
chillar Preterite Conjugation
chillar — to scream
The preterite of chillar (chillé, chillaste, chilló, chillamos, chillasteis, chillaron) describes completed past actions.
chillar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'chillar' for actions of screaming that started and finished at a specific point in the past. For example, screaming once in response to something.
Notes on chillar in the Preterite
Chillar is a regular -ar verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern in the preterite.
Example Sentences
Chillé muy fuerte cuando vi la araña.
I screamed very loudly when I saw the spider.
yo
¿Por qué chillaste anoche?
Why did you scream last night?
tú
El bebé chilló porque tenía hambre.
The baby screamed because he was hungry.
él/ella/usted
Ellos chillaron de emoción al ganar.
They screamed with excitement upon winning.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single, completed scream.
Correct: Use 'Chillé anoche' for a specific scream, not 'Chillaba anoche'.
Why: The preterite is for completed actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Missing the accent on 'chillé' and 'chilló'.
Correct: Remember the accents: 'chillé' and 'chilló'.
Why: The accent marks the stressed syllable and distinguishes these forms.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'chillar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: chillo
The present tense of chillar (chillo, chillas, chilla, chillamos, chilláis, chillan) is for actions happening now or habitual screaming.
Imperfect
yo: chillaba
The imperfect of chillar (chillaba, chillabas, chillaba, chillábamos, chillabais, chillaban) describes ongoing or habitual past screaming.
Future
yo: chillaré
The future tense of chillar (chillaré, chillarás, chillará, chillaremos, chillaréis, chillarán) expresses actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: chillaría
The conditional of chillar (chillaría, chillarías, chillaría, chillaríamos, chillaríais, chillarían) is used for hypotheticals ('would scream').
Present Subjunctive
yo: chille
The present subjunctive of chillar (chille, chilles, chillemos, chillen) follows expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: chillara
The imperfect subjunctive of chillar (chillara/chillase) is used for past hypotheticals and wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: chilla
Use chilla, chille, chillad, chillemos, chillen for direct commands with chillar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no chilles
Negative commands with chillar use 'no' + present subjunctive: no chilles, no chille, no chilléis, no chillemos, no chillen.