derribar Preterite Conjugation
derribar — to knock down
The preterite of 'derribar' is regular: derribé, derribaste, derribó, derribamos, derribasteis, derribaron.
derribar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for completed actions in the past. For 'derribar', it means you knocked something down at a specific point in time, like 'Derribé la pared ayer' (I knocked down the wall yesterday).
Notes on derribar in the Preterite
'Derribar' is a regular -ar verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern in the preterite tense.
Example Sentences
Derribé el árbol caído para despejar el camino.
I knocked down the fallen tree to clear the path.
yo
Tú derribaste la puerta de una patada.
You knocked down the door with a kick.
tú
El equipo derribó la torre de naipes.
The team knocked down the card tower.
él/ella/usted
Ellos derribaron el viejo cobertizo.
They knocked down the old shed.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'derribaba' for a single completed action.
Correct: For a specific past event, use the preterite: 'Derribé' instead of 'Derribaba'.
Why: The preterite marks completed actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Missing the accent on 'derribó' (él/ella/usted).
Correct: The third-person singular form needs an accent: 'derribó'.
Why: The accent on the final 'ó' is crucial for distinguishing this form and indicating the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: derribo
Present tense 'derribo', 'derribas', etc., describes current or habitual actions.
Imperfect
yo: derribaba
Imperfect 'derribaba' describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Future
yo: derribaré
Future tense 'derribaré', 'derribarás' etc., predicts or expresses probability.
Conditional
yo: derribaría
Conditional 'derribaría' expresses hypotheticals ('would') or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: derribe
Present subjunctive (e.g., 'derribe') is used for wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: derribara
The imperfect subjunctive (e.g., 'derribara', 'derribase') expresses past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: derriba
Use imperative forms like 'derriba' (tú) for direct commands with 'derribar'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no derribes
Negative commands use 'no' + present subjunctive forms, like 'no derribes' (tú).