controlar Preterite Conjugation
controlar — control
Controlar is regular in the preterite: controlé, controlaste, controló, controlamos, controlasteis, controlaron.
controlar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a specific instance in the past when control was established or a situation was handled, such as 'I controlled the fire' or 'They controlled the crowd.'
Notes on controlar in the Preterite
This verb is fully regular in the preterite. Note that 'controlamos' is the same in both present and preterite; context will tell you the timing.
Example Sentences
Ayer controlé la situación sin problemas.
Yesterday I controlled the situation without problems.
yo
El piloto controló el avión durante la tormenta.
The pilot controlled the plane during the storm.
él/ella/usted
Ellos controlaron el incendio rápidamente.
They controlled the fire quickly.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on controló.
Correct: controló
Why: Without the accent, the word could be confused with other forms or lose its past-tense stress.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: controlo
The present tense of controlar is regular: controlo, controlas, controla, controlamos, controláis, controlan.
Imperfect
yo: controlaba
The imperfect of controlar uses standard -aba endings: controlaba, controlabas, controlaba, controlábamos, controlabais, controlaban.
Future
yo: controlaré
The future of controlar is formed by adding endings to the infinitive: analizaré, analizarás, analizará...
Conditional
yo: controlaría
The conditional of controlar adds -ía endings to the infinitive: controlaría, controlarías, controlaría...
Present Subjunctive
yo: controle
The present subjunctive of controlar uses -e endings: controle, controles, controle, controlemos, controléis, controlen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: controlara
The imperfect subjunctive of controlar is built from 'controlaron': controlara, controlaras, controlara, etc.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: controla
The imperative of controlar gives direct orders: controla (tú), controlad (vosotros), or controle (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no controles
The negative imperative of controlar uses the present subjunctive: no controles, no controle, no controléis...