bailar Preterite Conjugation
bailar — to dance
The preterite of bailar is regular: bailé, bailaste, bailó, bailamos, bailasteis, bailaron.
bailar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about a specific time you danced that is now over, like at a party last night or a wedding last year.
Notes on bailar in the Preterite
Bailar is regular in the preterite. Note that the nosotros form 'bailamos' is identical to the present tense form.
Example Sentences
Bailé mucho en la fiesta de ayer.
I danced a lot at yesterday's party.
yo
Él bailó con su novia toda la noche.
He danced with his girlfriend all night.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros bailamos un poco de todo.
We danced a little bit of everything.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'bailó' for 'yo'.
Correct: bailé
Why: Learners often mix up the accents; 'bailé' is for 'I', while 'bailó' is for 'he/she/you'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: bailo
Bailar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense: bailo, bailas, baila, bailamos, bailáis, bailan.
Imperfect
yo: bailaba
Bailar in the imperfect follows the regular -aba pattern: bailaba, bailabas, bailaba, bailábamos, bailabais, bailaban.
Future
yo: bailaré
The future of bailar is formed by adding -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án to the infinitive.
Conditional
yo: bailaría
The conditional of bailar uses the infinitive plus -ía endings: bailaría, bailarías, bailaría, bailaríamos, bailaríais, bailarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: baile
The present subjunctive of bailar swaps the -a for -e: baile, bailes, baile, bailemos, bailéis, bailen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: bailara
The imperfect subjunctive of bailar is based on the 'ellos' preterite: bailara, bailaras, bailara, bailáramos, bailarais, bailaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: baila
The imperative of bailar gives commands: baila (tú), bailad (vosotros), and uses subjunctive for others.
Negative Imperative
yo: no bailes
The negative imperative of bailar uses the present subjunctive forms: no bailes, no baile, no bailemos, no bailéis, no bailen.