cargar Preterite Conjugation
cargar — to carry
The preterite of cargar features a spelling change in the 'yo' form (cargué) to maintain the hard 'g' sound.
cargar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for specific, completed instances of carrying or loading something, like charging a phone once or loading a truck for a move.
Notes on cargar in the Preterite
Cargar is a 'g-to-gu' spelling changer. In the 'yo' form, the 'g' becomes 'gu' before the 'é' (cargué) so it doesn't sound like a 'j'. All other forms are regular.
Example Sentences
Cargué mi celular anoche.
I charged my phone last night.
yo
Él cargó todas las maletas en el coche.
He loaded all the suitcases in the car.
él/ella/usted
¿Cargaste la batería de la cámara?
Did you charge the camera battery?
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: cargé
Correct: cargué
Why: Without the 'u', the 'ge' would be pronounced like a 'j' (harsh H sound). The 'u' keeps the 'g' hard.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: cargo
Cargar is completely regular in the present tense: cargo, cargas, carga, cargamos, cargáis, cargan.
Imperfect
yo: cargaba
The imperfect of cargar is regular: cargaba, cargabas, cargaba, cargábamos, cargabais, cargaban.
Future
yo: cargaré
The future of cargar is regular, formed by adding endings to the full infinitive: cargaré, cargarás, cargará...
Conditional
yo: cargaría
The conditional of cargar is regular: cargaría, cargarías, cargaría, cargaríamos, cargaríais, cargarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: cargue
The present subjunctive of cargar requires a 'gu' spelling change in all forms: cargue, cargues, cargue...
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cargara
The imperfect subjunctive of cargar is regular: cargara, cargaras, cargara, cargáramos, cargarais, cargaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: carga
The imperative of cargar gives direct orders: carga (tú), cargue (usted), cargad (vosotros), carguen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no cargues
Negative commands for cargar always use the 'gu' spelling: no cargues, no cargue, no carguemos, no carguéis, no carguen.