enfocar Preterite Conjugation
enfocar — to focus
Enfocar is regular in the preterite except for the 'yo' form, which changes to 'enfoqué' to keep the hard 'k' sound.
enfocar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about a specific instance where you focused on something or adjusted a lens at a definite point in time.
Notes on enfocar in the Preterite
Only the 'yo' form is irregular (enfoqué). All other forms (enfocaste, enfocó, etc.) are regular and keep the 'c'.
Example Sentences
Ayer enfoqué mi atención en terminar el informe.
Yesterday I focused my attention on finishing the report.
yo
Él enfocó la lente antes de disparar.
He focused the lens before shooting.
él/ella/usted
Enfocamos el asunto durante la reunión de ayer.
We addressed (focused on) the matter during yesterday's meeting.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'enfocé' for the yo form.
Correct: enfoqué
Why: In Spanish, 'cé' sounds like 'sé'. To keep the 'k' sound from 'enfocar', you must change the 'c' to 'qu'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: enfoco
The present indicative of enfocar is completely regular: enfoco, enfocas, enfoca, enfocamos, enfocáis, enfocan.
Imperfect
yo: enfocaba
The imperfect of enfocar is regular: enfocaba, enfocabas, enfocaba, enfocábamos, enfocabais, enfocaban.
Future
yo: enfocaré
The future tense of enfocar is regular: add the endings -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án to the full infinitive.
Conditional
yo: enfocaría
The conditional of enfocar is regular: add -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían to the infinitive.
Present Subjunctive
yo: enfoque
The present subjunctive of enfocar features a spelling change from 'c' to 'qu' in all forms: enfoque, enfoques, enfoque, enfoquemos, enfoquéis, enfoquen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: enfocara
The imperfect subjunctive of enfocar is regular, formed from the third-person plural preterite: enfocara, enfocaras, enfocáramos.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: enfoca
The affirmative imperative of enfocar uses 'enfoca' for tú and 'enfoque' for usted.
Negative Imperative
yo: no enfoques
The negative imperative of enfocar always uses the 'qu' spelling change: no enfoques, no enfoque, no enfoquen.