detonar Preterite Conjugation
detonar — to detonate
The preterite of detonar is regular: detoné, detonaste, detonó, detonamos, detonasteis, detonaron.
detonar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'detonar' to talk about the action of detonating as a single, completed event in the past. For example, 'The bomb detonated' or 'He detonated the device'.
Notes on detonar in the Preterite
Detonar is a regular -ar verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern for the preterite tense.
Example Sentences
La bomba detonó inesperadamente.
The bomb detonated unexpectedly.
él/ella/usted
Yo detoné la carga a la hora señalada.
I detonated the charge at the appointed time.
yo
¿Tú detonaste el explosivo?
Did you detonate the explosive?
tú
Ellos detonaron el plan de contingencia.
They detonated the contingency plan.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'detonaba' instead of the preterite 'detonó' for a single past event.
Correct: Use 'detonó' for a completed action like 'The bomb detonated'.
Why: The preterite marks a finished action, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'yo' form ('detone' instead of 'detoné').
Correct: The 'yo' form in the preterite always has an accent on the final vowel: 'detoné'.
Why: The accent distinguishes the preterite 'yo' form from other verb forms and indicates stress.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: detono
The present tense 'detono', 'detonas', 'detona' describes current actions or general truths about detonating.
Imperfect
yo: detonaba
The imperfect 'detonaba' describes ongoing or habitual past actions of detonating.
Future
yo: detonaré
The future tense 'detonaré', 'detonarás', 'detonará' indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: detonaría
The conditional 'detonaría' expresses hypothetical actions ('would detonate').
Present Subjunctive
yo: detone
The present subjunctive, like 'detone' or 'detones', expresses wishes, doubts, or emotions about current/future events.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: detonara
The imperfect subjunctive, like 'detonara' or 'detonase', is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: detona
Use imperative forms like 'detona' (tú) and 'detone' (usted) for direct commands with detonar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no detones
Negative commands like 'no detones' (tú) and 'no detone' (usted) use the present subjunctive.