barrer Preterite Conjugation
barrer — to sweep
The preterite of barrer is regular: barrí, barriste, barrió, barrimos, barristeis, barrieron.
barrer Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'barrer' to talk about the action of sweeping as a completed event in the past. For example, 'Ayer barrió el patio' (Yesterday he swept the patio) or 'Barrimos la casa antes de la fiesta' (We swept the house before the party).
Notes on barrer in the Preterite
Barrer is regular in the preterite. The endings are standard for regular -er verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo barrí el suelo de la cocina anoche.
I swept the kitchen floor last night.
yo
¿Tú barriste las hojas del jardín?
Did you sweep the leaves from the garden?
tú
Él barrió el polvo rápidamente.
He swept the dust quickly.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros barrimos el camino antes de que lloviera.
We swept the path before it rained.
nosotros
Ellos barrieron la entrada después de la tormenta.
They swept the entrance after the storm.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite.
Correct: Use 'barrió' for a completed action, not 'barría'.
Why: The preterite is for specific, completed actions (he swept), while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual actions in the past (he used to sweep/was sweeping).
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'barrió' (él/ella/usted).
Correct: The correct form is 'barrió' with an accent.
Why: The accent on the 'o' distinguishes this form from other tenses and indicates the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: barro
The present tense of barrer is regular: barro, barres, barre, barremos, barréis, barren.
Imperfect
yo: barría
The imperfect of barrer is regular: barría, barrías, barría, barríamos, barríais, barrían.
Future
yo: barreré
The future tense of barrer is regular: barreré, barrerás, barrerá, barreremos, barreréis, barrerán.
Conditional
yo: barrería
The conditional of barrer is regular: barrería, barrerías, barrería, barreríamos, barreríais, barrerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: barra
The present subjunctive of barrer (barra, barras) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: barriera
The imperfect subjunctive of barrer (barriera/barrieran) is used for past hypotheticals or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: barre
Use the imperative of barrer for direct commands like '¡barre tú!' or '¡barran ustedes!'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no barras
Use the negative imperative of barrer with 'no' + present subjunctive, like 'no barras'.