alabar Preterite Conjugation
alabar — to praise
The preterite of 'alabar' is regular: alabé, alabaste, alabó, alabamos, alabasteis, alabaron.
alabar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'alabar' to talk about praising someone or something at a specific, completed moment in the past. For example, 'I praised your work yesterday' or 'They praised the chef after the meal'.
Notes on alabar in the Preterite
Alabar is a regular -ar verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. The nosotros form 'alabamos' is identical to the present indicative, so context is key to differentiate.
Example Sentences
Ayer alabé mucho tu presentación.
Yesterday I praised your presentation a lot.
yo
¿Alabaste tú el esfuerzo del equipo?
Did you praise the team's effort?
tú
El público alabó la actuación del cantante.
The audience praised the singer's performance.
él/ella/usted
Ellos alabaron la comida del restaurante.
They praised the restaurant's food.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Alabamos la iniciativa del gobierno.
We praised the government's initiative.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single past praise.
Correct: Use preterite for completed actions: 'La alabé ayer' (I praised her yesterday), not 'La alababa ayer'.
Why: The preterite marks a specific, finished event, whereas the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'alabó' (él/ella/usted).
Correct: The third-person singular preterite form is 'alabó', with an accent on the 'o'.
Why: The accent distinguishes this preterite form from other similar verb forms and indicates the stress.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: alabo
The present tense of 'alabar' is regular: alabo, alabas, alaba, alabamos, alabáis, alaban.
Imperfect
yo: alababa
The imperfect of 'alabar' is regular: alababa, alababas, alababa, alabábamos, alababais, alababan.
Future
yo: alabaré
The future tense of 'alabar' is regular: alabaré, alabarás, alabará, alabaremos, alabaréis, alabarán.
Conditional
yo: alabaría
The conditional of 'alabar' is regular: alabaría, alabarías, alabaría, alabaríamos, alabaríais, alabarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: alabe
Use 'alabar' in the present subjunctive ('alabe', 'alaben') after doubt, wishes, emotions, or impersonal expressions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: alabara
Use the imperfect subjunctive ('alabara'/'alabarais') for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: alaba
Use 'alabar' for direct commands like '¡Alaba tú!' or '¡Alabemos nosotros!'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no alabes
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: 'no alabes' (you), 'no alaben' (they/you all).