hurgar Preterite Conjugation
hurgar — to rummage
The preterite of hurgar is regular except for the 'yo' form (hurgué), which needs a 'u' to keep the hard 'g' sound.
hurgar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for completed past actions, like that one time you rummaged through a box or dug into a specific problem.
Notes on hurgar in the Preterite
Only the 'yo' form changes (hurgué). All other forms (hurgaste, hurgó, etc.) are regular -ar endings.
Example Sentences
Hurgué en mi mochila pero no encontré el lápiz.
I rummaged in my backpack but I didn't find the pencil.
yo
Ella hurgó en su bolso buscando el celular.
She rummaged in her purse looking for her cell phone.
él/ella/usted
Hurgamos en el armario durante horas.
We rummaged in the closet for hours.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'hurgé' instead of 'hurgué'.
Correct: hurgué
Why: The 'u' is necessary to prevent the 'g' from sounding like a 'j' when followed by 'e'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: hurgo
Hurgar is completely regular in the present indicative: hurgo, hurgas, hurga, hurgamos, hurgáis, hurgan.
Imperfect
yo: hurgaba
The imperfect of hurgar is regular: hurgaba, hurgabas, hurgaba, hurgábamos, hurgabais, hurgaban.
Future
yo: hurgaré
The future of hurgar is regular: hurgaré, hurgarás, hurgará, hurgaremos, hurgaréis, hurgarán.
Conditional
yo: hurgaría
The conditional of hurgar is regular: hurgaría, hurgarías, hurgaría, hurgaríamos, hurgaríais, hurgarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: hurgue
Hurgar undergoes a g to gu spelling change in the present subjunctive: hurgue, hurgues, hurgue, hurguemos, hurguéis, hurguen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: hurgara
The imperfect subjunctive of hurgar is regular: hurgara, hurgaras, hurgara, hurgáramos, hurgarais, hurgaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: hurga
The imperative uses 'hurga' (tú) and 'hurgue' (usted/ustedes) for commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no hurgues
The negative imperative of hurgar always uses the 'gu' spelling change: no hurgues, no hurgue, no hurguemos, no hurguéis, no hurguen.