extinguir Preterite Conjugation
extinguir — to extinguish
The preterite of extinguir is regular, focusing on completed actions like putting out a fire or a species going extinct.
extinguir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for one-time, completed events in the past, such as the exact moment a fire was put out or when a debt was cancelled.
Notes on extinguir in the Preterite
Extinguir is regular in the preterite. Remember that the 'u' is necessary in all forms to keep the 'g' hard (extinguí, extinguió).
Example Sentences
Extinguí la vela antes de dormir.
I extinguished the candle before sleeping.
yo
El incendio se extinguió a medianoche.
The fire was extinguished at midnight.
él/ella/usted
Extinguimos la deuda el mes pasado.
We paid off (extinguished) the debt last month.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'extingió' without the 'u'.
Correct: extinguió
Why: Without the 'u', the 'g' would sound like an 'h' (extin-hi-ó). The 'u' is a silent placeholder to keep the 'g' hard.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: extingo
The present tense of extinguir is mostly regular, but the 'yo' form changes to 'extingo' to keep the hard 'g' sound.
Imperfect
yo: extinguía
The imperfect of extinguir is completely regular: extinguía, extinguías, extinguía, extinguíamos, extinguíais, extinguían.
Future
yo: extinguiré
The future tense of extinguir is regular, formed by adding endings to the full infinitive: extinguiré, extinguirás, etc.
Conditional
yo: extinguiría
The conditional of extinguir is regular: extinguiría, extinguirías, extinguiría, extinguiríamos, extinguiríais, extinguirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: extinga
The present subjunctive of extinguir changes the 'gu' to 'g' in all forms: extinga, extingas, extinga, extingamos, extingáis, extingan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: extinguiera
The imperfect subjunctive of extinguir follows the third-person plural preterite: extinguiera, extinguieras, extinguiera, extinguiéramos, extinguierais, extinguieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: extingue
The imperative of extinguir uses 'extingue' for informal tú and 'extinga' for formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no extingas
The negative imperative of extinguir always drops the 'u' to keep the hard 'g' sound: no extingas, no extinga, no extingamos, no extingáis, no extingan.