conquistar Preterite Conjugation
conquistar — to conquer
The preterite of 'conquistar' (conquisté, conquistaste, etc.) describes completed actions in the past, like 'conquistó el imperio'.
conquistar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for actions that started and finished at a specific point in the past. Think of historical events: 'Los romanos conquistaron gran parte de Europa' (The Romans conquered a large part of Europe).
Notes on conquistar in the Preterite
Conquistar is regular in the preterite. All endings follow the standard pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
El conquistador conquistó muchas tierras.
The conqueror conquered many lands.
él/ella/usted
Conquistamos la cima de la montaña ayer.
We conquered the mountaintop yesterday.
nosotros
¿Conquistaste el primer lugar en la competencia?
Did you conquer first place in the competition?
tú
Ellos conquistaron el mercado con su nuevo producto.
They conquered the market with their new product.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single, completed action.
Correct: For a specific past event like 'conquistó', use the preterite. The imperfect 'conquistaba' would imply it happened repeatedly or was ongoing.
Why: The preterite marks the beginning/end of an action, while the imperfect describes duration or habit.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'conquistó' (él/ella/usted).
Correct: The third-person singular preterite is 'conquistó', with an accent on the 'o'.
Why: The accent is needed to show the stress falls on the final syllable and distinguishes it from other forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: conquisto
The present tense of 'conquistar' (conquisto, conquistas, etc.) describes current actions, habits, or general truths.
Imperfect
yo: conquistaba
The imperfect of 'conquistar' (conquistaba, conquistabas, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past actions and background settings.
Future
yo: conquistaré
The future tense of 'conquistar' (conquistaré, conquistarás, etc.) talks about actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: conquistaría
The conditional of 'conquistar' (conquistaría, conquistarías, etc.) expresses hypothetical actions ('would conquer') or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: conquiste
The present subjunctive of 'conquistar' (conquiste, conquistes, etc.) is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and after certain expressions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: conquistara
The imperfect subjunctive of conquistar (conquistara, conquistaras, etc.) expresses hypothetical or unreal past situations.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: conquista
Conquer, let's conquer! Use imperative forms like 'conquista' (tú) and 'conquisten' (ustedes) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no conquistes
Don't conquer! Negative commands use the present subjunctive, like 'no conquistes' (tú) and 'no conquisten' (ustedes).