explotar Preterite Conjugation
explotar — to explode
The preterite of explotar is regular: exploté, explotaste, explotó, explotamos, explotasteis, explotaron.
explotar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a specific moment when something blew up or a completed period of exploitation in the past.
Notes on explotar in the Preterite
Explotar follows the standard -ar preterite endings and is fully regular.
Example Sentences
La bomba explotó a las cinco de la mañana.
The bomb exploded at five in the morning.
él/ella/usted
Explotamos de risa con su chiste.
We burst (exploded) with laughter at his joke.
nosotros
Mis neumáticos explotaron en la autopista.
My tires blew out on the highway.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'explotó'.
Correct: explotó
Why: Without the accent, the stress shifts and the meaning changes to a present tense form.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: exploto
The present tense of explotar is regular: exploto, explotas, explota, explotamos, explotáis, explotan.
Imperfect
yo: explotaba
The imperfect of explotar is regular: explotaba, explotabas, explotaba, explotábamos, explotabais, explotaban.
Future
yo: explotaré
The future of explotar is regular: explotaré, explotarás, explotará, explotaremos, explotaréis, explotarán.
Conditional
yo: explotaría
The conditional of explotar is regular: explotaría, explotarías, explotaría, explotaríamos, explotaríais, explotarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: explote
The present subjunctive of explotar is regular: explote, explotes, explote, explotemos, explotéis, exploten.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: explotara
The imperfect subjunctive of explotar is regular: explotara, explotaras, explotara, explotáramos, explotarais, explotaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: explota
The imperative of explotar is: explota (tú), explote (usted), explotemos (nosotros), explotad (vosotros), exploten (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no explotes
The negative imperative of explotar uses present subjunctive forms: no explotes, no explote, no explotemos, no explotéis, no exploten.