iluminar Preterite Conjugation
iluminar — to light up
The preterite of iluminar is regular: iluminé, iluminaste, iluminó, iluminamos, iluminasteis, iluminaron.
iluminar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'iluminar' to talk about a specific, completed action of lighting something up in the past. For example, 'The electrician lit up the room yesterday' or 'She lit up her face with a smile'.
Notes on iluminar in the Preterite
Iluminar is completely regular in the preterite tense. All forms follow the standard pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Anoche, la luna iluminó el camino.
Last night, the moon lit up the path.
él/ella/usted
Yo iluminé la escena con una linterna potente.
I lit up the scene with a powerful flashlight.
yo
Ellos iluminaron el escenario para la obra.
They lit up the stage for the play.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
¿Tú iluminaste la casa con todas las luces?
Did you light up the house with all the lights?
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single, completed action.
Correct: For a specific past event, use the preterite: 'La vela iluminó la mesa' (The candle lit the table).
Why: The preterite marks the beginning or end of an action, or a single completed event, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'yo' form.
Correct: The 'yo' form is 'iluminé', with an accent on the final 'e'.
Why: The accent indicates the stress falls on the final syllable and distinguishes it from other forms.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'iluminar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: ilumino
The present tense of iluminar (ilumino, iluminas, etc.) describes actions happening now or habitual events.
Imperfect
yo: iluminaba
The imperfect of iluminar (iluminaba, iluminabas, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Future
yo: iluminaré
The future tense of iluminar (iluminaré, iluminarás, etc.) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: iluminaría
The conditional of iluminar (iluminaría, iluminarías, etc.) expresses hypothetical outcomes or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: ilumine
The present subjunctive of iluminar (ilumine, ilumines, etc.) is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: iluminara
The imperfect subjunctive of iluminar (iluminara/iluminase) expresses hypothetical or uncertain past actions.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ilumina
Use the imperative of iluminar for direct commands: ¡ilumina!, ¡ilumine!, ¡iluminemos!, ¡iluminad!, ¡iluminen!.
Negative Imperative
yo: no ilumines
Form negative commands for 'iluminar' using 'no' + present subjunctive: no ilumines, no ilumine, no iluminemos, no iluminéis, no iluminen.