enfriar Preterite Conjugation
enfriar — to cool
The preterite of 'enfriar' is regular: 'enfrié', 'enfriaste', 'enfrió', 'enfriamos', 'enfriasteis', 'enfriaron'.
enfriar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'enfriar' to talk about the action of cooling down as a completed event in the past. For example, 'El café se enfrió' (The coffee cooled down) or 'Enfriamos la sopa rápidamente' (We cooled the soup down quickly).
Notes on enfriar in the Preterite
The verb 'enfriar' is regular in the preterite. All forms follow the standard -ar conjugation pattern.
Example Sentences
El café se enfrió porque lo dejé mucho tiempo.
The coffee cooled down because I left it for a long time.
él/ella/usted
Enfriamos la casa con el aire acondicionado.
We cooled the house down with the air conditioning.
nosotros
¿Enfriaste el postre antes de servirlo?
Did you cool the dessert down before serving it?
tú
Ellos enfriaron las bebidas en el refrigerador.
They cooled the drinks down in the refrigerator.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect ('enfriaba') instead of the preterite ('enfrió') for a completed cooling action.
Correct: Use the preterite for a specific, completed instance of cooling: 'La bebida se enfrió' (The drink cooled down). Use imperfect for ongoing or habitual past cooling: 'Antes, la bebida siempre se enfriaba rápido' (Before, the drink always cooled down quickly).
Why: Confusing completed actions (preterite) with ongoing or habitual actions (imperfect) is common.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'enfrió' (él/ella/usted form).
Correct: The form is 'enfrió' with an accent on the 'o'.
Why: The accent is necessary to indicate the stressed syllable and distinguish it from other forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: enfrío
The present tense of 'enfriar' ('enfrío', 'enfrías', 'enfría') describes actions happening now or habitual cooling.
Imperfect
yo: enfriaba
The imperfect of 'enfriar' ('enfriaba', 'enfriabas', 'enfriaba') describes ongoing or habitual cooling in the past.
Future
yo: enfriaré
The future tense of 'enfriar' ('enfriaré', 'enfriarás', 'enfriará') indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: enfriaría
The conditional of 'enfriar' ('enfriaría', 'enfriarías', 'enfriaría') is used for hypotheticals ('would cool') and polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: enfríe
The present subjunctive of 'enfriar' (like 'enfríe' or 'enfríen') is used after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: enfriara
Use the imperfect subjunctive of 'enfriar' (like 'enfriara' or 'enfriase') for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: enfría
Use 'enfriar' imperative for direct commands like 'enfría' (you, informal) or 'enfríe' (you, formal).
Negative Imperative
yo: no enfríes
Negative commands with 'enfriar' use 'no' plus the present subjunctive, like 'no enfríes' (you, informal).