centrar Preterite Conjugation
centrar — to center
The preterite of centrar is regular: centré, centraste, centró, centramos, centrasteis, centraron.
centrar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when you finished centering an object or finally focused your efforts on a specific task at a specific moment in the past.
Notes on centrar in the Preterite
Centrar is regular in the preterite. Remember the accent on the 'é' for 'yo' and the 'ó' for 'él/ella/usted'.
Example Sentences
Ayer centré todos mis esfuerzos en el proyecto.
Yesterday I focused all my efforts on the project.
yo
Ellos centraron el debate en la economía.
They centered the debate on the economy.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
¿Centraste la imagen en el documento?
Did you center the image in the document?
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Confusing 'centramos' (past) with 'centramos' (present).
Correct: centramos
Why: The nosotros form is identical in both tenses, so you must rely on context clues like 'ayer'.
Master Spanish verbs in context
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: centro
The present of centrar is regular: centro, centras, centra, centramos, centráis, centran.
Imperfect
yo: centraba
The imperfect of centrar uses the standard -aba endings: centraba, centrabas, centraba, centrábamos, centrabais, centraban.
Future
yo: centraré
The future of centrar is formed by adding endings to the infinitive: centraré, centrarás, centrará, centraremos, centraréis, centrarán.
Conditional
yo: centraría
The conditional of centrar is regular: centraría, centrarías, centraría, centraríamos, centraríais, centrarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: centre
The present subjunctive of centrar changes the 'a' to 'e': centre, centres, centre, centremos, centréis, centren.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: centrara
The imperfect subjunctive of centrar is centrara, centraras, centrara, centráramos, centrarais, centraran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: centra
The affirmative imperative of centrar gives direct commands: centra, centre, centremos, centrad, centren.
Negative Imperative
yo: no centres
The negative imperative of centrar uses 'no' plus the present subjunctive: no centres, no centre, no centremos, no centréis, no centren.