ahuyentar Preterite Conjugation
ahuyentar — to scare away
The preterite of ahuyentar is regular, used for completed actions like scaring away pests at a specific time.
ahuyentar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for actions that were completed in the past with a clear beginning and end. For 'ahuyentar,' this means successfully scaring away something at a specific moment or during a defined period. For example, 'Ahuyenté a los pájaros del balcón esta mañana' (I scared away the birds from the balcony this morning).
Notes on ahuyentar in the Preterite
Ahuyentar is a regular -ar verb and is conjugated regularly in the preterite tense. The stem 'ahuyent-' remains unchanged, and the standard preterite endings are applied.
Example Sentences
Yo ahuyenté a los gatos que estaban en el jardín.
I scared away the cats that were in the garden.
yo
¿Tú ahuyentaste a la persona que tocaba el timbre?
Did you scare away the person who was ringing the bell?
tú
Él ahuyentó a los mosquitos con un spray.
He scared away the mosquitoes with a spray.
él/ella/usted
Ellos ahuyentaron a los ladrones anoche.
They scared away the thieves last night.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single, completed action.
Correct: Use the preterite for specific, completed actions: 'Ahuyenté a los perros' (I scared away the dogs).
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, while the preterite focuses on the completion of an action.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'yo' form.
Correct: The 'yo' form requires an accent: 'ahuyenté'.
Why: The accent on the final 'é' distinguishes the preterite 'yo' form from other similar-looking forms and indicates the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: ahuyento
The present tense of ahuyentar (ahuyento, ahuyentas, etc.) describes current actions or habitual behavior.
Imperfect
yo: ahuyentaba
The imperfect of ahuyentar (ahuyentaba, ahuyentabas, etc.) describes past habits or ongoing actions, like regularly scaring away animals.
Future
yo: ahuyentaré
The future tense of ahuyentar (ahuyentaré, ahuyentarás, etc.) is regular and used for predictions or definite future actions.
Conditional
yo: ahuyentaría
The conditional of ahuyentar (ahuyentaría, ahuyentarías, etc.) is regular and used for hypothetical situations or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: ahuyente
The present subjunctive of ahuyentar (ahuyente, ahuyentes, etc.) is used after expressions of desire, doubt, emotion, and uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: ahuyentara
The imperfect subjunctive of ahuyentar (ahuyentara/ahuyentase) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ahuyenta
The imperative of ahuyentar is regular for tú (ahuyenta) but uses subjunctive forms for others.
Negative Imperative
yo: no ahuyentes
Negative commands for ahuyentar use the present subjunctive with 'no'.