desbordar Preterite Conjugation
desbordar — to overflow
The preterite of desbordar is regular: desbordé, desbordaste, desbordó, desbordamos, desbordasteis, desbordaron.
desbordar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for completed actions in the past. For 'desbordar', this means the moment something overflowed and stopped, like 'El río desbordó ayer' (The river overflowed yesterday). It focuses on the action as a whole, finished event.
Notes on desbordar in the Preterite
Desbordar is fully regular in the preterite. Pay attention to the accents on the yo ('desbordé') and tú ('desbordaste') forms, and él/ella/usted ('desbordó'). The 'nosotros' form ('desbordamos') is identical to the present tense, so context is key.
Example Sentences
Ayer, el agua desbordó la bañera.
Yesterday, the water overflowed the bathtub.
él/ella/usted
Yo desbordé la taza de café sin querer.
I overflowed the coffee cup by accident.
yo
¿Desbordaste el río con esa cantidad de lluvia?
Did the river overflow with that amount of rain?
tú
Los cubos desbordaron por completo.
The buckets overflowed completely.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'desbordó' (él/ella/usted).
Correct: The él/ella/usted form is 'desbordó' with an accent on the 'ó'.
Why: The accent marks the stressed syllable in this preterite form.
Mistake: Confusing the preterite 'desbordamos' with the present tense.
Correct: Context will clarify if 'desbordamos' means 'we overflowed' (preterite) or 'we overflow' (present).
Why: These forms are identical; the surrounding sentence usually provides the temporal clue.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: desbordo
The present tense 'desbordo', 'desbordas', 'desborda', etc., describes ongoing actions, habits, or general truths.
Imperfect
yo: desbordaba
The imperfect 'desbordaba' describes ongoing or habitual past actions, like 'the river was overflowing'.
Future
yo: desbordaré
The future tense 'desbordaré', 'desbordarás', etc., talks about what will happen.
Conditional
yo: desbordaría
The conditional 'desbordaría', 'desbordarías', etc., is used for hypotheticals ('would') and polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: desborde
The present subjunctive, like 'desborde' (él/ella/usted) or 'desbordes' (tú), expresses wishes, doubts, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: desbordara
The imperfect subjunctive, like 'desbordara' or 'desbordase', is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: desborda
Use imperative forms like 'desborda' (tú) for direct commands, 'desborden' (ustedes) for plural polite commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no desbordes
Use 'no' plus the present subjunctive, like 'no desbordes' (tú) or 'no desborden' (ustedes), for negative commands.