escabullirse Preterite Conjugation
escabullirse — to slip away
The preterite marks a specific instance of someone slipping away: 'me escabullí', 'se escabulló'.
escabullirse Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use this for a one-time completed action. If you successfully snuck out of a meeting yesterday at 5:00 PM, this is your tense.
Notes on escabullirse in the Preterite
Escabullirse is regular in the preterite. Note that the 'i' in the third-person endings (-ió, -ieron) is absorbed by the 'll', resulting in 'escabulló' and 'escabulleron'.
Example Sentences
Me escabullí de la oficina antes de la reunión.
I slipped away from the office before the meeting.
yo
El gato se escabulló por la ventana abierta.
The cat slipped out through the open window.
él/ella/usted
Se escabulleron de clase a mitad de la lección.
They snuck out of class halfway through the lesson.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'se escabullió' with an 'i'.
Correct: The correct spelling is 'se escabulló'.
Why: In Spanish, the 'i' in the ending -ió is dropped when the stem ends in 'll', 'ñ', or 'j'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: me escabullo
The present tense 'se escabulle' describes someone who habitually or currently slips away.
Imperfect
yo: me escabullía
The imperfect 'se escabullía' describes a habit of sneaking off or an ongoing escape in the past.
Future
yo: me escabulliré
The future tense 'se escabullirá' predicts that someone will sneak off later.
Conditional
yo: me escabulliría
The conditional 'se escabulliría' expresses what someone 'would' do under certain circumstances.
Present Subjunctive
yo: me escabulla
Use 'me escabulla', 'te escabullas' to express wishes, doubts, or requests about someone slipping away.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: me escabullera
Use 'se escabullera' for hypothetical scenarios or past requests about sneaking off.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: escabúllete
Use 'escabúllete' to tell someone to sneak away right now.
Negative Imperative
yo: no te escabullas
Use 'no te escabullas' to tell someone NOT to sneak off.