fumar Preterite Conjugation
fumar — to smoke
Fumar is regular in the preterite: fumé, fumaste, fumó, fumamos, fumasteis, fumaron.
fumar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about a specific instance when someone smoked or to mark the exact moment someone quit the habit.
Notes on fumar in the Preterite
Fumar is regular in the preterite. Note that 'fumamos' is the same in both present and preterite; context is key.
Example Sentences
Ayer fumé mi último cigarrillo.
Yesterday I smoked my last cigarette.
yo
Ellos fumaron mucho durante la fiesta.
They smoked a lot during the party.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Él fumó por veinte años antes de dejarlo.
He smoked for twenty years before quitting.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: fumo
Correct: fumó
Why: Missing the accent on the 'o' changes the meaning from 'he smoked' (past) to 'I smoke' (present).
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: fumo
The present tense of fumar is regular: fumo, fumas, fuma, fumamos, fumáis, fuman.
Imperfect
yo: fumaba
The imperfect of fumar uses the -aba ending: fumaba, fumabas, fumaba, fumábamos, fumabais, fumaban.
Future
yo: fumaré
The future of fumar adds endings to the infinitive: fumaré, fumarás, fumará, fumaremos, fumaréis, fumarán.
Conditional
yo: fumaría
The conditional of fumar is regular: fumaría, fumarías, fumaría, fumaríamos, fumaríais, fumarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: fume
The present subjunctive of fumar swaps the 'a' for 'e': fume, fumes, fume, fumemos, fuméis, fumen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: fumara
The imperfect subjunctive of fumar is based on the 'ellos' preterite: fumara, fumaras, fumara, fumáramos, fumarais, fumaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: fuma
The imperative of fumar gives commands: fuma (tú), fume (usted), fumad (vosotros), fumen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no fumes
The negative imperative of fumar uses subjunctive forms: no fumes, no fume, no fumemos, no fuméis, no fumen.