exagerar Preterite Conjugation
exagerar — to exaggerate
The preterite of exagerar is regular: exageré, exageraste, exageró, exageramos, exagerasteis, exageraron.
exagerar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for completed actions in the past. If you exaggerated something at a specific moment or a specific number of times, this is the tense you need.
Notes on exagerar in the Preterite
Exagerar is regular in the preterite. All forms follow the standard -ar verb pattern.
Example Sentences
Ayer exageré un poco con la comida.
Yesterday I exaggerated a bit with the food.
yo
¿Exageraste al contar la historia?
Did you exaggerate when telling the story?
tú
Él exageró los peligros del viaje.
He exaggerated the dangers of the trip.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros exageramos al principio, pero luego nos dimos cuenta.
We exaggerated at first, but then we realized.
nosotros
Ellos exageraron la dificultad del examen.
They exaggerated the difficulty of the exam.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'exageraba' instead of the preterite 'exageró' for a single past event.
Correct: Use 'exageró' for a specific, completed act of exaggeration.
Why: The preterite marks a finished action, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'exageró' (él/ella/usted).
Correct: The form is 'exageró' with an accent on the final 'ó'.
Why: The accent indicates the stress falls on the final syllable, distinguishing it from other potential forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: exagero
The present tense (exagero, exageras, etc.) describes current actions, habits, and general truths about exaggerating.
Imperfect
yo: exageraba
The imperfect of exagerar (exageraba, exagerabas, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past exaggeration.
Future
yo: exageraré
The future tense of exagerar (exageraré, exagerarás, etc.) talks about future exaggerations or probabilities.
Conditional
yo: exageraría
The conditional of exagerar (exageraría, exagerarías, etc.) is used for hypotheticals ('would') and polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: exagere
The present subjunctive (exagere, exageres, etc.) follows expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, and uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: exagerara
The imperfect subjunctive (exagerara, exageraras, etc.) is used for hypothetical or past subjunctive situations.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: exagera
Exagera (tú), exagere (usted), exageremos (nosotros), exageren (ustedes), exagerad (vosotros) are the commands for 'to exaggerate'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no exageres
Negative commands like 'no exageres' (tú) or 'no exagere' (usted) use the present subjunctive.