estorbar Preterite Conjugation
estorbar — to be in the way
Use estorbé, estorbaste, estorbó, estorbamos, estorbasteis, estorbaron for completed actions of blocking.
estorbar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
The preterite is for actions that started and finished in the past. If someone physically blocked your path at a specific moment, you'd say, 'Me estorbó' (He/She got in my way). Or, 'Ayer estorbé el paso sin querer' (Yesterday I blocked the way unintentionally).
Notes on estorbar in the Preterite
Estorbar is a regular -ar verb in the preterite. The conjugation follows the standard pattern: remove -ar, add -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron.
Example Sentences
El camión estorbó la calle entera.
The truck blocked the entire street.
él/ella/usted
Yo estorbé el paso por accidente.
I blocked the way by accident.
yo
¿Estorbaste la salida cuando saliste?
Did you block the exit when you left?
tú
Nosotros estorbamos la vista desde atrás.
We blocked the view from behind.
nosotros
Ellos estorbaron el tráfico por horas.
They blocked the traffic for hours.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'estorbaba' instead of the preterite 'estorbó' for a single, completed instance of blocking.
Correct: Use 'estorbó' for a specific, finished action like 'El coche estorbó el camino' (The car blocked the road).
Why: The preterite marks a finished event, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'ó' in the él/ella/usted form.
Correct: The form is 'estorbó' with an accent on the 'ó'.
Why: The accent differentiates it from the imperfect form and indicates the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: estorbo
Use estorbo, estorbas, estorba, estorbamos, estorbáis, estorban for current or habitual blocking.
Imperfect
yo: estorbaba
Use estorbaba, estorbabas, estorbaba, estorbábamos, estorbabais, estorbaban for ongoing or habitual past blocking.
Future
yo: estorbaré
Use estorbaré, estorbarás, estorbará, estorbaremos, estorbaréis, estorbarán for future blocking.
Conditional
yo: estorbaría
Use estorbaría, estorbarías, estorbaría, estorbaríamos, estorbaríais, estorbarían for hypothetical blocking.
Present Subjunctive
yo: estorbe
Use estorbe, estorbemos, estorben after wishes, doubts, or impersonal expressions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: estorbara
Use estorbara/estorara or estorbarais/estorbarais for hypothetical past situations or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: estorba
Use estorba, estorbe, estorbemos, estorbad, estorben for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no estorbes
Use no estorbes, no estorbe, no estorbemos, no estorbéis, no estorben for negative commands.