inundar Preterite Conjugation
inundar — to flood
The preterite of 'inundar' is regular: inundé, inundaste, inundó, inundamos, inundasteis, inundaron.
inundar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'inundar' to talk about a flood that happened and finished at a specific point in the past. For example, 'The river flooded the town last night' or 'The heavy rain flooded the streets yesterday.'
Notes on inundar in the Preterite
Inundar is a regular -ar verb, so its preterite conjugations are predictable: inundé, inundaste, inundó, inundamos, inundasteis, inundaron.
Example Sentences
La tormenta inundó el sótano de mi casa.
The storm flooded my house's basement.
él/ella/usted
Anoche, el río inundó los campos cercanos.
Last night, the river flooded the nearby fields.
él/ella/usted
Inundamos la cocina sin querer.
We flooded the kitchen accidentally.
nosotros
El agua inundó todo en cuestión de minutos.
The water flooded everything in a matter of minutes.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'inundaba' instead of the preterite 'inundó' for a completed flood.
Correct: Use the preterite for a specific past event: 'El río inundó el pueblo ayer.'
Why: The preterite marks a completed action, while the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual past action.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'inundó' (él/ella/usted form).
Correct: The correct form is 'inundó' with an accent on the 'ó'.
Why: The accent on the final 'ó' is necessary to indicate the stressed syllable and distinguish it from other verb forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: inundo
The present tense 'inunda' describes floods happening now or habitual flooding.
Imperfect
yo: inundaba
The imperfect 'inundaba' describes ongoing or habitual past floods, or sets the scene.
Future
yo: inundaré
The future tense 'inundará' predicts or speculates about future floods.
Conditional
yo: inundaría
The conditional 'inundaría' expresses hypothetical floods ('would flood') or polite suggestions.
Present Subjunctive
yo: inunde
The present subjunctive, like 'inunde' (yo/él/ella/usted) and 'inunden' (ellos/ellas/ustedes), expresses wishes, doubts, or emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: inundara
The imperfect subjunctive, like 'inundara' or 'inundase', is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: inunda
Commands like 'inunda' (tú) and 'inunden' (ustedes) are used for direct orders with 'inundar'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no inundes
Negative commands like 'no inundes' (tú) and 'no inunden' (ustedes) use the present subjunctive with 'no'.