estropear Preterite Conjugation
estropear — to damage or break
The preterite of estropear is regular: estropeé, estropeaste, estropeó, estropeamos, estropeasteis, estropearon.
estropear Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'estropear' to talk about a specific instance when something was broken or damaged, and it's finished. For example, 'Ayer estropeé el teléfono' (Yesterday I broke the phone) refers to a single, completed event.
Notes on estropear in the Preterite
Estropear is fully regular in the preterite. All conjugations follow the standard pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Ayer estropeé la lavadora.
Yesterday I broke the washing machine.
yo
¿Estropeaste el dibujo?
Did you mess up the drawing?
tú
El perro estropeó los zapatos.
The dog damaged the shoes.
él/ella/usted
Ellos estropearon el plan con su retraso.
They ruined the plan with their delay.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single completed action.
Correct: For a one-time event like 'I broke the vase', use 'Estropeé el jarrón', not 'Estropeaba el jarrón'.
Why: The preterite is for completed actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Missing the accent on 'estropeó' (él/ella/usted form).
Correct: The third-person singular form is estropeó, with an accent on the 'o'.
Why: The accent is necessary to distinguish it from other forms and indicate the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: estropeo
Present estropeo, estropeas, etc. describes current actions or habits: 'Yo estropeo las plantas si no las riego' (I ruin the plants if I don't water them).
Imperfect
yo: estropeaba
Imperfect estropeaba, estropeabas describes ongoing or habitual past actions: 'Antes estropeaba mis juguetes' (I used to break my toys).
Future
yo: estropearé
Future estropearé, estropearás predicts or assumes something will break: 'El vaso se estropeará' (The glass will break).
Conditional
yo: estropearía
Conditional estropearía, estropearías expresses hypotheticals ('would break'): 'Si tuviera dinero, no estropearía el coche' (If I had money, I wouldn't break the car).
Present Subjunctive
yo: estropee
Use present subjunctive estropee, estropeen etc. for wishes, doubts, and emotions: 'Espero que no estropees nada' (I hope you don't break anything).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: estropeara
Use imperfect subjunctive estropeara/estropéara for past hypotheticals or wishes, like 'Si estropeara...' (If I were to break...)
Affirmative Imperative
yo: estropea
Use imperative estropea, estropee, etc. for direct commands, like '¡Estropea el vaso!' (Break the glass!).
Negative Imperative
yo: no estropees
Negative commands use 'no' plus present subjunctive: 'no estropees' (don't break).