bastar Preterite Conjugation
bastar — to be enough
The preterite of bastar is regular: basté, bastaste, bastó, bastamos, bastasteis, bastaron.
bastar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when a specific amount or action was sufficient for a completed event in the past, like a single payment or a one-time effort.
Notes on bastar in the Preterite
Bastar is regular in the preterite. Remember the accent on the final vowel for 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted'.
Example Sentences
Un solo grito bastó para asustarlos.
A single shout was enough to scare them.
él/ella/usted
Cinco minutos nos bastaron para terminar.
Five minutes were enough for us to finish.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Le bastaste tú para sentirse mejor.
You were enough for him to feel better.
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Confusing bastamos (present) with bastamos (preterite).
Correct: Use context clues.
Why: The nosotros form is identical in both tenses, which often confuses learners.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'bastar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: basto
Bastar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense: basto, bastas, basta, bastamos, bastáis, bastan.
Imperfect
yo: bastaba
The imperfect of bastar follows the regular -aba pattern: bastaba, bastabas, bastaba, bastábamos, bastabais, bastaban.
Future
yo: bastaré
The future of bastar is formed by adding endings to the infinitive: bastaré, bastarás, bastará, bastaremos, bastaréis, bastarán.
Conditional
yo: bastaría
The conditional of bastar is regular: bastaría, bastarías, bastaría, bastaríamos, bastaríais, bastarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: baste
The present subjunctive of bastar changes the 'a' to 'e': baste, bastes, baste, bastemos, bastéis, basten.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: bastara
The imperfect subjunctive of bastar is regular: bastara, bastaras, bastara, bastáramos, bastarais, bastaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: basta
The imperative of bastar is used to command sufficiency: basta, baste, bastemos, bastad, basten.
Negative Imperative
yo: no bastes
The negative imperative of bastar uses present subjunctive forms: no bastes, no baste, no bastemos, no bastéis, no basten.