atacar Preterite Conjugation
atacar — to attack
The preterite of atacar features a spelling change in the 'yo' form (ataqué) to keep the hard 'k' sound.
atacar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when an attack happened at a specific moment in time or for a completed event, like a sudden sports play or a historical battle.
Notes on atacar in the Preterite
It follows a 'c' to 'qu' spelling change in the 'yo' form (ataqué). This is purely to maintain the hard 'k' sound before the 'e'; otherwise, it would sound like 'ata-say'.
Example Sentences
El delantero atacó por la banda derecha.
The forward attacked down the right wing.
él/ella/usted
Yo ataqué el problema desde otro ángulo.
I attacked the problem from another angle.
yo
Los perros atacaron al intruso.
The dogs attacked the intruder.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: atacé
Correct: ataqué
Why: In Spanish, 'ce' sounds like 'se' or 'the'. To keep the hard 'k' sound of 'atacar', you must use 'que'.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'atacar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: ataco
Atacar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense: ataco, atacas, ataca, atacamos, atacáis, atacan.
Imperfect
yo: atacaba
The imperfect of atacar is regular: atacaba, atacabas, atacaba, atacábamos, atacabais, atacaban.
Future
yo: atacaré
The future of atacar is regular: just add the endings to the infinitive (atacaré, atacarás, etc.).
Conditional
yo: atacaría
The conditional of atacar is regular: atacaría, atacarías, atacaría, atacaríamos, atacaríais, atacarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: ataque
The present subjunctive of atacar uses 'qu' in all forms: ataque, ataques, ataque, ataquemos, ataquéis, ataquen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: atacara
The imperfect subjunctive of atacar is regular: atacara, atacaras, atacara, atacáramos, atacarais, atacaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ataca
The imperative of atacar gives direct orders: ataca (tú), atacad (vosotros), or ataque (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no ataques
Negative commands for atacar always use the 'qu' spelling: no ataques, no ataque, no ataquemos, no ataquéis, no ataquen.