maquinar Preterite Conjugation
maquinar — to plot
Use 'maquiné' and 'maquinó' for completed past plotting actions.
maquinar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
The preterite is for completed actions in the past. If someone plotted a specific plan that finished, or a plotting session ended, you use the preterite. For example, 'Ayer maquinó un plan.' (Yesterday he plotted a plan).
Notes on maquinar in the Preterite
Maquinar is regular in the preterite tense. All forms follow the standard -ar pattern.
Example Sentences
Yo maquiné un plan para sorprenderla.
I plotted a plan to surprise her.
yo
¿Tú maquinaste algo para la fiesta?
Did you plot something for the party?
tú
Ella maquinó la estrategia ganadora.
She plotted the winning strategy.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros maquinamos la solución juntos.
We plotted the solution together.
nosotros
Los villanos maquinaron su escape.
The villains plotted their escape.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'maquinaba' instead of the preterite 'maquinó' for a single event.
Correct: Use 'Ayer maquinó' (He plotted yesterday) instead of 'Ayer maquinaba' (He was plotting yesterday).
Why: The preterite marks a completed, single action, while the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'maquiné' and 'maquinó'.
Correct: The yo form is 'maquiné' and the él/ella/usted form is 'maquinó'.
Why: The accent marks the stressed syllable and distinguishes these forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: maquino
Use 'maquino' and 'maquina' for current or habitual plotting.
Imperfect
yo: maquinaba
Use 'maquinaba' for ongoing or habitual past plotting.
Future
yo: maquinaré
Use 'maquinaré' and 'maquinará' for future plotting.
Conditional
yo: maquinaría
Use 'maquinaría' for hypothetical plotting or polite suggestions.
Present Subjunctive
yo: maquine
Use 'maquine' (yo/él/ella/usted) and 'maquinen' (ustedes) for wishes, doubts, or emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: maquinara
Use 'maquinara' or 'maquinase' for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: maquina
Use 'maquina' (tú) and 'maquinen' (ustedes) for direct commands with maquinar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no maquines
Use 'no maquines' (tú) and 'no maquinen' (ustedes) for negative commands.