entrevistar Preterite Conjugation
entrevistar — to interview
The preterite of 'entrevistar' is regular: entrevisté, entrevistaste, entrevistó, entrevistamos, entrevistasteis, entrevistaron.
entrevistar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'entrevistar' to talk about a specific instance of interviewing that started and finished in the past. For example, 'Ayer entrevisté al candidato perfecto' (Yesterday I interviewed the perfect candidate) or 'La semana pasada entrevistaron a los finalistas' (Last week they interviewed the finalists). It emphasizes the completion of the interview.
Notes on entrevistar in the Preterite
Entrevistar is regular in the preterite tense. All the forms are predictable based on the standard -ar verb endings.
Example Sentences
Ayer entrevisté a la presentadora.
Yesterday I interviewed the host.
yo
¿Entrevistaste al director de la película?
Did you interview the movie director?
tú
Ella entrevistó a varios expertos para su artículo.
She interviewed several experts for her article.
él/ella/usted
Entrevistamos a los ganadores del concurso.
We interviewed the winners of the contest.
nosotros
Ellos entrevistaron a los candidatos esta mañana.
They interviewed the candidates this morning.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single interview.
Correct: For a specific interview that happened and ended, use the preterite: 'Entrevisté', not 'entrevistaba'.
Why: The imperfect ('entrevistaba') describes ongoing or habitual actions in the past, not a single completed event.
Mistake: Missing the accent on 'entrevistó' (él/ella/usted).
Correct: The third-person singular preterite form is 'entrevistó', with an accent on the 'ó'.
Why: The accent is crucial to indicate the stress falls on the final syllable and distinguishes it from other forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: entrevisto
The present tense 'entrevisto', 'entrevistas', 'entrevista' is used for current or habitual interviews.
Imperfect
yo: entrevistaba
The imperfect 'entrevistaba' describes ongoing or habitual past interviews.
Future
yo: entrevistaré
The future tense 'entrevistaré', 'entrevistarás', 'entrevistará' indicates interviews that will happen.
Conditional
yo: entrevistaría
The conditional 'entrevistaría' expresses 'would interview' for hypotheticals or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: entreviste
Use 'entreviste' (yo/él/ella/usted) or 'entrevisten' (ellos/ellas/ustedes) after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion about interviews.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: entrevistara
The imperfect subjunctive 'entrevistara' or 'entrevistase' is used for hypothetical situations or past wishes/doubts about interviews.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: entrevista
Use 'entrevista' (tú) and 'entreviste' (usted) to give direct commands when interviewing someone.
Negative Imperative
yo: no entrevistes
Use 'no entrevistes' (tú) or 'no entreviste' (usted) for negative commands, like 'Don't interview them'.