aclarar Preterite Conjugation
aclarar — clarify
Use 'aclaré', 'aclaraste', 'aclaró', 'aclaramos', 'aclararon' for completed actions in the past.
aclarar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
The preterite is for actions that were completed at a specific point in the past. Think of it as a snapshot. For 'aclarar', you'd say 'Aclaré mis dudas ayer' (I clarified my doubts yesterday) or 'El informe aclaró la situación.' (The report clarified the situation.)
Notes on aclarar in the Preterite
Aclarar is regular in the preterite. The forms are created by adding the standard preterite endings (-é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron) to the infinitive stem 'aclar-'.
Example Sentences
Yo aclaré el malentendido con mi amigo.
I clarified the misunderstanding with my friend.
yo
¿Aclaraste el camino en la oscuridad?
Did you clear the path in the dark?
tú
El profesor aclaró la pregunta difícil.
The teacher clarified the difficult question.
él/ella/usted
Aclaramos todos los detalles antes de firmar.
We clarified all the details before signing.
nosotros
Ellos aclararon el pago la semana pasada.
They clarified the payment last week.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect ('aclaraba') for a single, completed clarification.
Correct: Use the preterite 'aclaró' for a specific instance, like 'Aclaró el punto exacto' (He clarified the exact point). Use imperfect 'aclaraba' for repeated or ongoing past clarifications.
Why: Preterite marks finished events; imperfect marks ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'aclaró' and 'aclaré'.
Correct: The él/ella/usted form is 'aclaró' and the yo form is 'aclaré', both with accents on the final vowel.
Why: The accent marks the stress on the final syllable, distinguishing these forms from others and from the present tense.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: aclaro
Use 'aclaro', 'aclaras', 'aclara', 'aclaramos', 'aclaran' for actions happening now, habits, or general truths.
Imperfect
yo: aclaraba
Use 'aclaraba', 'aclarabas', 'aclaraba', 'aclarábamos', 'aclaraban' for ongoing or habitual past actions.
Future
yo: aclararé
Use 'aclararé', 'aclararás', 'aclarará', 'aclararemos', 'aclararán' for future actions or probability.
Conditional
yo: aclararía
Use 'aclararía', 'aclararías', 'aclararía', 'aclararíamos', 'aclararían' for hypotheticals ('would') or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: aclare
Use 'aclare', 'aclares', 'aclaremos', 'aclaren' after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: aclarara
Use 'aclarara' or 'aclarase' for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: aclara
Use 'aclara', 'aclare', 'aclaremos', 'aclarad', 'aclaren' for direct commands, like 'clarify this point'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no aclares
Use 'no aclares', 'no aclare', 'no aclaremos', 'no aclaréis', 'no aclaren' for negative commands.