aspirar Preterite Conjugation
aspirar — to breathe in
The preterite of aspirar is regular: aspiré, aspiraste, aspiró, aspiramos, aspirasteis, aspiraron.
aspirar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for completed actions in the past. For 'aspirar', this means breathing in at a specific moment or having a specific goal that was achieved or definitively failed.
Notes on aspirar in the Preterite
Aspirar is completely regular in the preterite tense. All the endings are standard for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Aspiré el perfume de las flores.
I breathed in the perfume of the flowers.
yo
¿Aspiraste a ser presidente?
Did you aspire to be president?
tú
Ella aspiró a un puesto directivo.
She aimed for a management position.
él/ella/usted
Ellos aspiraron a la victoria.
They aimed for victory.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'aspiraba' when the action was completed at a specific point.
Correct: Use 'Aspiró a la victoria' (preterite) if they definitively aimed for it and maybe achieved it or not, versus 'Aspiraba a la victoria' (imperfect) if it was an ongoing ambition.
Why: The preterite marks a finished action or goal, while the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual state in the past.
Mistake: Forgetting accents: 'Yo aspiro' instead of 'Yo aspiré'.
Correct: The 'yo' form in the preterite is 'aspiré' with an accent on the 'e'.
Why: The accent on the final 'é' distinguishes the preterite 'yo' form from the present tense 'yo' form ('aspiro').
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: aspiro
The present tense 'aspiro' is for actions happening now, habitual actions, or general truths.
Imperfect
yo: aspiraba
The imperfect 'aspiraba' describes ongoing past actions, habits, or background details.
Future
yo: aspiraré
The future tense 'aspiraré' expresses what will happen or probability.
Conditional
yo: aspiraría
The conditional 'aspiraría' is used for hypotheticals ('would'), polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: aspire
The present subjunctive, like 'aspire' or 'aspiren', follows expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: aspirara
The imperfect subjunctive, like 'aspirara' or 'aspirase', is for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: aspira
Use imperative forms like 'aspira' (tú) and 'aspiren' (ustedes) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no aspires
Negative commands use 'no' plus the present subjunctive, like 'no aspires' (tú) or 'no aspiren' (ustedes).