mandar Preterite Conjugation
mandar — to send
The preterite of mandar is regular: mandé, mandaste, mandó, mandamos, mandasteis, mandaron.
mandar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when you sent something at a specific point in time that is now finished, such as a text message you sent yesterday or a gift sent last week.
Notes on mandar in the Preterite
Mandar is fully regular in the preterite. Remember that the 'nosotros' form 'mandamos' is the same as in the present tense.
Example Sentences
Ayer mandé el informe por correo.
Yesterday I sent the report by mail.
yo
Él mandó las flores el lunes.
He sent the flowers on Monday.
él/ella/usted
Ellos mandaron el mensaje muy tarde.
They sent the message very late.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: mando (without accent) for the past tense.
Correct: mandó
Why: Without the accent, 'mando' is present tense 'I send'; 'mandó' is past tense 'he/she sent'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: mando
The present tense of mandar is regular: mando, mandas, manda, mandamos, mandáis, mandan.
Imperfect
yo: mandaba
The imperfect of mandar follows the regular -aba pattern: mandaba, mandabas, mandaba, mandábamos, mandabais, mandaban.
Future
yo: mandaré
The future of mandar uses the infinitive plus endings: mandaré, mandarás, mandará, mandaremos, mandaréis, mandarán.
Conditional
yo: mandaría
The conditional of mandar is regular: mandaría, mandarías, mandaría, mandaríamos, mandaríais, mandarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: mande
The present subjunctive of mandar is regular: mande, mandes, mande, mandemos, mandéis, manden.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: mandara
The imperfect subjunctive of mandar uses the preterite stem: mandara, mandaras, mandara, mandáramos, mandarais, mandaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: manda
The affirmative imperative of mandar provides commands: manda (tú), mande (usted), mandad (vosotros), manden (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no mandes
The negative imperative of mandar uses 'no' plus the present subjunctive: no mandes, no mande, no mandemos, no mandéis, no manden.