arañar Preterite Conjugation
arañar — to scratch
Completed actions of scratching in the past.
arañar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific, completed instance of scratching that happened at a defined point in the past. For example, the moment a cat scratched you, or when you scratched an itch once.
Notes on arañar in the Preterite
Arañar is regular in the preterite. All the endings follow the standard pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
El gato me arañó la mano.
The cat scratched my hand.
él/ella/usted
Ayer me arañé el brazo con una rama.
Yesterday I scratched my arm on a branch.
yo
¿Arañaste la puerta al entrar?
Did you scratch the door when you entered?
tú
Los niños arañaron el coche jugando.
The children scratched the car while playing.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single scratch.
Correct: For a specific, completed action like 'the cat scratched me', use 'arañó', not 'arañaba'.
Why: The preterite marks the completion of the action, while the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual past action.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.
Correct: Remember the accents: 'arañé' and 'arañó'.
Why: These accents are crucial to distinguish these forms and show the stressed syllable.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'arañar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: araño
Scratching happening now, habitually, or generally.
Imperfect
yo: arañaba
Ongoing or habitual scratching in the past.
Future
yo: arañaré
The future action of scratching.
Conditional
yo: arañaría
What would happen if one were to scratch.
Present Subjunctive
yo: arañe
Wishes, doubts, or emotions about scratching happening now or in the future.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: arañara
Hypothetical or past wishes/doubts about scratching.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: araña
Commands like 'scratch!' or 'let's scratch!' for arañar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no arañes
Negative commands for arañar, like 'don't scratch!'.