capacitar Preterite Conjugation
capacitar — to train
The preterite of capacitar is regular: capacité, capacitaste, capacitó, capacitamos, capacitasteis, capacitaron.
capacitar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about a specific, completed instance of training or being trained in the past. It marks the beginning or end of the training action.
Notes on capacitar in the Preterite
Capacitar is a regular -ar verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern in the preterite tense.
Example Sentences
Ayer capacité a cinco nuevos empleados.
Yesterday I trained five new employees.
yo
¿Tú capacitaste al equipo para el proyecto?
Did you train the team for the project?
tú
La empresa capacitó a todos los trabajadores el mes pasado.
The company trained all the workers last month.
él/ella/usted
Nos capacitamos en primeros auxilios el año pasado.
We trained ourselves in first aid last year.
nosotros
Ellos se capacitaron para el maratón.
They trained for the marathon.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of preterite for a single completed training event.
Correct: For a specific event like 'I trained them yesterday', use the preterite: 'Los capacité ayer'.
Why: The preterite emphasizes the completion of the action, while the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual past action.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'capacitó' (él/ella/usted) and 'capacíté' (yo).
Correct: Ensure the accents are present: 'capacitó' and 'capacité'.
Why: These accents are crucial for correct pronunciation and to distinguish these forms from other verb forms or tenses.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'capacitar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: capacito
The present tense of capacitar (capacíto, capacitas, capacita, capacitamos, capacitáis, capacitan) describes current or habitual training.
Imperfect
yo: capacitaba
The imperfect of capacitar (capacitaba, capacitabas, capacitaba, capacitábamos, capacitabais, capacitaban) describes ongoing or habitual past training.
Future
yo: capacitaré
The future tense of capacitar (capacitaré, capacitarás, capacitará, capacitaremos, capacitaréis, capacitarán) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: capacitaría
The conditional of capacitar (capacitaría, capacitarías, capacitaría, capacitaríamos, capacitaríais, capacitarían) expresses hypothetical actions or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: capacite
The present subjunctive of capacitar (capacíte, capacites, capacite, capacitemos, capacitéis, capaciten) is used after wishes, doubts, emotions, and certain commands.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: capacitara
The imperfect subjunctive of capacitar (capacitara/capacitase) expresses hypothetical situations or wishes in the past.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: capacita
Use 'capacita' (tú), 'capacite' (usted), 'capacitemos' (nosotros), 'capaciten' (ustedes), 'capacitad' (vosotros) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no capacites
Use 'no capacites' (tú), 'no capacite' (usted), 'no capacitemos' (nosotros), 'no capaciten' (ustedes), 'no capacitéis' (vosotros) for negative commands.