justificar Preterite Conjugation
justificar — to justify
The preterite features a spelling change in the 'yo' form: justifiqué, but otherwise follows regular -ar patterns.
justificar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific instance where someone gave a reason or proof for something in the past.
Notes on justificar in the Preterite
The 'yo' form changes 'c' to 'qu' (justifiqué) to preserve the hard 'k' sound before the letter 'e'. All other forms are regular.
Example Sentences
Justifiqué mi ausencia con un certificado médico.
I justified my absence with a medical certificate.
yo
¿Justificaste los gastos del viaje?
Did you justify the travel expenses?
tú
El director justificó la decisión ayer.
The director justified the decision yesterday.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'justificé' instead of 'justifiqué'.
Correct: justifiqué
Why: In Spanish, 'ce' sounds like 'se'. To keep the 'k' sound of the infinitive, you must use 'que'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: justifico
The present tense of justificar is regular: justifico, justificas, justifica, justificamos, justificáis, justifican.
Imperfect
yo: justificaba
The imperfect of justificar is fully regular: justificaba, justificabas, justificaba, justificábamos, justificabais, justificaban.
Future
yo: justificaré
The future of justificar is regular: justificaré, justificarás, justificará, justificaremos, justificaréis, justificarán.
Conditional
yo: justificaría
The conditional of justificar is regular: justificaría, justificarías, justificaría, justificaríamos, justificaríais, justificarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: justifique
The present subjunctive changes 'c' to 'qu' in all forms: justifiqué, justifiques, justifique...
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: justificara
The imperfect subjunctive is regular: justificara, justificaras, justificara, justificáramos, justificarais, justificaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: justifica
Use 'justifica' (tú) or 'justifique' (usted) to command someone to provide a reason.
Negative Imperative
yo: no justifiques
The negative imperative uses 'no' plus the present subjunctive: no justifiques, no justifique...