intensificar Preterite Conjugation
intensificar — to intensify
The preterite of intensificar has a spelling change only in the 'yo' form: intensifiqué.
intensificar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a completed increase in intensity at a specific point in time, like when a storm suddenly got worse yesterday.
Notes on intensificar in the Preterite
Only the 'yo' form changes 'c' to 'qu' (intensifiqué) to preserve the 'k' sound. All other forms are regular -ar endings.
Example Sentences
Intensifiqué mi entrenamiento la semana pasada.
I intensified my training last week.
yo
La lluvia se intensificó durante la noche.
The rain intensified during the night.
él/ella/usted
Ellos intensificaron los controles en la frontera.
They intensified controls at the border.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: intensificé
Correct: intensifiqué
Why: Using a 'c' before 'é' would change the pronunciation to an 's' sound. The 'qu' is required to keep the 'k' sound.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: intensifico
The present tense of intensificar is completely regular: intensifico, intensificas, intensifica, intensificamos, intensificáis, intensifican.
Imperfect
yo: intensificaba
The imperfect of intensificar is regular: intensificaba, intensificabas, intensificaba, intensificábamos, intensificabais, intensificaban.
Future
yo: intensificaré
The future tense of intensificar is regular: add endings to the infinitive (intensificar + é, ás, á, emos, éis, án).
Conditional
yo: intensificaría
The conditional of intensificar is regular: add -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían to the infinitive.
Present Subjunctive
yo: intensifique
The present subjunctive of intensificar requires a c-to-qu spelling change: intensifique, intensifiques, intensifique, intensifiquemos, intensifiquéis, intensifiquen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: intensificara
The imperfect subjunctive is formed from the third-person plural preterite: intensificara, intensificaras, intensificara, intensificáramos, intensificarais, intensificaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: intensifica
The imperative uses regular -ar endings for 'tú' (intensifica) and spelling-change forms for others (intensifique, intensifiquen).
Negative Imperative
yo: no intensifiques
The negative imperative of intensificar always uses the 'qu' spelling change: no intensifiques, no intensifique, etc.