desarrollar Preterite Conjugation
desarrollar — to develop
The preterite of 'desarrollar' is regular: desarrollé, desarrollaste, desarrolló, desarrollamos, desarrollasteis, desarrollaron.
desarrollar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'desarrollar' to talk about a specific, completed instance of developing something in the past – like developing a photograph, developing a new software feature, or developing a specific skill at a point in time.
Notes on desarrollar in the Preterite
'Desarrollar' is a regular -ar verb, so all its forms in the preterite follow the standard pattern. The 'nosotros' form 'desarrollamos' is identical to the present indicative, so context is key.
Example Sentences
Yo desarrollé un plan de negocios.
I developed a business plan.
yo
¿Tú desarrollaste la idea principal?
Did you develop the main idea?
tú
Él desarrolló un nuevo método de enseñanza.
He developed a new teaching method.
él/ella/usted
La empresa desarrolló su tecnología en secreto.
The company developed its technology in secret.
él/ella/usted
Ellos desarrollaron la aplicación móvil.
They developed the mobile application.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'desarrollaba' instead of the preterite for a completed action.
Correct: For a specific instance like 'I developed the software yesterday', use the preterite: 'desarrollé'.
Why: The preterite marks completed actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'desarrolló' (él/ella/usted) and 'desarrollé' (yo).
Correct: The forms are 'desarrolló' and 'desarrollé', not 'desarrollo' or 'desarrelle'.
Why: The written accent marks the stressed syllable and distinguishes these forms.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'desarrollar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: desarrollo
Use the present tense 'desarrollo' for current actions, habits, and general truths about developing things.
Imperfect
yo: desarrollaba
Use the imperfect 'desarrollaba' for ongoing or habitual past actions of developing.
Future
yo: desarrollaré
Use the future tense 'desarrollaré' for actions that will happen or to express probability.
Conditional
yo: desarrollaría
Use the conditional 'desarrollaría' for hypotheticals ('would'), polite requests, and future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: desarrolle
Use the present subjunctive 'desarrolle' for wishes, doubts, emotions, and after certain impersonal expressions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: desarrollara
Use the imperfect subjunctive 'desarrollara'/'desarrollase' for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: desarrolla
Use 'desarrolla' (tú), 'desarrolle' (usted), 'desarrollemos' (nosotros), 'desarrollad' (vosotros), 'desarrollen' (ustedes) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no desarrolles
Use 'no desarrolles' (tú), 'no desarrolle' (usted), 'no desarrollemos' (nosotros), 'no desarrolléis' (vosotros), 'no desarrollen' (ustedes) for negative commands.