Inklingo
A parent gently tucking a child into a cozy bed with a soft blue blanket.

acostar Preterite Conjugation

acostar — to put to bed

A1irregular (stem-changing) -ar★★★★★
Quick answer:

Acostar is regular in the preterite: acosté, acostaste, acostó, acostamos, acostasteis, acostaron.

acostar Preterite Forms

yoacosté
túacostaste
él/ella/ustedacostó
nosotrosacostamos
vosotrosacostasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedesacostaron

When to Use the Preterite

Use the preterite for specific instances in the past where you put someone to bed at a definitive time.

Notes on acostar in the Preterite

Unlike the present tense, acostar is completely regular in the preterite. The stem-change O-to-UE does NOT happen here.

Example Sentences

  • Ayer acosté a mi hijo muy temprano.

    Yesterday I put my son to bed very early.

    yo

  • Ella acostó al abuelo después de la cena.

    She put grandpa to bed after dinner.

    él/ella/usted

  • Ellos acostaron a los heridos en el suelo.

    They laid the injured people down on the floor.

    ellos/ellas/ustedes

Common Mistakes

  • Mistake: Using 'acuesté' instead of 'acosté'.

    Correct: acosté

    Why: Learners often try to carry the present-tense stem change (ue) into the preterite, but -ar verbs don't do that.

Master Spanish verbs in context

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Related Tenses

Present

yo: acuesto

Acostar is an O-to-UE stem-changer in the present tense: acuesto, acuestas, acuesta, acostamos, acostáis, acuestan.

Imperfect

yo: acostaba

Acostar is regular in the imperfect: acostaba, acostabas, acostaba, acostábamos, acostabais, acostaban.

Future

yo: acostaré

Acostar is regular in the future: acostaré, acostarás, acostará, acostaremos, acostaréis, acostarán.

Conditional

yo: acostaría

Acostar is regular in the conditional: acostaría, acostarías, acostaría, acostaríamos, acostaríais, acostarían.

Present Subjunctive

yo: acueste

Acostar has an O-to-UE stem change in the subjunctive: acueste, acuestes, acueste, acostemos, acostéis, acuesten.

Imperfect Subjunctive

yo: acostara

The imperfect subjunctive of acostar is regular: acostara, acostaras, acostara, acostáramos, acostarais, acostaran.

Affirmative Imperative

yo: acuesta

Use acuesta (tú), acueste (usted), and acostad (vosotros) to give orders to put someone to bed.

Negative Imperative

yo: no acuestes

Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no acuestes, no acueste, no acostemos, no acostéis, no acuesten.