esquivar Preterite Conjugation
esquivar — to dodge
The preterite of esquivar is regular: esquivé, esquivaste, esquivó, esquivamos, esquivasteis, esquivaron.
esquivar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a completed action of dodging or avoiding something in the past. It's about the action happening and finishing at a specific point.
Notes on esquivar in the Preterite
Esquivar is a regular -ar verb and is completely regular in the preterite tense. The forms are: esquivé, esquivaste, esquivó, esquivamos, esquivasteis, esquivaron.
Example Sentences
Esquivé la pregunta incómoda.
I dodged the awkward question.
yo
¿Esquivaste el golpe?
Did you dodge the blow?
tú
El corredor esquivó a dos oponentes.
The runner dodged two opponents.
él/ella/usted
Ellos esquivaron el tráfico de la hora punta.
They avoided the rush hour traffic.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single, completed dodge.
Correct: Use 'esquivé' for 'I dodged once', not 'esquivaba'.
Why: The preterite marks a specific, finished event, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'esquivó' (él/ella/usted).
Correct: The third-person singular form is esquivó, with an accent on the 'o'.
Why: The accent distinguishes it from other similar verb forms and indicates the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: esquivo
The present tense (esquivo) describes actions happening now or habitual actions.
Imperfect
yo: esquivaba
The imperfect (esquivaba) describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Future
yo: esquivaré
The future tense (esquivaré) expresses what will happen.
Conditional
yo: esquivaría
The conditional (esquivaría) expresses hypotheticals ('would') and polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: esquive
The present subjunctive (esquive) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, and uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: esquivara
The imperfect subjunctive (esquivara/esquivase) is for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: esquiva
Use 'esquiva' (tú), 'esquive' (usted), 'esquivemos' (nosotros), 'esquiven' (ustedes), 'esquivad' (vosotros), 'esquivéis' (vosotros, Spain).
Negative Imperative
yo: no esquives
Negative commands use 'no' + present subjunctive: no esquives (tú), no esquive (usted), etc.