acusar Preterite Conjugation
acusar — to accuse
The preterite of 'acusar' is regular: 'acusé', 'acusaste', 'acusó', 'acusamos', 'acusasteis', 'acusaron'.
acusar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'acusar' to talk about a specific instance or instances in the past when someone was accused, and the action is seen as completed. For example, accusing someone once at a specific time.
Notes on acusar in the Preterite
Acusar is fully regular in the preterite tense. The endings are added directly to the infinitive stem 'acus-'. Note that the 'nosotros' form 'acusamos' is identical to the present indicative; context will clarify which tense is meant.
Example Sentences
Yo acusé a mi hermano de robar la galleta.
I accused my brother of stealing the cookie.
yo
¿Tú me acusaste de algo?
Did you accuse me of something?
tú
El vecino acusó al perro de ladrar.
The neighbor accused the dog of barking.
él/ella/usted
Ellos nos acusaron de mentir.
They accused us of lying.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'acusaba' (imperfect) instead of 'acusó' (preterite).
Correct: Use 'acusó' for a specific, completed accusation in the past, like 'Ayer me acusó' (Yesterday he accused me).
Why: The preterite marks a single, finished action, whereas the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'acusó' (él/ella/usted form).
Correct: The él/ella/usted form of the preterite requires an accent: 'acusó'.
Why: The accent indicates the stress falls on the final 'o', differentiating it from other forms and the present indicative.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: acuso
The present tense 'acuso', 'acusas', 'acusa', 'acusamos', 'acusáis', 'acusan' describes current or habitual accusations.
Imperfect
yo: acusaba
The imperfect 'acusaba' describes past habitual or ongoing accusations, or sets the scene.
Future
yo: acusaré
The future tense 'acusaré', 'acusarás', 'acusará', 'acusaremos', 'acusaréis', 'acusarán' indicates accusations that will happen.
Conditional
yo: acusaría
The conditional 'acusaría' expresses 'would accuse', hypotheticals, or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: acuse
Use 'acuse', 'acuses', 'acusemos', 'uséis', 'acusen' after wishes, doubts, emotions, and impersonal expressions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: acusara
The imperfect subjunctive 'acusara'/'acusase' is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: acusa
Use 'acusa', 'acuse', 'acusemos', 'acusad', 'acusen' for direct commands with 'acusar'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no acuses
Use 'no acuses', 'no acuse', 'no acusemos', 'no acuséis', 'no acusen' for negative commands.