fallar Preterite Conjugation
fallar — to fail
The preterite of fallar is regular: fallé, fallaste, falló, fallamos, fallasteis, fallaron, for completed past actions.
fallar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'fallar' to talk about a specific instance where someone or something failed, with a clear beginning and end. It emphasizes the completion of the failure.
Notes on fallar in the Preterite
Fallar is a regular -ar verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern in the preterite.
Example Sentences
Yo fallé en mi primer intento de cocinar paella.
I failed in my first attempt to cook paella.
yo
¿Tú fallaste en recordar su nombre?
Did you fail to remember his name?
tú
Él falló en su examen de conducir.
He failed his driving test.
él/ella/usted
Ellos fallaron en su intento de ganar el partido.
They failed in their attempt to win the game.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single failure.
Correct: Use 'Fallé' (preterite) for a specific past failure, not 'fallaba'.
Why: The preterite marks completed actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'falló' (él/ella/usted).
Correct: The third-person singular preterite is 'falló' with an accent.
Why: The accent is necessary to indicate the stress on the final syllable and distinguish it from other forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: fallo
The present tense of fallar (fallo, fallas, falla, fallamos, falláis, fallan) describes current or habitual failures.
Imperfect
yo: fallaba
The imperfect of fallar (fallaba, fallabas, fallaba, fallábamos, fallabais, fallaban) describes ongoing or habitual past failures.
Future
yo: fallaré
The future tense of fallar (fallaré, fallarás, fallará, fallaremos, fallaréis, fallarán) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: fallaría
The conditional of fallar (fallaría, fallarías, fallaría, fallaríamos, fallaríais, fallarían) expresses 'would' fail or polite possibilities.
Present Subjunctive
yo: falle
Use the present subjunctive of fallar (falle, falles, falle, fallemos, falléis, fallen) for wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: fallara
The imperfect subjunctive (fallara, fallaras, fallara, falláramos, fallarais, fallaran) is for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: falla
Use the imperative of fallar for direct commands: falla (tú), falle (usted), fallad (vosotros), fallen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no falles
Negative commands use 'no' + present subjunctive: no falles (tú), no falle (usted), no falléis (vosotros), no fallen (ustedes).