aguardar Preterite Conjugation
aguardar — to wait for
The preterite of 'aguardar' is regular: aguardé, aguardaste, aguardó, aguardamos, aguardasteis, aguardaron.
aguardar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'aguardar' to talk about a specific, completed instance of waiting in the past. For example, 'Aguardé el autobús durante una hora' (I waited for the bus for an hour) or 'Aguardamos la respuesta del jefe' (We waited for the boss's response). It signals the waiting action started and finished.
Notes on aguardar in the Preterite
Aguardar is fully regular in the preterite tense. All forms follow the standard pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Aguardé tu llamada toda la tarde.
I waited for your call all afternoon.
yo
¿Aguardaste mucho tiempo en la estación?
Did you wait a long time at the station?
tú
Ella aguardó pacientemente.
She waited patiently.
él/ella/usted
Aguardamos las instrucciones.
We waited for the instructions.
nosotros
Ellos aguardaron el resultado del partido.
They waited for the result of the game.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'aguardaba' instead of the preterite 'aguardó' for a specific past waiting period.
Correct: Use 'aguardó' for a waiting period that has a clear end or is seen as a single event.
Why: The preterite emphasizes completion, while the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'aguardó'.
Correct: The third-person singular form is 'agüardó' with an accent on the 'o'.
Why: The accent is crucial to distinguish it from other verb forms and to mark the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: aguardo
The present tense 'aguardo', 'aguardas', 'aguarda' describes current or habitual waiting.
Imperfect
yo: aguardaba
The imperfect 'aguardaba' describes ongoing or habitual waiting in the past.
Future
yo: aguardaré
The future tense 'aguardaré', 'aguardarás' indicates future waiting or probability.
Conditional
yo: aguardaría
The conditional 'aguardaría' expresses hypothetical waiting or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: aguarde
The present subjunctive ('aguarde', 'aguardes') is used for wishes, doubts, and emotions about waiting.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: aguardara
The imperfect subjunctive ('aguardara'/'aguardase') expresses hypothetical or uncertain waiting in the past.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: aguarda
Use 'aguarda' (tú) and 'aguarden' (ustedes) for direct commands to wait.
Negative Imperative
yo: no aguardes
Use 'no aguardes' (tú) and 'no aguarden' (ustedes) for negative commands to not wait.