consumir Preterite Conjugation
consumir — to consume
The preterite of consumir is regular: consumí, consumiste, consumió, consumimos, consumisteis, consumieron.
consumir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about actions of consuming that were completed at a specific point in the past. Think of finishing a meal or using up a supply.
Notes on consumir in the Preterite
Consumir is a regular -ir verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern for the preterite tense.
Example Sentences
Ayer consumí mucha cafeína.
Yesterday I consumed a lot of caffeine.
yo
¿Consumiste las galletas?
Did you consume the cookies?
tú
Él consumió todo el pastel.
He consumed the whole cake.
él/ella/usted
Ellos consumieron la energía disponible.
They consumed the available energy.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'consumía' instead of the preterite 'consumí'.
Correct: For a specific completed action like 'I consumed yesterday', use 'consumí'.
Why: The preterite is for finished actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'consumió'.
Correct: The él/ella/usted form requires an accent: 'consumió'.
Why: The accent on the 'ó' indicates the stressed syllable in this preterite form.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: consumo
The present indicative of consumir is regular: consumo, consumes, consume, consumimos, consumís, consumen.
Imperfect
yo: consumía
The imperfect of consumir is regular: consumía, consumías, consumía, consumíamos, consumíais, consumían.
Future
yo: consumiré
The future of consumir is regular: consumiré, consumirás, consumirá, consumiremos, consumiréis, consumirán.
Conditional
yo: consumiría
The conditional of consumir is regular: consumiría, consumirías, consumiría, consumiríamos, consumiríais, consumirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: consuma
The present subjunctive of consumir (consuma) is used for wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: consumiera
The imperfect subjunctive of consumir (consumiera/consumiese) expresses past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: consume
The imperative of consumir is irregular for tú (consume), but regular for vosotros (consumid) and nosotros/ustedes (consumamos/consuman).
Negative Imperative
yo: no consumas
Negative commands for consumir use the present subjunctive: no consumas, no consuma, no consumamos, no consumáis, no consuman.