cumplir Preterite Conjugation
cumplir — fulfill
The preterite of cumplir is regular: cumplí, cumpliste, cumplió, cumplimos, cumplisteis, cumplieron.
cumplir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a completed obligation or a birthday that has already passed. It marks the specific moment a promise was kept or a goal was achieved.
Notes on cumplir in the Preterite
Cumplir is fully regular in the preterite. Remember that the 'nosotros' form is the same as the present tense.
Example Sentences
Ayer cumplí con todas mis tareas.
Yesterday I finished all my tasks.
yo
Ellos cumplieron su promesa de visitarnos.
They kept their promise to visit us.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
¿Cumpliste años la semana pasada?
Did you have a birthday last week?
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: cumplió written without an accent.
Correct: Él cumplió.
Why: The third-person singular preterite for -ir verbs always requires an accent on the 'ó'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: cumplo
Cumplir is regular in the present tense: cumplo, cumples, cumple, cumplimos, cumplís, cumplen.
Imperfect
yo: cumplía
Cumplir in the imperfect uses standard -ía endings: cumplía, cumplías, cumplía, cumplíamos, cumplíais, cumplían.
Future
yo: cumpliré
The future of cumplir is formed by adding endings to the infinitive: cumpliré, cumplirás, cumplirá, cumpliremos, cumpliréis, cumplirán.
Conditional
yo: cumpliría
The conditional of cumplir is regular: cumpliría, cumplirías, cumpliría, cumpliríamos, cumpliríais, cumplirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: cumpla
The present subjunctive of cumplir uses -a endings: cumpla, cumplas, cumpla, cumplamos, cumpláis, cumplan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cumpliera
The imperfect subjunctive of cumplir is based on the preterite stem: cumpliera, cumplieras, cumpliera, cumpliéramos, cumplierais, cumplieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: cumple
The imperative of cumplir gives direct orders: cumple, cumpla, cumplamos, cumplid, cumplan.
Negative Imperative
yo: no cumplas
The negative imperative of cumplir uses present subjunctive forms: no cumplas, no cumpla, no cumplamos, no cumpláis, no cumplan.