excusar Preterite Conjugation
excusar — to excuse
The preterite of excusar is regular: excusé, excusaste, excusó, excusamos, excusasteis, excusaron.
excusar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'excusar' for actions of excusing that were completed at a specific point in the past. For example, 'I excused him yesterday' or 'She excused herself before leaving'.
Notes on excusar in the Preterite
Excusar is regular in the preterite. All endings are standard for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo excusé su comportamiento esa vez.
I excused his behavior that time.
yo
¿Tú lo excusaste?
Did you excuse him?
tú
Él excusó su tardanza con una historia.
He excused his lateness with a story.
él/ella/usted
Ellos nos excusaron rápidamente.
They excused us quickly.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite.
Correct: Use 'excusó' for a single instance of excusing, not 'excusaba'.
Why: The preterite marks a completed action, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'excusó'.
Correct: The él/ella/usted form requires an accent: 'excusó'.
Why: The accent is crucial for pronunciation and to distinguish it from other forms or words.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: excuso
The present tense of excusar is regular: excuso, excusas, excusa, excusamos, excusáis, excusan.
Imperfect
yo: excusaba
The imperfect of excusar is regular: excusaba, excusabas, excusaba, excusábamos, excusabais, excusaban.
Future
yo: excusaré
The future of excusar is regular: excusaré, excusarás, excusará, excusaremos, excusaréis, excusarán.
Conditional
yo: excusaría
The conditional of excusar is regular: excusaría, excusarías, excusaría, excusaríamos, excusaríais, excusarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: excuse
The present subjunctive of excusar (e.g., 'excuse', 'excuses') follows verbs of desire, doubt, emotion, and uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: excusara
The imperfect subjunctive of excusar (e.g., 'excusara', 'excusaras') is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: excusa
Use 'excusa' (tú), 'excuse' (usted), 'excusemos' (nosotros), 'excusad' (vosotros), 'excusen' (ustedes) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no excuses
Use 'no excuses' (tú), 'no excuse' (usted), 'no excusemos' (nosotros), 'no excuséis' (vosotros), 'no excusen' (ustedes) for negative commands.