cruzar Preterite Conjugation
cruzar — to cross
The preterite of cruzar has a spelling change in the 'yo' form: crucé, cruzaste, cruzó, cruzamos, cruzasteis, cruzaron.
cruzar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a completed trip across something, like crossing a street or a border at a specific moment in time.
Notes on cruzar in the Preterite
This verb has a spelling change in the 'yo' form where the 'z' changes to a 'c' before an 'e' (crucé). All other forms are regular.
Example Sentences
Crucé la calle sin mirar.
I crossed the street without looking.
yo
Mis abuelos cruzaron la frontera en 1980.
My grandparents crossed the border in 1980.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
El perro cruzó el parque corriendo.
The dog crossed the park running.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'cruzé' for the first person.
Correct: crucé
Why: In Spanish, 'z' usually changes to 'c' before the letter 'e'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: cruzo
Cruzar is a regular -ar verb in the present: cruzo, cruzas, cruza, cruzamos, cruzáis, cruzan.
Imperfect
yo: cruzaba
Cruzar is regular in the imperfect: cruzaba, cruzabas, cruzaba, cruzábamos, cruzabais, cruzaban.
Future
yo: cruzaré
Cruzar is regular in the future: cruzaré, cruzarás, cruzará, cruzaremos, cruzaréis, cruzarán.
Conditional
yo: cruzaría
Cruzar is regular in the conditional: cruzaría, cruzarías, cruzaría, cruzaríamos, cruzaríais, cruzarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: cruce
Cruzar has a spelling change (z to c) in all forms: cruce, cruces, cruce, crucemos, crucéis, crucen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cruzara
Cruzar is regular in the imperfect subjunctive: cruzara, cruzaras, cruzara, cruzáramos, cruzarais, cruzaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: cruza
The imperative for cruzar uses 'cruza' (tú) and spelling-changed 'cruce' (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no cruces
Negative commands for cruzar always use the 'c' spelling: no cruces, no cruce, no crucemos, no crucéis, no crucen.