ceder Preterite Conjugation
ceder — to give up
The preterite of ceder is regular: cedí, cediste, cedió, cedimos, cedisteis, cedieron.
ceder Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'ceder' to talk about a specific, completed instance of yielding, giving way, or giving something up in the past. For example, a driver yielding at an intersection at a particular moment, or someone giving up a fight.
Notes on ceder in the Preterite
Ceder is fully regular in the preterite tense. The forms follow the standard pattern for regular -er verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo cedí el paso al otro coche.
I yielded the way to the other car.
yo
¿Tú cediste en la discusión?
Did you give in during the argument?
tú
Ella cedió su asiento en el autobús.
She gave up her seat on the bus.
él/ella/usted
Los manifestantes cedieron ante la policía.
The protesters gave way to the police.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros cedimos el control del proyecto.
We gave up control of the project.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'cedía' instead of the preterite 'cedí' for a single past action.
Correct: Use 'Cedí el paso', not 'Cedía el paso' if it was one specific time.
Why: The preterite marks a completed, single event, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Confusing 'cedimos' (preterite) with 'cedemos' (present).
Correct: Pay attention to context; 'cedimos' is a completed past action, 'cedemos' is habitual or happening now.
Why: These forms sound identical but have different meanings based on tense.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: cedo
The present tense of ceder (cedo, cedes, cede, cedemos, cedéis, ceden) describes habitual actions, general truths, or things happening now.
Imperfect
yo: cedía
The imperfect of ceder (cedía, cedías, etc.) describes ongoing, habitual, or background actions in the past.
Future
yo: cederé
The future tense of ceder (cederé, cederás, etc.) indicates actions that will happen or expresses probability.
Conditional
yo: cedería
The conditional of ceder (cedería, cederías, etc.) is used for hypotheticals, polite requests, and future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: ceda
The present subjunctive of ceder (ceda, cedas, etc.) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, and in negative commands.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cediera
The imperfect subjunctive of ceder (cediera/cediese) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: cede
Use the imperative of ceder for direct commands: cede (tú), ceda (usted), cedamos (nosotros), ceded (vosotros), cedan (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no cedas
Negative commands for ceder use the present subjunctive: no cedas (tú), no ceda (usted), no cedamos (nosotros), no cedáis (vosotros), no cedan (ustedes).