
humillar Preterite Conjugation
humillar — to humiliate
The preterite of 'humillar' is regular: humillé, humillaste, humilló, humillamos, humillasteis, humillaron.
humillar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'humillar' to talk about a specific instance where someone was humiliated or humbled, emphasizing that the action happened and finished at a certain point in the past.
Notes on humillar in the Preterite
'Humillar' is a regular -ar verb and follows all standard conjugation patterns in the preterite. The 'nosotros' form 'humillamos' is identical to the present indicative, so context is key.
Example Sentences
El comentario me humilló profundamente.
The comment humiliated me deeply.
él/ella/usted
¿Me humillaste a propósito?
Did you humiliate me on purpose?
tú
Nos humillaron en el debate.
They humiliated us in the debate.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Ayer me humillé para conseguir el trabajo.
Yesterday I humbled myself to get the job.
yo
Humillamos al equipo contrario con nuestra victoria.
We humbled the opposing team with our victory.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'humillaba' instead of the preterite 'humilló' for a single event.
Correct: Use 'humilló' for a specific, completed act of humiliation: 'Me humilló una vez'.
Why: The preterite marks finished actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'humilló' or 'humillé'.
Correct: Remember the accent on the 'o' and 'é': 'humilló', 'humillé'.
Why: The accent mark is crucial for the preterite third-person singular and first-person singular forms of regular -ar verbs.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'humillar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: humillo
The present indicative of 'humillar' (humillo, humillas, etc.) describes current actions or general truths about humiliating others or oneself.
Imperfect
yo: humillaba
The imperfect of 'humillar' (humillaba, humillabas, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past actions of humiliating or humbling.
Future
yo: humillaré
The future tense of 'humillar' (humillaré, humillarás, etc.) indicates actions that will happen or express probability.
Conditional
yo: humillaría
The conditional of 'humillar' (humillaría, humillarías, etc.) expresses hypotheticals ('would'), polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: humille
The present subjunctive of 'humillar' (humille, humilles, etc.) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or impersonal statements.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: humillara
The imperfect subjunctive of 'humillar' (humillara/humillase) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or uncertainty.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: humilla
Imperative commands for 'humillar' are: humilla (tú), humille (usted), humillemos (nosotros), humillad (vosotros), humillen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no humilles
Negative commands for 'humillar' use 'no' + present subjunctive: no humilles (tú), no humille (usted), no humillemos (nosotros), no humilléis (vosotros), no humillen (ustedes).