pesar Preterite Conjugation
pesar — to weigh
The preterite of pesar (pesé, pesaste...) is used for completed actions in the past, like 'I weighed' or 'it weighed' at a specific moment.
pesar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite tense to talk about actions that started and finished at a specific point in the past. For 'pesar', it's when you weighed something once, or when something had a specific weight at a concluded time.
Notes on pesar in the Preterite
Pesar is regular in the preterite tense. The stem is 'pes-' and you add the standard preterite endings: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron.
Example Sentences
Ayer pesé la maleta y no excedía el límite.
Yesterday I weighed the suitcase and it didn't exceed the limit.
yo
¿Pesaste el paquete antes de enviarlo?
Did you weigh the package before sending it?
tú
El bebé pesó 3 kilos al nacer.
The baby weighed 3 kilos at birth.
él/ella/usted
Ellos pesaron la carga en la aduana.
They weighed the cargo at customs.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of preterite for a single completed action.
Correct: Use 'Pesé la caja' (I weighed the box - completed) not 'Pesaba la caja' (I was weighing the box - ongoing).
Why: The preterite marks a finished event, while the imperfect describes duration or repetition in the past.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'pesó' and 'pesé'.
Correct: The third person singular is 'pesó' and the first person singular is 'pesé', both needing an accent.
Why: The accent mark is crucial to distinguish these forms and indicate the stressed syllable.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'pesar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: peso
The present tense of pesar (peso, pesas...) describes actions happening now, habitual actions, or general truths.
Imperfect
yo: pesaba
The imperfect of pesar (pesaba, pesabas...) describes ongoing or habitual past actions, like 'I used to weigh' or 'it was weighing'.
Future
yo: pesaré
The future tense of pesar (pesar, pesará...) indicates actions that will happen or expresses probability.
Conditional
yo: pesaría
The conditional of pesar (pesaría, pesarías...) expresses hypothetical outcomes ('would weigh') or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: pese
The present subjunctive of pesar (pesa, peses...) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: pesara
The imperfect subjunctive of pesar (pesara, pesaras...) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: pesa
Use the imperative of pesar for direct commands like 'weigh!' or 'weigh!'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no peses
Use the negative imperative of pesar with 'no' and the present subjunctive, like 'no peses' (don't weigh).