contemplar Preterite Conjugation
contemplar — to gaze at
The preterite of contemplar describes completed past actions: contemplé, contemplaste, contempló, contemplamos, contemplasteis, contemplaron.
contemplar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about actions of gazing or contemplating that were completed at a specific point in the past. For example, 'Contempló el cuadro por una hora' means 'He gazed at the painting for an hour'.
Notes on contemplar in the Preterite
Contemplar is regular in the preterite. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Ayer contemplé las estrellas fugaces.
Yesterday I gazed at the shooting stars.
yo
¿Contemplaste la puesta de sol anoche?
Did you gaze at the sunset last night?
tú
Él contempló el mar desde la ventana.
He gazed at the sea from the window.
él/ella/usted
Los turistas contemplaron la arquitectura antigua.
The tourists gazed at the ancient architecture.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single, completed action.
Correct: For a specific instance of gazing, use 'contempló', not 'contemplaba'.
Why: The preterite marks a finished action, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Missing the accent on the 'yo' form.
Correct: The 'yo' form is 'contemplé', not 'contemple'.
Why: The written accent on the final 'é' is crucial for the preterite tense and indicates stress.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: contemplo
The present tense of contemplar describes current actions or habits: contemplo, contemplas, contempla, contemplamos, contempláis, contemplan.
Imperfect
yo: contemplaba
The imperfect of contemplar describes ongoing or habitual past actions: contemplaba, contemplabas, contemplaba, contemplábamos, contemplabais, contemplaban.
Future
yo: contemplaré
The future tense of contemplar expresses what will happen: contemplaré, contemplarás, contemplará, contemplaremos, contemplaréis, contemplarán.
Conditional
yo: contemplaría
The conditional of contemplar expresses hypothetical actions or polite requests: contemplaría, contemplarías, contemplaría, contemplaríamos, contemplaríais, contemplarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: contemple
The present subjunctive of contemplar expresses wishes, doubts, or emotions: contemple, contemples, contemple, contemplemos, contempléis, contemplen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: contemplara
The imperfect subjunctive of contemplar describes past hypothetical situations or wishes: contemplara, contemplaras, contemplara, contempláramos, contemplarais, contemplaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: contempla
The imperative of contemplar gives direct commands: ¡contempla!, ¡contemple!, ¡contemplemos!, ¡contemplad!, ¡contemplen!.
Negative Imperative
yo: no contemples
Negative commands for contemplar use the present subjunctive: ¡no contemples!, ¡no contemple!, ¡no contemplemos!, ¡no contempléis!, ¡no contemplen!.