curar Preterite Conjugation
curar — to cure
The preterite of curar is regular: curé, curaste, curó, curamos, curasteis, curaron.
curar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a completed action in the past with a clear beginning and end. For 'curar', this means the act of curing was finished at a specific point, like 'The medicine cured him yesterday'.
Notes on curar in the Preterite
Curar is regular in the preterite tense. All forms follow the standard pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
El doctor curó al paciente la semana pasada.
The doctor cured the patient last week.
él/ella/usted
Yo curé mi gripe con descanso.
I cured my flu with rest.
yo
¿Curaste la herida a tiempo?
Did you cure the wound in time?
tú
Nosotros curamos la infección rápidamente.
We cured the infection quickly.
nosotros
Ellos curaron la enfermedad en un mes.
They cured the disease in a month.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single completed action, e.g., 'Ayer curaba la enfermedad'.
Correct: Use the preterite for a completed action: 'Ayer curé la enfermedad'.
Why: The preterite marks the completion of the action, whereas the imperfect would imply it was ongoing or habitual.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'yo' form, e.g., 'Yo curo'.
Correct: The 'yo' form requires an accent: 'Yo curé'.
Why: The accent on 'curé' distinguishes it as the first-person singular preterite.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: curo
The present indicative of curar is regular: curo, curas, cura, curamos, curáis, curan.
Imperfect
yo: curaba
The imperfect of curar is regular: curaba, curabas, curábamos, curabais, curaban.
Future
yo: curaré
The future of curar is regular: curaré, curarás, curará, curaremos, curaréis, curarán.
Conditional
yo: curaría
The conditional of curar is regular: curaría, curarías, curaría, curaríamos, curaríais, curarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: cure
The present subjunctive of curar is regular: cure, cures, curemos, curéis, curen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: curara
The imperfect subjunctive of curar uses -ra or -se endings: curara, curaras, curáramos, curaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: cura
The imperative of curar is regular: cura, cure, curemos, curad, curen.
Negative Imperative
yo: no cures
The negative imperative of curar uses the present subjunctive: no cures, no cure, no curemos, no curéis, no curen.