besar Preterite Conjugation
besar — to kiss
The preterite of besar (besé, besaste...) marks completed actions in the past.
besar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a kiss that happened and finished at a specific point in the past. For example, 'Te besé anoche' (I kissed you last night) or 'Besaron a la abuela en su cumpleaños' (They kissed grandma on her birthday).
Notes on besar in the Preterite
Besar is regular in the preterite tense. All forms follow the standard -ar verb conjugation pattern.
Example Sentences
Yo te besé en la mejilla.
I kissed you on the cheek.
yo
¿Me besaste cuando te fuiste?
Did you kiss me when you left?
tú
Ella me besó la mano.
She kissed my hand.
él/ella/usted
Los novios se besaron apasionadamente.
The couple kissed passionately.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite for an ongoing or habitual past action.
Correct: For ongoing or habitual past actions, use the imperfect: 'Yo besaba a mi perro cada mañana' (I used to kiss my dog every morning), not 'Yo besé'.
Why: The preterite is for completed actions, while the imperfect is for descriptions or repeated actions in the past.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'besé' and 'besó'.
Correct: The 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms require an accent: 'besé' and 'besó'.
Why: The accent marks the stress on the final syllable, distinguishing these preterite forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: beso
The present tense of besar (beso, besas...) describes current actions or habits.
Imperfect
yo: besaba
The imperfect of besar (besaba, besabas...) describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Future
yo: besaré
The future tense of besar (besaré, besarás...) talks about actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: besaría
The conditional of besar (besaría, besarías...) expresses 'would kiss' or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: bese
Use present subjunctive (bese, beses, etc.) after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: besara
Use the imperfect subjunctive (besara/besase) for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: besa
Use the imperative of besar for direct commands like 'Besa tú!' or '¡Besemos!'
Negative Imperative
yo: no beses
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: 'No beses' (Don't kiss).