despojar Preterite Conjugation
despojar — to strip
The preterite of despojar is regular: despojé, despojaste, despojó, despojamos, despojasteis, despojaron.
despojar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'despojar' to talk about actions of stripping or removing something that were completed at a specific point in the past. For example, 'Despojó al prisionero de sus pertenencias' (He stripped the prisoner of his belongings) clearly indicates a finished action.
Notes on despojar in the Preterite
Despojar is a regular -ar verb and is completely regular in the preterite tense. All forms follow the standard conjugation pattern.
Example Sentences
Despojé al árbol de sus ramas secas.
I stripped the tree of its dry branches.
yo
¿Despojaste al sospechoso de su arma?
Did you strip the suspect of his weapon?
tú
La tormenta despojó al pueblo de sus techos.
The storm stripped the town of its roofs.
él/ella/usted
Despojamos la casa de muebles viejos.
We cleared the house of old furniture.
nosotros
Los manifestantes despojaron al edificio de sus carteles.
The protesters stripped the building of its posters.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a completed action.
Correct: Say 'Despojé la mesa' (I cleared the table) for a one-time action, not 'Despojaba la mesa'.
Why: The preterite marks a specific, completed event, whereas the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual actions in the past.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'despojó' (él/ella/usted form).
Correct: It should be 'despojó' with an accent on the 'ó'.
Why: The accent on the final syllable is necessary to distinguish this form from other similar-sounding words and to indicate the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: despojo
The present tense of despojar (despojo, despojas, etc.) describes current actions or general truths.
Imperfect
yo: despojaba
The imperfect of despojar (despojaba, despojabas, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Future
yo: despojaré
The future tense of despojar (despojaré, despojarás, etc.) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: despojaría
The conditional of despojar (despojaría, despojarías, etc.) expresses 'would' actions or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: despoje
The present subjunctive of despojar (despoje, despojes, etc.) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: despojara
The imperfect subjunctive of despojar (despojara/despojase) describes past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: despoja
Use the imperative of despojar for direct commands like 'despoja' (you, informal) or 'despoje' (you, formal).
Negative Imperative
yo: no despojes
Negative commands for despojar use 'no' plus the present subjunctive, e.g., 'no despojes' (you, informal).