envenenar Preterite Conjugation
envenenar — to poison
The preterite of envenenar is regular: envenené, envenenaste, envenenó, envenenamos, envenenasteis, envenenaron.
envenenar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'envenenar' to talk about the action of poisoning as a completed event in the past. For example, if someone poisoned a specific drink at a specific time and that action is finished.
Notes on envenenar in the Preterite
Envenenar is fully regular in the preterite tense. All the endings are standard for regular -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo envenené el pastel sin querer.
I poisoned the cake by accident.
yo
¿Tú envenenaste la comida del gato?
Did you poison the cat's food?
tú
Ella envenenó la conversación con sus chismes.
She poisoned the conversation with her gossip.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros envenenamos la fiesta con nuestra actitud.
We poisoned the party with our attitude.
nosotros
Ellos envenenaron el pozo durante la noche.
They poisoned the well during the night.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect ('envenenaba') instead of the preterite for a single, completed act of poisoning.
Correct: Use the preterite ('envenené', 'envenenó') for a specific, finished act of poisoning.
Why: The preterite marks completed actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual actions in the past.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'yo' form.
Correct: The 'yo' form is 'envenené', with an accent on the final 'é'.
Why: The accent distinguishes the preterite 'yo' form and indicates the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: enveneno
The present tense of envenenar (enveneno, envenenas, envenena...) describes habitual actions or things happening now.
Imperfect
yo: envenenaba
The imperfect of envenenar (envenenaba, envenenabas...) describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Future
yo: envenenaré
The future tense of envenenar (envenenaré, envenenarás...) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: envenenaría
The conditional of envenenar (envenenaría, envenenarías...) expresses 'would' actions, politeness, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: envenene
The present subjunctive of envenenar (envenene, envenenes, etc.) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, and uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: envenenara
The imperfect subjunctive of envenenar (envenenara/envenenase) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: envenena
The imperative of envenenar uses regular -ar endings: envenena (tú), envenene (usted), envenenemos (nosotros), envenenen (ustedes), envenenad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no envenenes
Negative commands for envenenar use 'no' + present subjunctive: no envenenes (tú), no envenene (usted), no envenenemos (nosotros), no envenenen (ustedes), no envenenéis (vosotros).