limpiar Preterite Conjugation
limpiar — clean
The preterite of limpiar is regular: limpié, limpiaste, limpió, limpiamos, limpiasteis, limpiaron.
limpiar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for cleaning tasks that were completed at a specific point in time, like when you finished scrubbing the floor yesterday or cleaned the car last weekend.
Notes on limpiar in the Preterite
Limpiar is regular in the preterite. Note that 'limpiamos' is used for both 'we clean' (present) and 'we cleaned' (preterite).
Example Sentences
Ayer limpié toda la casa yo solo.
Yesterday I cleaned the whole house by myself.
yo
Ella limpió las ventanas esta mañana.
She cleaned the windows this morning.
él/ella/usted
Ellos limpiaron el parque el domingo pasado.
They cleaned the park last Sunday.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'limpio' for 'I cleaned'.
Correct: limpié
Why: Learners confuse the present 'limpio' (I clean) with the preterite 'limpié' (I cleaned) or the preterite 'limpió' (he/she cleaned).
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: limpio
Limpiar is a regular -ar verb in the present: limpio, limpias, limpia, limpiamos, limpiáis, limpian.
Imperfect
yo: limpiaba
The imperfect of limpiar uses standard -ar endings: limpiaba, limpiabas, limpiaba, limpiábamos, limpiabais, limpiaban.
Future
yo: limpiaré
The future of limpiar is formed by adding endings to the infinitive: limpiaré, limpiarás, limpiará, limpiaremos, limpiaréis, limpiarán.
Conditional
yo: limpiaría
The conditional of limpiar uses the infinitive plus -ía endings: limpiaría, limpiarías, limpiaría, limpiaríamos, limpiaríais, limpiarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: limpie
The present subjunctive of limpiar swaps the -a for -e: limpie, limpies, limpie, limpiemos, limpiéis, limpien.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: limpiara
The imperfect subjunctive of limpiar uses the 'limpiara' stem: limpiara, limpiaras, limpiara, limpiáramos, limpiarais, limpiaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: limpia
The affirmative imperative of limpiar gives direct orders: limpia, limpie, limpiemos, limpiad, limpien.
Negative Imperative
yo: no limpies
The negative imperative of limpiar uses the present subjunctive: no limpies, no limpie, no limpiemos, no limpiéis, no limpien.