evitar Preterite Conjugation
evitar — to avoid
The preterite of evitar (evité, evitaste, evitó, etc.) is regular and used for completed actions in the past.
evitar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about actions of avoiding that started and finished at a specific point in the past. For example, 'Ayer evité el tráfico' (Yesterday I avoided the traffic) or 'Ella evitó el accidente por poco' (She narrowly avoided the accident). It emphasizes the completion of the act of avoiding.
Notes on evitar in the Preterite
Evitar is regular in the preterite indicative. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo evité la lluvia al salir antes.
I avoided the rain by leaving earlier.
yo
¿Tú evitaste la conversación?
Did you avoid the conversation?
tú
Él evitó el golpe por un segundo.
He avoided the blow by a second.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros evitamos el problema tomando una ruta diferente.
We avoided the problem by taking a different route.
nosotros
Ellos evitaron la confrontación.
They avoided the confrontation.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single, completed act of avoidance.
Correct: For a specific instance of avoiding something, use the preterite: 'Evité el charco'.
Why: The preterite marks a finished action, whereas the imperfect suggests duration or habit.
Mistake: Confusing 'evitamos' (preterite nosotros) with 'evitamos' (present nosotros).
Correct: Context usually makes it clear. If talking about a specific past event, it's preterite.
Why: These forms are identical, so rely on time markers ('ayer', 'anoche') or the overall context of the conversation.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: evito
The present tense of evitar (evito, evitas, evita, etc.) is regular and used for habitual actions, current actions, and general truths.
Imperfect
yo: evitaba
The imperfect of evitar (evitaba, evitabas, evitaba, etc.) is regular and used for ongoing or habitual past actions and descriptions.
Future
yo: evitaré
The future tense of evitar (evitaré, evitarás, evitará, etc.) is regular and used for actions that will happen or to express probability.
Conditional
yo: evitaría
The conditional of evitar (evitaría, evitarías, evitaría, etc.) is regular and used for hypotheticals, polite requests, and future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: evite
The present subjunctive of evitar (evite, evites, evitemos, eviten) is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and after impersonal expressions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: evitara
The imperfect subjunctive of evitar (e.g., 'evitara', 'evitaras', 'evitara', 'evitaramos', 'evitaran') is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: evita
Use 'evita' for direct commands to tú, 'evite' for usted, 'evitemos' for nosotros, 'eviten' for ustedes, and 'evitad' for vosotros.
Negative Imperative
yo: no evites
Negative commands use 'no' plus the present subjunctive: 'no evites' (tú), 'no evite' (usted), 'no evitemos' (nosotros), 'no eviten' (ustedes), 'no evitéis' (vosotros).