anochecer Preterite Conjugation
anochecer — to get dark
The preterite of anochecer is regular: anochecí, anocheciste, anocheció, anochecimos, anochecisteis, anochecieron.
anochecer Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to state that night fell at a specific moment or to describe where you were when it became dark.
Notes on anochecer in the Preterite
Anochecer is completely regular in the preterite tense.
Example Sentences
Anocheció mientras caminábamos por el bosque.
It got dark while we were walking through the forest.
él/ella/usted
Anochecimos en Madrid después de un viaje largo.
We were in Madrid when night fell after a long trip.
nosotros
Ayer anocheció a las siete.
Yesterday it got dark at seven.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using an 'z' in the third person (anochezió).
Correct: The form is anocheció.
Why: Learners sometimes confuse the 'zc' change from the present tense and try to apply it to the preterite.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: anochezco
The present tense of anochecer is irregular in the 'yo' form (anochezco), but otherwise follows regular -er patterns.
Imperfect
yo: anochecía
The imperfect of anochecer is regular: anochecía, anochecías, anochecía, anochecíamos, anochecíais, anochecían.
Future
yo: anocheceré
The future of anochecer is regular: anocheceré, anochecerás, anochecerá, anocheceremos, anocheceréis, anochecerán.
Conditional
yo: anochecería
The conditional of anochecer is regular: anochecería, anochecerías, anochecería, anocheceríamos, anocheceríais, anochecerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: anochezca
The present subjunctive of anochecer uses the irregular 'zc' stem: anochezca, anochezcas, anochezca, etc.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: anocheciera
The imperfect subjunctive of anochecer uses the stem 'anochecie-': anocheciera, anochecieras, anocheciera, etc.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: anochece
The imperative of anochecer is rarely used personally, but forms include: anochece (tú), anochezca (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no anochezcas
The negative imperative of anochecer uses the present subjunctive forms: no anochezca, no anochezcas.