averiguar Preterite Conjugation
averiguar — to find out
The preterite of averiguar is mostly regular but requires an 'ü' in the 'yo' form: averigüé.
averiguar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe the specific moment you discovered or found out a piece of information. It represents a completed action in the past.
Notes on averiguar in the Preterite
This verb is orthographically irregular in the 'yo' form. To keep the 'gu' sound before an 'e', you must add a diaeresis: averigüé. All other forms are regular.
Example Sentences
Ayer averigüé la verdad sobre el contrato.
Yesterday I found out the truth about the contract.
yo
¿Averiguaste a qué hora sale el tren?
Did you find out what time the train leaves?
tú
Ellos averiguaron el secreto muy pronto.
They found out the secret very soon.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'averigué' without the dots (averigué).
Correct: averigüé
Why: Without the diaeresis (ü), the 'u' would be silent, changing the pronunciation to 'averigé'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: averiguo
Averiguar is a completely regular -ar verb in the present tense.
Imperfect
yo: averiguaba
The imperfect of averiguar is regular: averiguaba, averiguabas, averiguaba...
Future
yo: averiguaré
The future of averiguar is regular: just add the endings to the infinitive.
Conditional
yo: averiguaría
The conditional of averiguar is regular: averiguaría, averiguarías...
Present Subjunctive
yo: averigüe
The present subjunctive of averiguar requires a diaeresis (ü) in all forms: averigüe.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: averiguara
The imperfect subjunctive is regular based on the third-person preterite: averiguara.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: averigua
Commands for averiguar use the 'ü' in formal and plural forms: averigua, averigüe.
Negative Imperative
yo: no averigües
All negative commands for averiguar use the present subjunctive and the diaeresis: no averigües.