argumentar Preterite Conjugation
argumentar — to argue
The preterite of argumentar is regular: argumenté, argumentaste, argumentó, argumentamos, argumentasteis, argumentaron.
argumentar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for completed actions in the past. If someone argued a specific point and finished, you'd use this tense. For example, 'Ayer argumentó el caso en la corte' (Yesterday he argued the case in court).
Notes on argumentar in the Preterite
Argumentar is a regular -ar verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern in the preterite. The 'nosotros' form, 'argumentamos', is identical to the present tense; context clarifies which is meant.
Example Sentences
Yo argumenté que la propuesta era inviable.
I argued that the proposal was unviable.
yo
¿Argumentaste con el profesor sobre la nota?
Did you argue with the professor about the grade?
tú
Él argumentó su inocencia durante horas.
He argued his innocence for hours.
él/ella/usted
Ellos argumentaron los beneficios del nuevo sistema.
They argued the benefits of the new system.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single, completed argument.
Correct: Use 'argumentó' for a specific instance, like 'Él argumentó su punto ayer', not 'argumentaba'.
Why: The preterite marks a finished action, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Confusing the 'nosotros' preterite 'argumentamos' with the present tense.
Correct: Pay attention to context. If you mean 'we argued yesterday', it's preterite. If 'we argue every week', it's present.
Why: The identical form requires contextual clues to differentiate between past completed action and present habit.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: argumento
The present tense of argumentar is regular: argumento, argumentas, argumenta, argumentamos, argumentáis, argumentan.
Imperfect
yo: argumentaba
The imperfect of argumentar is regular: argumentaba, argumentabas, argumentaba, argumentábamos, argumentabais, argumentaban.
Future
yo: argumentaré
The future tense of argumentar is regular: argumentaré, argumentarás, argumentará, argumentaremos, argumentaréis, argumentarán.
Conditional
yo: argumentaría
The conditional of argumentar is regular: argumentaría, argumentarías, argumentaría, argumentaríamos, argumentaríais, argumentarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: argumente
Use the present subjunctive (e.g., 'argumente', 'argumentes') after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: argumentara
Use the imperfect subjunctive (e.g., 'argumentara', 'argumentase') for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: argumenta
Use the imperative to give direct commands like 'argumenta' (you, informal) or 'argumente' (you, formal).
Negative Imperative
yo: no argumentes
Use negative commands like 'no argumentes' (you, informal) or 'no argumente' (you, formal) by adding 'no' to the present subjunctive.