cepillar Preterite Conjugation
cepillar — to brush
The preterite of cepillar is regular: cepillé, cepillaste, cepilló, cepillamos, cepillasteis, cepillaron.
cepillar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about the action of brushing as a completed event in the past. For instance, 'I brushed my teeth this morning' or 'She brushed the dog yesterday'.
Notes on cepillar in the Preterite
Cepillar is a regular -ar verb, so its preterite conjugations follow the standard pattern.
Example Sentences
Ayer me cepillé el pelo muy rápido.
Yesterday I brushed my hair very quickly.
yo
¿Cepillaste la ropa antes de guardarla?
Did you brush the clothes before putting them away?
tú
Él se cepilló los zapatos antes de la fiesta.
He brushed his shoes before the party.
él/ella/usted
Ellos cepillaron el sofá para quitar el polvo.
They brushed the sofa to remove the dust.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect ('cepillaba') instead of the preterite ('cepillé') for a single completed action.
Correct: For a specific, finished action like brushing teeth this morning, use the preterite: 'Me cepillé'.
Why: The preterite marks completed actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'cepillé' (yo).
Correct: The 'yo' form is 'cepillé', with an accent on the final 'é'.
Why: The accent indicates the stressed syllable and distinguishes it from the nosotros present tense form 'cepillamos'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: cepillo
The present tense of cepillar (cepillo, cepillas, cepilla, etc.) describes habitual actions, things happening now, or general truths.
Imperfect
yo: cepillaba
The imperfect of cepillar (cepillaba, cepillabas, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Future
yo: cepillaré
The future tense of cepillar (cepillaré, cepillarás, etc.) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: cepillaría
The conditional of cepillar (cepillaría, cepillarías, etc.) expresses 'would' actions, polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: cepille
The present subjunctive of cepillar (cepille, cepilles, etc.) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cepillara
The imperfect subjunctive of cepillar (cepillara/cepillase) is used for past hypotheticals or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: cepilla
Use the imperative of cepillar for direct commands: ¡cepilla (tú), cepille (usted), etc.!
Negative Imperative
yo: no cepilles
Use 'no' + present subjunctive for negative commands: ¡no cepilles (tú), no cepille (usted), etc.!