ajar Preterite Conjugation
ajar — to wear out
The preterite of 'ajar' is regular: ajé, ajaste, ajó, ajamos, ajasteis, ajaron.
ajar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'ajar' for completed actions in the past related to wearing something out. For example, 'Ajé mis zapatos corriendo' (I wore out my shoes running) or 'El uso ajó la tela' (The use wore out the fabric).
Notes on ajar in the Preterite
'Ajar' is completely regular in the preterite tense. All forms follow the standard -ar verb pattern.
Example Sentences
Ajé la suela de mis botas en la caminata.
I wore out the sole of my boots on the hike.
yo
¿Ajustaste la silla hasta que se ajó?
Did you adjust the chair until it wore out?
tú
El constante roce ajó la pintura del coche.
The constant rubbing wore out the car's paint.
él/ella/usted
Ellos ajaron las cuerdas de la guitarra con la práctica.
They wore out the guitar strings with practice.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'ajaba' instead of the preterite 'ajó' for a specific, completed instance of wearing something out.
Correct: Use the preterite 'ajó' for a single completed action: 'El uso ajó la tela' (The use wore out the fabric).
Why: The preterite marks completed actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual actions in the past.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'ajó' (él/ella/usted) or 'ajé' (yo).
Correct: Remember the accents: 'ajó' and 'ajé'.
Why: These accents are necessary to indicate the stress on the final syllable and distinguish these forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: ajo
The present tense of 'ajar' is regular: ajo, ajas, aja, ajamos, ajáis, ajan.
Imperfect
yo: ajaba
The imperfect tense of 'ajar' is regular: ajaba, ajabas, ajaba, ajábamos, ajabais, ajaban.
Future
yo: ajaré
The future tense of 'ajar' is regular, using the infinitive stem: ajaré, ajarás, ajara, ajaremos, ajaréis, ajarán.
Conditional
yo: ajaría
The conditional of 'ajar' is regular: ajaría, ajarías, ajaría, ajaríamos, ajaríais, ajarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: aje
The present subjunctive of 'ajar' is: aje (yo, él/ella/usted), ajes (tú), ajemos (nosotros), ajéis (vosotros), ajen (ellos/ellas/ustedes).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: ajara
The imperfect subjunctive of 'ajar' has two forms for each person: -ra (ajara, ajaras, ajara, ajáramos, ajarais, ajaran) and -se (ajase, ajases, ajase, ajásemos, ajaseis, ajasen).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: aja
Imperative commands for 'ajar' are: aja (tú), aje (usted), ajemos (nosotros), ajad (vosotros), ajen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no ajes
Negative commands for 'ajar' use 'no' + present subjunctive: no ajes (tú), no aje (usted), no ajemos (nosotros), no ajéis (vosotros), no ajen (ustedes).