datar Preterite Conjugation
datar — to date
The preterite of 'datar' is regular: daté, dataste, dató, datamos, datasteis, dataron.
datar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'datar' to talk about the specific action of dating something that happened and was completed at a certain point in the past. For example, 'Daté el cheque ayer' (I dated the check yesterday) clearly marks the action as finished.
Notes on datar in the Preterite
'Datar' is a regular -ar verb, so all its preterite conjugations follow the standard pattern: drop -ar, add -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron.
Example Sentences
Yo daté el contrato la semana pasada.
I dated the contract last week.
yo
¿Tú dataste la entrada del museo?
Did you date the museum entrance?
tú
Él dató la carta con la fecha de envío.
He dated the letter with the shipping date.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros datamos el inicio de la excavación.
We dated the start of the excavation.
nosotros
Ellos dataron la obra de arte en el siglo XVIII.
They dated the artwork to the 18th century.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'databa' instead of the preterite 'daté' for a single, completed action.
Correct: Use 'daté' for a specific instance of dating, like 'Daté el documento ayer'.
Why: The preterite signifies a completed action, while the imperfect suggests duration or repetition in the past.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'dató' (él/ella/usted) and 'daté' (yo).
Correct: Ensure these forms have the accent mark: dató, daté.
Why: The accent marks the stressed syllable and distinguishes these forms from other tenses or meanings.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: dato
The present tense of 'datar' (dato, datas, data, datamos, datáis, datan) is for current or habitual actions.
Imperfect
yo: databa
The imperfect of 'datar' (databa, databas, databa, datábamos, databais, databan) describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Future
yo: dataré
The future tense of 'datar' (dataré, datarás, datará, dataremos, dataréis, datarán) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: dataría
The conditional of 'datar' (dataría, datarías, dataría, dataríamos, dataríais, datarían) expresses 'would' actions.
Present Subjunctive
yo: date
The present subjunctive of 'datar' (date, dates, datemos, datéis, daten) is used for wishes, doubts, and recommendations.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: datara
The imperfect subjunctive of 'datar' (datara/datase) is used for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: data
Use 'data', 'date', 'dad', 'datemos', 'daten' for direct commands with 'datar'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no dates
Use 'no dates', 'no date', 'no datéis', 'no datemos', 'no daten' for negative commands with 'datar'.