devorar Preterite Conjugation
devorar — to devour
The preterite of devorar is regular: devoré, devoraste, devoró, devoramos, devorasteis, devoraron.
devorar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for actions related to 'devorar' that were completed at a specific point in the past. Think of finishing a meal quickly: 'Devoré la cena en cinco minutos.' (I devoured dinner in five minutes.) It marks the action as finished.
Notes on devorar in the Preterite
Devorar is a regular -ar verb, so all its preterite forms follow the standard pattern: add -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron to the stem 'devor-'.
Example Sentences
Devoré el libro entero en una noche.
I devoured the entire book in one night.
yo
¿Devoraste las galletas que te di?
Did you devour the cookies I gave you?
tú
El león devoró su presa rápidamente.
The lion devoured its prey quickly.
él/ella/usted
Los niños devoraron la pizza entera.
The children devoured the whole pizza.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'devoraba' instead of preterite 'devoró' for a single completed action.
Correct: Use 'devoró' for a specific instance of devouring, like 'Devoró la manzana' (He/She devoured the apple).
Why: Preterite marks completed actions, while imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'devoré' and 'devoró'.
Correct: The yo form is 'devoré' and the él/ella/usted form is 'devoró', both require an accent mark.
Why: The accent marks the stressed syllable and distinguishes these forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: devoro
The present tense of devorar is regular: devoro, devoras, devora, devoramos, devoráis, devoran.
Imperfect
yo: devoraba
Imperfect of devorar is regular: devoraba, devorabas, devoraba, devorábamos, devorabais, devoraban.
Future
yo: devoraré
The future tense of devorar is regular: devoraré, devorarás, devorará, devoraremos, devoraréis, devorarán.
Conditional
yo: devoraría
The conditional of devorar is regular: devoraría, devorarías, devoraría, devoraríamos, devoraríais, devorarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: devore
Use present subjunctive like 'devore' (yo/él/ella/usted) after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: devorara
Use imperfect subjunctive like 'devorara' (yo/él/ella/usted) for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: devora
Use imperative forms like 'devora' (tú) and 'devore' (usted) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no devores
Negative commands use 'no' plus the present subjunctive, like 'no devores' (tú).