deteriorar Preterite Conjugation

When to Use the Preterite

Use the preterite of 'deteriorar' to talk about when something started to deteriorate or when a process of deterioration was completed at a specific point in the past. For instance, 'El metal se deterioró rápidamente después de la lluvia' (The metal deteriorated quickly after the rain). It marks a finished action.

Notes on deteriorar in the Preterite

Deteriorar is a regular -ar verb and follows the standard preterite conjugation pattern.

Example Sentences

• La estatua se deterioró con el paso de los años.

  The statue deteriorated over the years.

  él/ella/usted

• Deterioramos la muestra al exponerla al sol.

  We deteriorated the sample by exposing it to the sun.

  nosotros

• Ayer, el coche se deterioró aún más.

  Yesterday, the car deteriorated even more.

  él/ella/usted

• Tú deterioraste la tela con ese producto químico.

  You deteriorated the fabric with that chemical product.

  tú

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite.

  Correct: Use 'se deterioró' for a specific completed event, like 'El puente se deterioró después del terremoto' (The bridge deteriorated after the earthquake).

  Why: The preterite is for completed actions in the past, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.

• Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'deterioró'.

  Correct: The third-person singular form needs an accent: 'deterioró'.

  Why: The accent indicates the stress falls on the final 'o' and distinguishes it from other verb forms.

Related Tenses