comprobar Preterite Conjugation
comprobar — to check
The preterite of comprobar is regular: comprobé, comprobaste, comprobó, comprobamos, comprobasteis, comprobaron.
comprobar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about a specific time you verified or checked something. It implies the checking process is finished and you reached a conclusion.
Notes on comprobar in the Preterite
Comprobar is regular in the preterite. Unlike the present tense, the 'o' does NOT change to 'ue' here.
Example Sentences
Comprobé los resultados dos veces.
I checked the results twice.
yo
¿Comprobaste si la puerta estaba cerrada?
Did you check if the door was locked?
tú
El mecánico comprobó el nivel de aceite.
The mechanic checked the oil level.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'compruebe' or 'compruebó' in the past.
Correct: comprobé / comprobó
Why: Learners often try to carry the stem change (o > ue) into the preterite, but it only happens in the present tense.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: compruebo
Comprobar is a stem-changing verb (o > ue) in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Imperfect
yo: comprobaba
The imperfect of comprobar is regular: comprobaba, comprobabas, comprobaba, comprobábamos, comprobabais, comprobaban.
Future
yo: comprobaré
The future of comprobar is regular: comprobaré, comprobarás, comprobará, comprobaremos, comprobaréis, comprobarán.
Conditional
yo: comprobaría
The conditional of comprobar is regular: comprobaría, comprobarías, comprobaría, comprobaríamos, comprobaríais, comprobarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: compruebe
The present subjunctive follows the stem change (o > ue): compruebe, compruebes, compruebe, comprobemos, comprobéis, comprueben.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: comprobara
The imperfect subjunctive is regular: comprobara, comprobaras, comprobara, comprobáramos, comprobarais, comprobaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: comprueba
Use 'comprueba' (tú) or 'compruebe' (usted) to tell someone to check something.
Negative Imperative
yo: no compruebes
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no compruebes, no compruebe, no comprobemos, no comprobéis, no comprueben.