desechar Preterite Conjugation
desechar — to throw away
The preterite of 'desechar' is regular: deseché, desechaste, desechó, desechamos, desechasteis, desecharon.
desechar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about completed actions of throwing something away in the past. For example, 'Ayer deseché todos los papeles inútiles.' (Yesterday I threw away all the useless papers). It emphasizes the action as a single, finished event.
Notes on desechar in the Preterite
Desechar is regular in the preterite tense. All forms follow the standard pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo deseché el cartón mojado.
I threw away the wet cardboard.
yo
¿Desechaste la botella vacía?
Did you throw away the empty bottle?
tú
Él desechó la comida porque estaba mala.
He threw away the food because it was bad.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros desechamos la ropa que no usamos.
We threw away the clothes we don't use.
nosotros
Ellos desecharon las flores secas.
They threw away the dry flowers.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single, completed action.
Correct: Use 'deseché' or 'desechó' for a specific instance of throwing something away.
Why: The preterite marks a finished action, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'desechó' (él/ella/usted).
Correct: The third-person singular form requires an accent: desechó.
Why: The accent mark indicates the stressed syllable and distinguishes it from other verb forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: desecho
The present tense 'desecho' (I) or 'desecha' (he/she/you) is used for current actions or habits of throwing things away.
Imperfect
yo: desechaba
The imperfect 'desechaba' (I/he/she/you) or 'desechaban' (they) describes ongoing or habitual past actions of throwing things away.
Future
yo: desecharé
The future tense 'desecharé' (I) or 'desechará' (he/she/you) indicates a future action of throwing something away.
Conditional
yo: desecharía
The conditional 'desecharía' (I/he/she/you) or 'desecharían' (they) expresses 'would' actions like throwing things away.
Present Subjunctive
yo: deseche
The present subjunctive 'deseche' (yo/él/ella/usted) or 'desechen' (ellos/ellas/ustedes) is used for wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: desechara
The imperfect subjunctive like 'desechara' (yo/él/ella/usted) or 'desecharan' (ellos/ellas/ustedes) expresses past wishes, doubts, or hypothetical situations.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: desecha
Use imperative forms like 'desecha' (tú) and 'desechen' (ustedes) for direct commands with 'desechar'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no deseches
Negative commands like 'no deseches' (tú) and 'no desechen' (ustedes) use the present subjunctive with 'no'.