clavar Preterite Conjugation
clavar — to nail
Use 'clavé' (yo), 'clavaste' (tú), 'clavó' (él/ella/usted), 'clavamos' (nosotros), 'clavasteis' (vosotros), 'clavaron' (ellos/ellas/ustedes) for completed actions in the past with clavar.
clavar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
The preterite is for actions that started and finished at a specific point in the past. Think of nailing a picture frame yesterday, or completing a construction task last week.
Notes on clavar in the Preterite
Clavar is regular in the preterite. All the endings are standard for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Ayer clavé un cuadro en la sala.
Yesterday I nailed a picture in the living room.
yo
¿Tú clavaste la estantería en la pared?
Did you nail the shelf to the wall?
tú
El carpintero clavó las tablas rápidamente.
The carpenter nailed the boards quickly.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros clavamos todos los clavos necesarios.
We nailed all the necessary nails.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single, completed action.
Correct: For a specific, finished action like nailing one picture, use the preterite: 'Clavé'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, not single completed events.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'clavó' (él/ella/usted) or 'clavé' (yo).
Correct: The yo and él/ella/usted forms in the preterite always have an accent: 'clavé' and 'clavó'.
Why: Accents are crucial for pronunciation and distinguishing between similar-looking verb forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: clavo
Use 'clavo' (yo), 'clavas' (tú), 'clava' (él/ella/usted), 'clavamos' (nosotros), 'claváis' (vosotros), 'clavan' (ellos/ellas/ustedes) for habitual actions, things happening now, or general truths with clavar.
Imperfect
yo: clavaba
Use 'clavaba' (yo/él/ella/usted), 'clavabas' (tú), 'clavábamos' (nosotros), 'clavabais' (vosotros), 'clavaban' (ellos/ellas/ustedes) for ongoing or habitual past actions with clavar.
Future
yo: clavaré
Use 'clavaré' (yo), 'clavarás' (tú), 'clavará' (él/ella/usted), 'claremos' (nosotros), 'clararéis' (vosotros), 'clararán' (ellos/ellas/ustedes) for actions that will happen in the future with clavar.
Conditional
yo: clavaría
Use 'clavaría' (yo/él/ella/usted), 'clavarías' (tú), 'clavaríamos' (nosotros), 'clavaríais' (vosotros), 'clavarían' (ellos/ellas/ustedes) for hypothetical situations ('would') or polite requests with clavar.
Present Subjunctive
yo: clave
Use 'clava' (yo/él/ella/usted), 'clavas' (tú), 'clavemos' (nosotros), 'claven' (ellos/ellas/ustedes), 'clavéis' (vosotros) after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty with clavar.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: clavara
Use 'clavara' or 'clavase' (yo/él/ella/usted), 'clavaras' or 'clavases' (tú), 'claváramos' or 'clavásemos' (nosotros), 'clavaran' or 'clavasen' (ellos/ellas/ustedes), 'clavarais' or 'clavaseis' (vosotros) for past hypothetical situations or wishes with clavar.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: clava
Use 'clava' (tú), 'clave' (usted), 'clavemos' (nosotros), 'claven' (ustedes), 'clavad' (vosotros) for direct commands with clavar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no claves
Use 'no claves' (tú), 'no clave' (usted), 'no clavemos' (nosotros), 'no claven' (ustedes), 'no clavéis' (vosotros) for negative commands with clavar.