esfumar Preterite Conjugation
esfumar — to vanish
The preterite of esfumar is regular: esfumé, esfumaste, esfumó, esfumamos, esfumasteis, esfumaron.
esfumar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a specific, completed action of vanishing in the past. For example, 'El humo se esfumó' (The smoke vanished) indicates the action finished.
Notes on esfumar in the Preterite
Esfumar is regular in the preterite tense. All the endings are standard for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
El humo se esfumó rápidamente.
The smoke vanished quickly.
él/ella/usted
Yo me esfumé de la fiesta porque estaba cansado.
I vanished from the party because I was tired.
yo
¿Te esfumaste antes de que llegara la policía?
Did you vanish before the police arrived?
tú
Ellos se esfumaron al primer ruido.
They vanished at the first sound.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nos esfumamos en cuanto vimos la alarma.
We vanished as soon as we saw the alarm.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'esfumaba' instead of preterite 'esfumó' for a single, completed action.
Correct: Use 'esfumó' for a completed vanishing, like 'El ladrón se esfumó'.
Why: The preterite marks a specific point or completed event, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'esfumó' (él/ella/usted).
Correct: The correct form is 'esfumó' with an accent on the 'ó'.
Why: The accent on the final 'ó' distinguishes the third-person singular preterite from the infinitive or other forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: esfumo
The present tense of esfumar is regular: esfumo, esfumas, esfuma, esfumamos, esfumáis, esfuman.
Imperfect
yo: esfumaba
The imperfect of esfumar is regular: esfumaba, esfumabas, esfumaba, esfumábamos, esfumabais, esfumaban.
Future
yo: esfumaré
The future tense of esfumar is regular: esfumaré, esfumarás, esfumará, esfumaremos, esfumaréis, esfumarán.
Conditional
yo: esfumaría
The conditional of esfumar is regular: esfumaría, esfumarías, esfumaría, esfumaríamos, esfumaríais, esfumarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: esfume
The present subjunctive of esfumar is regular: esfume, esfumes, esfumemos, esfuméis, esfumen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: esfumara
The imperfect subjunctive of esfumar is regular: esfumara/esfumase, esfumaras/esfumases, etc.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: esfuma
The imperative of esfumar is regular: esfuma, esfume, esfumemos, esfumad, esfumen.
Negative Imperative
yo: no esfumes
The negative imperative of esfumar uses the present subjunctive: no esfumes, no esfume, no esfumemos, no esfuméis, no esfumen.