adelantar Preterite Conjugation
adelantar — to overtake
The preterite of 'adelantar' (adelanté, adelantaste, adelantó) marks completed actions like overtaking a car.
adelantar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'adelantar' to talk about a specific instance of overtaking or moving something forward that has a clear beginning and end. For example, 'El coche me adelantó en la curva' (The car overtook me on the curve) or 'Ella adelantó el pago' (She moved the payment forward).
Notes on adelantar in the Preterite
Adelantar is regular in the preterite tense. All the endings are standard for -ar verbs: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron.
Example Sentences
El ciclista me adelantó en la subida.
The cyclist overtook me on the climb.
él/ella/usted
Ayer adelanté mi vuelo para volver antes.
Yesterday I moved my flight forward to return earlier.
yo
¿Adelantasteis el proyecto la semana pasada?
Did you all move the project forward last week?
vosotros
Los corredores adelantaron al líder en la última vuelta.
The runners overtook the leader on the last lap.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single overtaking action.
Correct: Use 'El coche me adelantó' (preterite) for a single completed event, not 'El coche me adelantaba'.
Why: The preterite is for specific, completed actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'yo' form.
Correct: It should be 'adelanté' with an accent on the final 'e'.
Why: The accent on the 'yo' preterite form is crucial to distinguish it from other forms and indicates the stress.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: adelanto
The present tense of 'adelantar' (adelanto, adelantas, adelanta) describes current actions or habitual movements forward.
Imperfect
yo: adelantaba
The imperfect of 'adelantar' (adelantaba, adelantabas, adelantaba) describes past ongoing actions or habits, like always moving forward.
Future
yo: adelantaré
The future tense of 'adelantar' (adelantaré, adelantarás, adelantará) predicts future actions like overtaking or moving something forward.
Conditional
yo: adelantaría
The conditional of 'adelantar' (adelantaría, adelantarías, adelantaría) expresses hypothetical actions ('would move forward') or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: adelante
The present subjunctive of adelantar (e.g., 'adelante', 'adelantes') is used after expressions of desire, doubt, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: adelantara
The imperfect subjunctive of adelantar (e.g., 'adelantara', 'adelantaras') is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: adelanta
Use the imperative of adelantar for direct commands like 'adelanta' (you, informal) or 'adelanten' (you all, formal).
Negative Imperative
yo: no adelantes
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: 'no adelantes' (don't move forward), 'no adelanten' (don't move forward).