cobrar Preterite Conjugation
cobrar — to charge (a price)
The preterite of cobrar (cobré, cobraste, cobró, etc.) is used for completed actions in the past, like charging a specific amount at a specific time.
cobrar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a completed past action with a clear end point. For 'cobrar', this means charging a price or fee at a specific moment or within a defined period.
Notes on cobrar in the Preterite
Cobrar is regular in the preterite tense. All forms follow the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo cobré por el servicio ayer.
I charged for the service yesterday.
yo
¿Tú cobraste la entrada?
Did you charge for the ticket?
tú
Ella cobró 50 euros.
She charged 50 euros.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros cobramos la deuda la semana pasada.
We collected the debt last week.
nosotros
Ellos cobraron por adelantado.
They charged in advance.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single completed action.
Correct: For a specific completed action like charging yesterday, use the preterite: 'Ayer cobré'.
Why: The preterite marks the completion of the action, while the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual past situation.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the yo form: 'cobré' vs 'cobré'.
Correct: The yo form in the preterite is 'cobré', with an accent on the 'é'.
Why: The accent is necessary to distinguish the preterite yo form from other similar forms (like the present nosotros 'cobramos') and to indicate stress.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: cobro
The present tense of cobrar (cobro, cobras, cobra, etc.) describes habitual actions, current actions, or general truths.
Imperfect
yo: cobraba
The imperfect tense of cobrar (cobraba, cobrabas, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past actions, or sets the background scene.
Future
yo: cobraré
The future tense of cobrar (cobraré, cobrarás, cobrará, etc.) indicates actions that will happen or expresses probability.
Conditional
yo: cobraría
The conditional tense of cobrar (cobraría, cobrarías, etc.) expresses 'would' actions, polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: cobre
The present subjunctive of cobrar (cobre, cobres, cobre, cobremos, cobréis, cobren) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cobrara
The imperfect subjunctive of cobrar (e.g., cobrara, cobrara, cobráramos) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: cobra
Cobrar's imperative forms give direct commands: cobra (tú), cobre (usted), cobremos (nosotros), cobren (ustedes), cobrad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no cobres
Negative commands for 'cobrar' use the present subjunctive: no cobres (tú), no cobre (usted), no cobremos (nosotros), no cobren (ustedes), no cobréis (vosotros).