jalar Preterite Conjugation
jalar — to pull
The preterite of jalar is regular: jalé, jalaste, jaló, jalamos, jalasteis, jalaron.
jalar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a completed past action with a clear end point – pulling a door open at a specific moment, or pulling a cart yesterday.
Notes on jalar in the Preterite
Jalar is fully regular in the preterite.
Example Sentences
Jalé la puerta y se abrió.
I pulled the door and it opened.
yo
¿Jalaste el freno de mano?
Did you pull the handbrake?
tú
Él jaló la caja hasta la esquina.
He pulled the box to the corner.
él/ella/usted
Ellos jalaron la red para sacar los peces.
They pulled the net to get the fish out.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros jalamos el sofá al centro.
We pulled the sofa to the center.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single, completed action.
Correct: For a specific, finished action like 'pulled the rope yesterday,' use the preterite: 'jalé'.
Why: The preterite focuses on the completion of the action, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Missing the accent on 'jalé' or 'jaló'.
Correct: The forms are 'jalé' and 'jaló', with accents on the final vowels.
Why: The accents mark the stress on the final syllable, distinguishing these forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: jalo
The present of jalar is regular: jalo, jalas, jala, jalamos, jaláis, jalan.
Imperfect
yo: jalaba
The imperfect of jalar is regular: jalaba, jalabas, jalaba, jalábamos, jalabais, jalaban.
Future
yo: jalaré
The future of jalar is regular: jalaré, jalarás, jalará, jalaremos, jalaréis, jalarán.
Conditional
yo: jalaría
The conditional of jalar is regular: jalaría, jalarías, jalaría, jalaríamos, jalaríais, jalarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: jale
The present subjunctive of jalar is jale (yo/él/ella/usted), jales (tú), jalemos (nosotros), jalen (ellos/ellas/ustedes/vosotros).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: jalara
The imperfect subjunctive of jalar is jalara/jalase (él/ella/usted/yo), jalaras/jalases (tú), jaláramos/jalásemos (nosotros), jalaran/jalasen (ellos/ellas/ustedes), jalarais/jalaseis (vosotros).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: jala
The imperative of jalar is jala (tú), jale (usted), jalemos (nosotros), jalen (ustedes), jala (vosotros), jalen (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no jales
The negative imperative of jalar uses the present subjunctive: no jales (tú), no jale (usted), no jalemos (nosotros), no jalen (ustedes), no jaléis (vosotros).