eliminar Preterite Conjugation
eliminar — eliminate
The preterite of eliminar is regular: eliminé, eliminaste, eliminó, eliminamos, eliminasteis, eliminaron.
eliminar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'eliminar' to talk about a specific, completed action in the past. For example, 'Ayer eliminé todas las tareas pendientes' (Yesterday I eliminated all the pending tasks).
Notes on eliminar in the Preterite
Eliminar is regular in the preterite tense. The stem 'elimin-' is used with the standard preterite endings.
Example Sentences
Yo eliminé la mancha de la camisa.
I eliminated the stain from the shirt.
yo
¿Tú eliminaste el correo no deseado?
Did you eliminate the junk mail?
tú
Él eliminó el problema rápidamente.
He eliminated the problem quickly.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros eliminamos la competencia en la final.
We eliminated the competition in the final.
nosotros
Ellos eliminaron las barreras.
They eliminated the barriers.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single completed action.
Correct: Use 'eliminé' for a one-time action, not 'eliminaba'.
Why: The preterite marks a finished event, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'yo' form.
Correct: The 'yo' form is 'eliminé' with an accent on the 'é'.
Why: The accent distinguishes the preterite 'yo' form and indicates the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: elimino
The present indicative of eliminar is regular: elimino, eliminas, elimina, eliminamos, elimináis, eliminan.
Imperfect
yo: eliminaba
The imperfect of eliminar is regular: eliminaba, eliminabas, eliminaba, eliminábamos, eliminabais, eliminaban.
Future
yo: eliminaré
The future of eliminar is regular, using the infinitive stem: eliminaré, eliminarás, eliminará, eliminaremos, eliminaréis, eliminarán.
Conditional
yo: eliminaría
The conditional of eliminar is regular: eliminaría, eliminarías, eliminaría, eliminaríamos, eliminaríais, eliminarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: elimine
The present subjunctive of eliminar is regular: elimine, elimines, elimine, eliminemos, eliminéis, eliminen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: eliminara
The imperfect subjunctive of eliminar is regular: eliminara, eliminaras, eliminara, elimináramos, eliminarais, eliminaran (or -ra forms).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: elimina
The imperative of eliminar is regular: elimina (tú), elimine (usted), eliminemos (nosotros), eliminen (ustedes), eliminad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no elimines
The negative imperative of eliminar uses the present subjunctive: no elimines (tú), no elimine (usted), no eliminemos (nosotros), no eliminen (ustedes), no eliminéis (vosotros).