determinar Preterite Conjugation
determinar — to decide
The preterite of determinar is regular: determiné, determinaste, determinó, determinamos, determinasteis, determinaron.
determinar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about a specific, completed action of deciding in the past. It emphasizes the decision as a finished event.
Notes on determinar in the Preterite
Determinar is regular in the preterite. The stem 'determin-' is used, and the standard preterite endings for -ar verbs are added.
Example Sentences
Yo determiné la fecha de entrega.
I determined the delivery date.
yo
¿Tú determinaste el camino a seguir?
Did you determine the path to follow?
tú
Él determinó mudarse a otra ciudad.
He decided to move to another city.
él/ella/usted
Ellos determinaron la causa del fallo.
They determined the cause of the failure.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite.
Correct: For a single, completed decision, use the preterite form like 'determinó'.
Why: The imperfect ('determinaba') describes ongoing or habitual past actions, not a single completed event.
Mistake: Missing the accent on the 'yo' form.
Correct: The 'yo' form is 'determiné', with an accent on the final 'é'.
Why: The accent is crucial to distinguish the preterite 'yo' form from other tenses and to indicate stress.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: determino
The present indicative of determinar, like 'determino' or 'determinan', describes current or habitual actions.
Imperfect
yo: determinaba
The imperfect of determinar, like 'determinaba' or 'determinaban', describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Future
yo: determinaré
The future tense of determinar, like 'determinaré' or 'determinarán', indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: determinaría
The conditional of determinar, like 'determinaría' or 'determinarían', expresses hypotheticals ('would decide').
Present Subjunctive
yo: determine
The present subjunctive of determinar, like 'determine' or 'determinen', follows expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: determinara
The imperfect subjunctive of determinar, like 'determinara' or 'determinase', is used for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: determina
The imperative of determinar is mostly regular, with 'determina' for tú and 'determinad' for vosotros.
Negative Imperative
yo: no determines
Negative commands for determinar use the present subjunctive with 'no', like 'no determines' or 'no determinen'.