descansar Preterite Conjugation
descansar — to rest
The preterite of descansar follows regular -ar endings: descansé, descansaste, descansó, descansamos, descansasteis, descansaron.
descansar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when you finished resting at a specific time, such as 'I rested for two hours' or 'We rested once we arrived at the hotel.'
Notes on descansar in the Preterite
Descansar is regular in the preterite. Note that the 'nosotros' form is the same as the present tense; you'll know the difference based on the context of the sentence.
Example Sentences
Ayer descansé todo el día porque estaba cansado.
Yesterday I rested all day because I was tired.
yo
Él descansó un rato antes de la fiesta.
He rested for a while before the party.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros descansamos mucho durante las vacaciones.
We rested a lot during the holidays.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'descansé' or 'descansó'.
Correct: Always include the accent: descansé (yo) and descansó (él/ella).
Why: Without the accent, 'descansó' can be confused with other words or lose its past-tense meaning.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: descanso
Descansar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense: descanso, descansas, descansa, descansamos, descansáis, descansan.
Imperfect
yo: descansaba
The imperfect of descansar uses regular -aba endings: descansaba, descansabas, descansaba, descansábamos, descansabais, descansaban.
Future
yo: descansaré
To form the future of descansar, add endings to the infinitive: descansaré, descansarás, descansará, descansaremos, descansaréis, descansarán.
Conditional
yo: descansaría
The conditional of descansar is formed by adding -ía endings to the infinitive: descansaría, descansarías, descansaría, descansaríamos, descansaríais, descansarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: descanse
The present subjunctive of descansar uses -e endings: descanse, descanses, descanse, descansemos, descanséis, descansen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: descansara
The imperfect subjunctive of descansar is formed from the 'ellos' preterite stem: descansara, descansaras, descansara, descansáramos, descansarais, descansaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: descansa
The imperative of descansar gives commands: descansa (tú), descansad (vosotros), and uses subjunctive forms for others.
Negative Imperative
yo: no descanses
The negative imperative of descansar uses the present subjunctive forms: no descanses, no descanse, no descansemos, no descanséis, no descansen.