aprobar Preterite Conjugation
aprobar — to pass
Aprobar is completely regular in the preterite: aprobé, aprobaste, aprobó, aprobamos, aprobasteis, aprobaron.
aprobar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific event of passing or approving that happened at a definite point in time, like a graduation or a specific meeting.
Notes on aprobar in the Preterite
Unlike the present tense, there is NO stem change in the preterite. It follows the standard -ar pattern.
Example Sentences
Aprobé el examen de conducir ayer.
I passed the driving test yesterday.
yo
El congreso aprobó la nueva ley el martes.
Congress approved the new law on Tuesday.
él/ella/usted
Ellos aprobaron el proyecto sin problemas.
They approved the project without problems.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'apruebé' instead of 'aprobé'.
Correct: The correct form is 'aprobé'.
Why: Learners often try to carry the o-to-ue stem change from the present into the preterite, but -ar verbs only change in the present.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: apruebo
Aprobar is an o-to-ue stem-changer in the present: apruebo, apruebas, aprueba, aprobamos, aprobáis, aprueban.
Imperfect
yo: aprobaba
Aprobar is regular in the imperfect: aprobaba, aprobabas, aprobaba, aprobábamos, aprobabais, aprobaban.
Future
yo: aprobaré
The future of aprobar is regular: aprobaré, aprobarás, aprobará, aprobaremos, aprobaréis, aprobarán.
Conditional
yo: aprobaría
The conditional of aprobar is regular: aprobaría, aprobarías, aprobaría, aprobaríamos, aprobaríais, aprobarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: apruebe
The present subjunctive follows the o-to-ue stem change: apruebe, apruebes, apruebe, aprobemos, aprobéis, aprueben.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: aprobara
The imperfect subjunctive of aprobar is regular: aprobara, aprobaras, aprobara, aprobáramos, aprobarais, aprobaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: aprueba
The imperative uses the stem change for most forms: aprueba (tú), apruebe (usted), aprobemos (nosotros), aprobad (vosotros), aprueben (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no apruebes
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive: no apruebes, no apruebe, no aprobemos, no aprobéis, no aprueben.