espantar Preterite Conjugation
espantar — to scare away
Espanté, espantaste, espantó, espantamos, espantasteis, espantaron are the completed past actions for espantar.
espantar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for actions that started and finished in the past, like scaring something away at a specific moment or for a defined period. It's about a completed event.
Notes on espantar in the Preterite
Espantar is a regular -ar verb, and its preterite conjugation follows the standard pattern perfectly. No surprises here!
Example Sentences
Yo espanté a los cuervos del maíz ayer.
I scared away the crows from the corn yesterday.
yo
¿Tú espantaste al perro que ladraba?
Did you scare away the dog that was barking?
tú
Ella espantó a las moscas con un matamoscas.
She scared away the flies with a fly swatter.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros espantamos a los intrusos de la casa.
We scared away the intruders from the house.
nosotros
Vosotros espantasteis a los gatos del tejado.
You all scared away the cats from the roof.
vosotros
Ellos espantaron a los pájaros del jardín.
They scared away the birds from the garden.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect tense ('espantaba') instead of the preterite.
Correct: For a single, completed action like 'I scared the bird away,' use 'espanté'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, while the preterite describes finished ones.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'yo' form.
Correct: It should be 'espanté', not 'espante'.
Why: The accent on the 'é' distinguishes the preterite 'yo' form from the present subjunctive 'yo' form and indicates stress.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'espantar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: espanto
Espanto, espantas, espanta, espantamos, espantáis, espantan describe current actions or habits of scaring away.
Imperfect
yo: espantaba
Espantaba, espantabas, espantaba, espantábamos, espantabais, espantaban describe ongoing or habitual past actions of scaring away.
Future
yo: espantaré
Espantaré, espantarás, espantará, espantaremos, espantaréis, espantarán predict future actions of scaring away.
Conditional
yo: espantaría
Espantaría, espantarías, espantaría, espantaríamos, espantaríais, espantarían express hypothetical 'would' scenarios for espantar.
Present Subjunctive
yo: espante
Espante, espantes, espantemos, espanten, espantéis are the present subjunctive forms of espantar.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: espantara
Espantara, espantaras, espantáramos, espantaran, espantarais are the imperfect subjunctive forms of espantar.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: espanta
Espanta, espante, espantemos, espanten, espantad are the imperative commands for espantar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no espantes
No espantes, no espante, no espantemos, no espanten, no espantéis are negative commands for espantar.