arder Preterite Conjugation
arder — to burn
Arder is regular in the preterite: ardí, ardiste, ardió, ardimos, ardisteis, ardieron.
arder Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'arder' to describe a fire that started and finished burning at a specific point in the past. For example, 'La casa ardió anoche' (The house burned last night).
Notes on arder in the Preterite
Arder is fully regular in the preterite tense.
Example Sentences
La pequeña hoguera ardió toda la noche.
The small bonfire burned all night.
él/ella/usted
Mis esperanzas ardieron brevemente y se apagaron.
My hopes burned briefly and then died out.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Ardieron los árboles tras el rayo.
The trees burned after the lightning strike.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Ardí de vergüenza cuando me equivoqué.
I burned with shame when I made a mistake.
yo
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'ardía' instead of preterite 'ardió' for a completed event.
Correct: For a specific event like 'the house burned last night', use the preterite: 'La casa ardió anoche'.
Why: The preterite marks a finished action, while the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual past state.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'ardió' or 'ardí'.
Correct: Ensure the accent is present: 'ardió', 'ardí'.
Why: The accent marks the stress on the final syllable for these preterite forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: ardo
The present tense of arder (ardo) describes things burning now or habitually.
Imperfect
yo: ardía
The imperfect of arder (ardía) describes ongoing or habitual past burning.
Future
yo: arderé
The future tense of arder (arderé) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: ardería
The conditional of arder (ardería) is used for hypotheticals ('would burn') or polite suggestions.
Present Subjunctive
yo: arda
The present subjunctive of arder (arda) is used after verbs of doubt, desire, emotion, and impersonal expressions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: ardiera
The imperfect subjunctive of arder (ardiera/ardiese) is used for past hypotheticals or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: arde
The imperative of arder uses 'arde' for tú and 'arded' for vosotros, with other forms like 'ardamos' and 'ardan'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no ardas
Negative commands for arder use the present subjunctive: 'no ardas', 'no arda', 'no ardamos', 'no ardan', 'no ardáis'.