burlar Preterite Conjugation
burlar — to evade
Use the preterite for completed past actions: burlé, burlaste, burló, burlamos, burlaron.
burlar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
The preterite is for actions that were completed in the past. Think of 'I evaded the car' or 'they evaded the question' – a specific instance that finished. It contrasts with the imperfect, which describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Notes on burlar in the Preterite
Burlar is a regular -ar verb in the preterite.
Example Sentences
Yo burlé al perro que me ladraba.
I evaded the dog that was barking at me.
yo
¿Tú burlaste la pregunta difícil?
Did you evade the difficult question?
tú
Él burló la redada policial.
He evaded the police raid.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros burlamos el control de tráfico.
We evaded the traffic checkpoint.
nosotros
Ellos burlaron la censura del gobierno.
They evaded government censorship.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'burlaba' instead of the preterite 'burló' for a single, completed evasion.
Correct: Use 'burló' for a specific instance of evading something that has finished.
Why: The preterite marks the completion, while the imperfect describes an ongoing or repeated action in the past.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on forms like 'burlé' or 'burló'.
Correct: Remember the accents on the 'yo' form ('burlé') and the 'él/ella/usted' form ('burló').
Why: The accents distinguish these forms and indicate the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: burlo
Use the present for current actions or habits: burlo, burlas, burla, burlamos, burlan.
Imperfect
yo: burlaba
Use imperfect for past habits or ongoing actions: burlaba, burlabas, burlábamos, burlaban.
Future
yo: burlaré
Use the future for what will happen: burlaré, burlarás, burlará, burlaremos, burlarán.
Conditional
yo: burlaría
Use conditional for hypotheticals or polite requests: burlaría, burlarías, burlaríamos, burlarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: burle
Used for wishes, doubts, or emotions: burle, burles, burlemos, burlen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: burlara
Used for past hypotheticals or wishes: burlara, burlaras, burláramos, burlaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: burla
Use commands with 'burlar': burla, burle, burlemos, burlad, burlen.
Negative Imperative
yo: no burles
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no burles, no burle, no burlemos, no burléis, no burlen.