future of acentuar is regular: acentuaré, acentuarás, acentuará, acentuaremos, acentuaréis, acentuarán.
Conditional
yo: acentuaría
The conditional of acentuar is regular: acentuaría, acentuarías, acentuaría, acentuaríamos, acentuaríais, acentuarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: acentúe
The present subjunctive of acentuar follows the 'u-varying' pattern: acentúe, acentúes, acentúe, acentuemos, acentuéis, acentúen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: acentuara
The imperfect subjunctive of acentuar is regular: acentuara, acentuaras, acentuara, acentuáramos, acentuarais, acentuaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: acentúa
The imperative uses acentúa (tú) and acentúe (usted) to give direct commands about stressing or highlighting something.
Negative Imperative
yo: no acentúes
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive: no acentúes, no acentúe, no acentuemos, no acentúen.