permanecer Preterite Conjugation
permanecer — to stay
The preterite of permanecer is regular: permanecí, permaneciste, permaneció, permanecimos, permanecisteis, permanecieron.
permanecer Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when someone stayed in a place for a specific, completed duration of time (e.g., 'I stayed for three hours'). It marks the end of the staying period.
Notes on permanecer in the Preterite
Permanecer is completely regular in the preterite tense, following the standard -er verb endings.
Example Sentences
Permanecí en silencio durante la reunión.
I stayed silent during the meeting.
yo
Ellos permanecieron en el hotel tres noches.
They stayed in the hotel for three nights.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
El paciente permaneció estable toda la noche.
The patient remained stable all night.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'permanezco' for the past.
Correct: Permanecí
Why: The 'z' spelling change only happens in the present tense 'yo' form, not in the preterite.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: permanezco
Permanecer is irregular only in the 'yo' form: permanezco.
Imperfect
yo: permanecía
The imperfect of permanecer is regular: permanecía, permanecías, permanecía, etc.
Future
yo: permaneceré
The future of permanecer is regular: permaneceré, permanecerás, permanecerá, etc.
Conditional
yo: permanecería
The conditional of permanecer is regular: permanecería, permanecerías, permanecería, etc.
Present Subjunctive
yo: permanezca
The present subjunctive uses the 'zc' stem: permanezca, permanezcas, permanezca, etc.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: permaneciera
The imperfect subjunctive is regular: permaneciera, permanecieras, permaneciera, etc.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: permanece
Commands for staying: permanece (tú), permanezca (usted), permanezcan (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no permanezcas
Negative commands always use the 'zc' stem: no permanezcas, no permanezca, no permanezcan.