copiar Preterite Conjugation
copiar — to copy
The preterite of copiar is regular: copié, copiaste, copió, copiamos, copiasteis, copiaron.
copiar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for completed actions of copying in the past. For example, you copied a file at a specific time, or someone copied text from a book yesterday.
Notes on copiar in the Preterite
Copiar is regular in the preterite tense.
Example Sentences
Ayer copié el número de teléfono.
Yesterday I copied the phone number.
yo
¿Tú copiaste la dirección correcta?
Did you copy the correct address?
tú
Él copió la lección en su cuaderno.
He copied the lesson into his notebook.
él/ella/usted
Ellos copiaron el código fuente.
They copied the source code.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single, completed act of copying.
Correct: Use 'copié' for 'I copied it once', not 'copiaba'.
Why: The preterite marks a specific, finished action, whereas the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'copié' and 'copió'.
Correct: The yo form is 'copié' and the él/ella/usted form is 'copió', both with accents.
Why: These accents are crucial for distinguishing these preterite forms from other verb forms or tenses.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: copio
The present tense of copiar is regular: copio, copias, copia, copiamos, copiáis, copian.
Imperfect
yo: copiaba
The imperfect of copiar is regular: copiaba, copiabas, copiaba, copiábamos, copiabais, copiaban.
Future
yo: copiaré
The future of copiar is regular: copiaré, copiarás, copiará, copiaremos, copiaréis, copiarán.
Conditional
yo: copiaría
The conditional of copiar is regular: copiaría, copiarías, copiaría, copiaríamos, copiaríais, copiarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: copie
The present subjunctive of copiar (copie, copies, copiemos, copien, copiéis) is used for wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: copiara
The imperfect subjunctive of copiar (copiara/copiase) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, and doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: copia
The imperative of copiar is irregular for tú (copia) but regular for others: copiemos, copien, copiad, copie.
Negative Imperative
yo: no copies
Negative commands for copiar use the present subjunctive: no copies, no copie, no copiemos, no copien, no copiéis.