corromper Preterite Conjugation
corromper — to corrupt
The preterite of corromper is regular: corrompí, corrompiste, corrompió, corrompimos, corrompisteis, corrompieron.
corromper Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about actions of corrupting that were completed at a specific point in the past. For example, when someone *decided* to corrupt something or *actually did* corrupt it, and the action finished.
Notes on corromper in the Preterite
Corromper is fully regular in the preterite tense. All forms follow the standard -er verb conjugation pattern.
Example Sentences
El soborno corrompió al político.
The bribe corrupted the politician.
él/ella/usted
Yo corrompí los archivos sin querer.
I corrupted the files by accident.
yo
¿Tú corrompiste la muestra de laboratorio?
Did you corrupt the lab sample?
tú
Ellos corrompieron la base de datos.
They corrupted the database.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros corrompimos el código fuente.
We corrupted the source code.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'corrompía' instead of the preterite 'corrompió' for a single, completed act of corruption.
Correct: For a specific, completed event, use the preterite: 'El soborno corrompió al político'.
Why: The preterite marks a finished action, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'corrompió' for él/ella/usted.
Correct: The él/ella/usted form requires an accent: 'corrompió'.
Why: The accent distinguishes this form from other similar-sounding verbs or tenses and indicates the stress.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: corrompo
The present tense of corromper (corrompo) describes actions happening now, habitual actions, or general truths about corruption.
Imperfect
yo: corrompía
The imperfect of corromper (corrompía) describes ongoing or habitual past actions of corrupting, or sets the background scene.
Future
yo: corromperé
The future tense of corromper (corromperé) indicates actions that will happen or expresses probability about corrupting.
Conditional
yo: corrompería
The conditional of corromper (corrompería) expresses hypothetical outcomes ('would corrupt'), polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: corrompa
The present subjunctive of corromper (corrompa) is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and after impersonal expressions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: corrompiera
The imperfect subjunctive of corromper (corrompiera/corrompiera) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or to describe ongoing past situations in dependent clauses.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: corrompe
The imperative of corromper uses specific commands: corrompe (tú), corrompa (usted), corrompamos (nosotros), corromped (vosotros), corrompan (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no corrompas
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no corrompas (tú), no corrompa (usted), no corrompamos (nosotros), no corrompáis (vosotros), no corrompan (ustedes).