estafar Preterite Conjugation
estafar — to scam
The preterite of estafar is regular: estafé, estafaste, estafó, estafamos, estafasteis, estafaron.
estafar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for completed actions of scamming that happened at a specific point in the past. For example, 'He scammed me yesterday' or 'They scammed the company last year.'
Notes on estafar in the Preterite
Estafar is a regular -ar verb and is completely regular in the preterite tense. All forms follow the standard pattern: stem + endings (-é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron).
Example Sentences
Ayer, un desconocido me estafó por teléfono.
Yesterday, a stranger scammed me over the phone.
él/ella/usted
Estafamos a nuestro socio sin querer.
We scammed our partner unintentionally.
nosotros
¿Me estafaste la semana pasada?
Did you scam me last week?
tú
Ellos estafaron a muchos inversores.
They scammed many investors.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single scam event.
Correct: Use the preterite 'estafó' for a completed scam, not 'estafaba'.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, while the preterite is for single, completed events.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'estafó'.
Correct: The third-person singular form needs an accent: 'estafó'.
Why: The accent on the 'ó' is crucial to indicate the stressed syllable and distinguish it from other forms or tenses.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: estafo
The present tense of estafar (estafo, estafas, estafa, etc.) describes habitual or current scams.
Imperfect
yo: estafaba
The imperfect of estafar (estafaba) describes habitual or ongoing past scams.
Future
yo: estafaré
The future tense of estafar (estafaré, estafarás, etc.) predicts or speculates about future scams.
Conditional
yo: estafaría
The conditional of estafar (estafaría, estafarías, etc.) is used for hypotheticals and polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: estafe
The present subjunctive of estafar (estofe, estafes, etc.) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: estafara
The imperfect subjunctive of estafar (estafara/estafase) is used for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: estafa
The imperative of estafar is mostly regular, with commands like 'estafa' (tú) and 'estafad' (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no estafes
Negative commands for estafar use the present subjunctive: no estafes (tú), no estafen (ustedes).