aniquilar Preterite Conjugation
aniquilar — to annihilate
The preterite of aniquilar is regular: aniquilé, aniquilaste, aniquiló, aniquilamos, aniquilasteis, aniquilaron.
aniquilar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of aniquilar to describe a completed action of annihilation in the past that had a definite beginning and end. For example, 'The army annihilated the enemy forces yesterday.'
Notes on aniquilar in the Preterite
Aniquilar is fully regular in the preterite. Note that the 'nosotros' form 'aniquilamos' is identical to the present indicative; context usually clarifies which tense is intended.
Example Sentences
El equipo aniquiló a sus rivales en la final.
The team annihilated its rivals in the final.
él/ella/usted
Yo aniquilé todas las cucarachas de la casa.
I annihilated all the cockroaches in the house.
yo
¿Aniquilaste la competencia con tu presentación?
Did you annihilate the competition with your presentation?
tú
Ellos aniquilaron la evidencia para ocultar la verdad.
They annihilated the evidence to hide the truth.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros aniquilamos el malentendido rápidamente.
We annihilated the misunderstanding quickly.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single, completed act of annihilation.
Correct: Use the preterite for completed actions: 'Aniquiló la plaga' (He annihilated the plague).
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, not single, finished events.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'yo' form 'aniquilé'.
Correct: The 'yo' form is 'aniquilé' with an accent on the final 'é'.
Why: The accent differentiates it from other forms and indicates stress.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: aniquilo
The present tense of aniquilar is regular: aniquilo, aniquilas, aniquila, aniquilamos, aniquiláis, aniquilan.
Imperfect
yo: aniquilaba
The imperfect of aniquilar is regular: aniquilaba, aniquilabas, aniquilaba, aniquilábamos, aniquilabais, aniquilaban.
Future
yo: aniquilaré
The future tense of aniquilar is regular: aniquilaré, aniquilarás, aniquilará, aniquilaremos, aniquilaréis, aniquilarán.
Conditional
yo: aniquilaría
The conditional of aniquilar is regular: aniquilaría, aniquilarías, aniquilaría, aniquilaríamos, aniquilaríais, aniquilarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: aniquile
The present subjunctive of aniquilar (aniquile) is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and impersonal expressions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: aniquilara
The imperfect subjunctive of aniquilar (aniquilara/aniquilase) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, and doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: aniquila
Imperative forms of aniquilar are commands: aniquila (tú), aniquile (usted), aniquilemos (nosotros), aniquilen (ustedes), aniquilad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no aniquiles
Negative commands for aniquilar use the present subjunctive: no aniquiles (tú), no aniquile (usted), no aniquilemos (nosotros), no aniquilen (ustedes), no aniquiléis (vosotros).