aumentar Preterite Conjugation
aumentar — to increase
The preterite of aumentar (aumenté, aumentaste, etc.) marks completed actions in the past.
aumentar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for actions that started and finished at a specific point in the past. For 'aumentar', this means you completed the action of increasing something. 'Aumenté el volumen y escuché mejor.' (I increased the volume and heard better.)
Notes on aumentar in the Preterite
Aumentar is regular in the preterite tense. The stem is 'aument-' and the standard preterite endings for -ar verbs are used.
Example Sentences
Aumenté la cantidad de azúcar en la receta.
I increased the amount of sugar in the recipe.
yo
¿Aumentaste la temperatura de la habitación?
Did you increase the room temperature?
tú
El gobierno aumentó los impuestos el año pasado.
The government increased taxes last year.
él/ella/usted
Aumentaron las ventas después de la publicidad.
Sales increased after the advertising.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Aumentamos la dosis según las instrucciones.
We increased the dose according to the instructions.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a completed action: 'Ayer aumentaba el precio'.
Correct: 'Ayer aumentó el precio'.
Why: The preterite is for single, completed events, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms: 'Yo aumenta el precio'.
Correct: 'Yo aumenté el precio'.
Why: The accents on 'é' and 'ó' in these forms are crucial to distinguish them and indicate stress.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: aumento
The present tense of aumentar (aumento, aumentas, aumenta, etc.) describes current actions, habits, or general truths.
Imperfect
yo: aumentaba
The imperfect of aumentar (aumentaba, aumentabas, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past actions or background.
Future
yo: aumentaré
The future tense of aumentar (aumentaré, aumentarás, etc.) talks about actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: aumentaría
The conditional of aumentar (aumentaría, aumentarías, etc.) expresses 'would' actions, politeness, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: aumente
The present subjunctive of aumentar (aumente, aumentes, aumentemos, etc.) follows expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or necessity.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: aumentara
The imperfect subjunctive of aumentar (aumentara/aumentase) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: aumenta
Use the imperative of aumentar for direct commands: ¡aumenta!, ¡aumente!, ¡aumentemos!, ¡aumenten!, ¡aumentad!
Negative Imperative
yo: no aumentes
Negative commands for aumentar use the present subjunctive: no aumentes, no aumente, no aumentemos, no aumenten, no aumentéis.