derrumbar Preterite Conjugation
derrumbar — to knock down
The preterite of derrumbar is regular: derrumbé, derrumbaste, derrumbó, derrumbamos, derrumbasteis, derrumbaron.
derrumbar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for completed actions in the past. For 'derrumbar', this means you knocked something down at a specific point in time, and it's now finished. For example, 'Yesterday, I knocked down the old shed'.
Notes on derrumbar in the Preterite
Derrumbar is a regular -ar verb and follows all standard conjugation patterns in the preterite.
Example Sentences
Ayer, derrumbé el cobertizo viejo.
Yesterday, I knocked down the old shed.
yo
¿Derrumbaste la pared del fondo?
Did you knock down the back wall?
tú
El equipo derrumbó la torre de control.
The team knocked down the control tower.
él/ella/usted
Derrumbaron el edificio en una semana.
They knocked down the building in a week.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a completed action.
Correct: Use 'Derrumbé la casa' (preterite) for a one-time demolition, not 'Derrumbaba la casa' (imperfect).
Why: The preterite marks the specific, finished event, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the yo form.
Correct: The 'yo' form is 'derrumbé', not 'derrumbe'.
Why: The accent marks the stress on the final syllable and distinguishes it from other forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: derrumbo
The present tense of derrumbar is regular: derrumbo, derrumbas, derrumba, derrumbamos, derrumbáis, derrumban.
Imperfect
yo: derrumbaba
The imperfect of derrumbar is regular: derrumbaba, derrumbabas, derrumbaba, derrumbábamos, derrumbabais, derrumbaban.
Future
yo: derrumbaré
The future tense of derrumbar is regular: derrumbaré, derrumbarás, derrumbará, derrumbaremos, derrumbaréis, derrumbarán.
Conditional
yo: derrumbaría
The conditional of derrumbar is regular: derrumbaría, derrumbarías, derrumbaría, derrumbaríamos, derrumbaríais, derrumbarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: derrumbe
The present subjunctive, like 'derrumbe' or 'derumbes', expresses wishes, doubts, or emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: derrumbara
The imperfect subjunctive, like 'derrumbaras' or 'derrumbaramos', is used for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: derrumba
Use imperative forms like 'derrumbe' and 'derrumbe' for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no derrumbes
Negative commands like 'no derrumbes' and 'no derrumben' use the present subjunctive with 'no'.