complicar Preterite Conjugation
complicar — to complicate
The preterite of complicar is regular: compliqué, complicaste, complicó, complicamos, complicasteis, complicaron.
complicar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'complicar' to talk about an instance where someone or something made a situation more difficult, and this action is seen as completed. For example, 'He complicated the task' or 'They complicated the journey.'
Notes on complicar in the Preterite
Complicar is a regular -ar verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern perfectly in the preterite tense. The nosotros form 'complicamos' is identical to the present indicative, so context is key to understanding which tense is being used.
Example Sentences
Yo compliqué la situación al decir eso.
I complicated the situation by saying that.
yo
¿Tú complicaste el problema intencionadamente?
Did you complicate the problem intentionally?
tú
Ella complicó su propio camino hacia el éxito.
She complicated her own path to success.
él/ella/usted
Los retrasos complicaron nuestro viaje.
The delays complicated our trip.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'complicaba' instead of the preterite 'complicó' for a single, completed action.
Correct: Use 'complicó' for a specific instance when something was made more difficult.
Why: The preterite marks a finished action in the past, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions or descriptions.
Mistake: Writing 'complicamos' without context and assuming it's preterite when it could be present.
Correct: Pay attention to context; 'complicamos' can be either present or preterite. If you need to be specific about the preterite, you might add 'ayer' or 'anoche'.
Why: The identical forms for present and preterite nosotros require contextual clues to differentiate.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: complico
The present tense of complicar is regular: complico, complicas, complica, complicamos, complicáis, complican.
Imperfect
yo: complicaba
The imperfect tense of complicar is regular: complicaba, complicabas, complicaba, complicábamos, complicabais, complicaban.
Future
yo: complicaré
The future tense of complicar is regular: complicaré, complicarás, complicará, complicaremos, complicaréis, complicarán.
Conditional
yo: complicaría
The conditional tense of complicar is regular: complicaría, complicarías, complicaría, complicaríamos, complicaríais, complicarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: complique
The present subjunctive of complicar (complique, compliques, compliquemos, compliquen) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: complicara
The imperfect subjunctive of complicar (complicara/complicase) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: complica
The imperative of complicar has regular commands for tú (complica) and vosotros (complicad), but requires a spelling change for the other forms (complique, compliquemos, compliquen).
Negative Imperative
yo: no compliques
Negative commands for complicar use the present subjunctive: no compliques, no complique, no compliquemos, no compliquen, no compliquéis.