derivar Preterite Conjugation
derivar — to refer
The preterite of 'derivar' is regular: derivé, derivaste, derivó, derivamos, derivasteis, derivaron.
derivar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about actions of deriving or referring that were completed at a specific point in the past. For instance, 'Derivó el caso a otro departamento ayer' (He referred the case to another department yesterday) or 'Derivamos la conclusión correcta' (We derived the correct conclusion).
Notes on derivar in the Preterite
Derivar is completely regular in the preterite tense. All conjugations follow the standard pattern for -ar verbs: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron.
Example Sentences
Ayer derivé un nuevo significado de esa palabra.
Yesterday I derived a new meaning from that word.
yo
¿Derivaste las notas del informe?
Did you derive the notes from the report?
tú
El comité derivó la decisión al presidente.
The committee referred the decision to the president.
él/ella/usted
Ellos derivaron la conversación hacia otro tema.
They steered the conversation towards another topic.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros derivamos la respuesta del problema matemático.
We derived the answer from the math problem.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a completed action.
Correct: Use 'derivó' for a specific past action, not 'derivaba'.
Why: The preterite marks a completed event, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'derivó' (él/ella/usted) and 'derivé' (yo).
Correct: The yo form is 'derivé' and the él/ella/usted form is 'derivó', both with accents.
Why: These accents are crucial for correct pronunciation and to distinguish these forms from other tenses or similar-sounding words.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: derivo
The present tense of 'derivar' ('derivo') describes current actions, habits, or general truths.
Imperfect
yo: derivaba
The imperfect of 'derivar' ('derivaba') describes past habits, ongoing actions, or background descriptions.
Future
yo: derivaré
The future tense of 'derivar' ('derivaré') indicates actions that will happen or expresses probability.
Conditional
yo: derivaría
The conditional of 'derivar' ('derivaría') is used for hypotheticals ('would derive'), polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: derive
The present subjunctive ('derive') is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and recommendations about the present or future.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: derivara
The imperfect subjunctive ('derivara'/'derivase') expresses past doubts, wishes, or hypothetical situations.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: deriva
Use the imperative of 'derivar' for direct commands like 'deriva' (you, informal) or 'deriven' (you all).
Negative Imperative
yo: no derives
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: 'no derives' (you, informal), 'no deriven' (you all).