comparecer Preterite Conjugation
comparecer — to appear
Comparecer is completely regular in the preterite: comparecí, compareciste, compareció.
comparecer Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific instance where someone appeared in court or before a committee that is now finished.
Notes on comparecer in the Preterite
Even though the present tense is irregular, the preterite follows the standard -er verb endings perfectly.
Example Sentences
El ministro compareció ante el congreso ayer.
The minister appeared before congress yesterday.
él/ella/usted
Comparecimos voluntariamente para aclarar la situación.
We appeared voluntarily to clarify the situation.
nosotros
Los sospechosos comparecieron a las diez.
The suspects appeared at ten o'clock.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Adding a 'z' (comparezció).
Correct: compareció
Why: The 'zc' change only happens before 'o' and 'a'. In the preterite, the endings start with 'i' or 'e', so the 'z' is not needed.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'comparecer' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: comparezco
Comparecer has a 'z' in the 'yo' form (comparezco) but is otherwise a regular -er verb.
Imperfect
yo: comparecía
Comparecer is regular in the imperfect: comparecía, comparecías, comparecía.
Future
yo: compareceré
Comparecer is regular in the future; simply add the endings to the full infinitive.
Conditional
yo: comparecería
The conditional of comparecer is regular: comparecería, comparecerías, etc.
Present Subjunctive
yo: comparezca
All forms of the present subjunctive for comparecer use the 'zc' stem: comparezca, comparezcas, etc.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: compareciera
Formed from the 'ellos' preterite, results in compareciera, comparecieras, etc.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: comparece
The imperative uses 'comparece' for 'tú' and the 'zc' forms for formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no comparezcas
The negative imperative always uses the 'zc' subjunctive forms: no comparezcas, no comparezca.