desgastar Preterite Conjugation
desgastar — to wear down
The preterite of desgastar is regular: desgasté, desgastaste, desgastó, desgastamos, desgastasteis, desgastaron.
desgastar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of desgastar for actions of wearing something down that were completed in the past. For example, 'Desgasté mis zapatos corriendo' means 'I wore out my shoes running' – the wearing out is a finished event.
Notes on desgastar in the Preterite
Desgastar is a regular -ar verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern for the preterite tense.
Example Sentences
Desgasté la suela de mis botas en la caminata.
I wore out the sole of my boots on the hike.
yo
¿Desgastaste el neumático tan rápido?
Did you wear out the tire so quickly?
tú
El uso constante desgastó el botón del control remoto.
Constant use wore out the button on the remote control.
él/ella/usted
Ellos desgastaron la pintura del coche con el sol.
They wore out the car's paint with the sun.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'desgastaba' instead of the preterite 'desgastó' for a completed action.
Correct: For a specific instance where something got worn out, use the preterite: 'El uso desgastó el botón'. The imperfect 'El uso desgastaba...' would imply it was an ongoing process without a clear end.
Why: The preterite marks completed actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'yo' form.
Correct: The correct 'yo' form is 'desgasté', with an accent on the final 'é'.
Why: The accent is crucial to distinguish the preterite 'yo' form from other similar-looking forms and indicates the stress.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: desgasto
The present tense of desgastar is regular: desgasto, desgastas, desgasta, desgastamos, desgastáis, desgastan.
Imperfect
yo: desgastaba
The imperfect of desgastar is regular: desgastaba, desgastabas, desgastaba, desgastábamos, desgastabais, desgastaban.
Future
yo: desgastaré
The future tense of desgastar is regular: desgastaré, desgastarás, desgastará, desgastaremos, desgastaréis, desgastarán.
Conditional
yo: desgastaría
The conditional of desgastar is regular: desgastaría, desgastarías, desgastaría, desgastaríamos, desgastaríais, desgastarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: desgaste
Use desgasten, desgastes, desgastemos for wishes, doubts, emotions, and uncertainty. Regular verb!
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: desgastara
Use desgastara/desgastarais/desgastaramos/desgastaran for past hypotheticals or wishes. Regular verb!
Affirmative Imperative
yo: desgasta
Use desgasta, desgaste, desgastemos, desgasten, desgastad for direct commands. It's regular!
Negative Imperative
yo: no desgastes
Use no + present subjunctive (no desgastes, no desgaste, etc.) for negative commands. Regular verb!