pillar Preterite Conjugation
pillar — to catch
Pillé, pillaste, pilló, pillamos, pillasteis, pillaron are the completed past actions for 'pillar'.
pillar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'pillar' to talk about a specific instance of catching something or someone in the past that has a clear beginning and end. For example, 'Pillé un resfriado ayer' means 'I caught a cold yesterday'.
Notes on pillar in the Preterite
Pillar is regular in the preterite. All forms are predictable for an -ar verb.
Example Sentences
Ayer pillé un autobús por los pelos.
Yesterday I caught the bus by the skin of my teeth.
yo
¿Pillaste a Juan antes de que se fuera?
Did you catch Juan before he left?
tú
El policía pilló al ladrón.
The police officer caught the thief.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros pillamos el mensaje tarde.
We got the message late.
nosotros
Ellos pillaron una multa por exceso de velocidad.
They got a ticket for speeding.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'pillaba' instead of the preterite 'pillé' for a single completed action.
Correct: Use 'pillé' for a specific, finished event like catching a bus at a certain time.
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, not single, completed ones.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'pilló' (él/ella/usted) and 'pillé' (yo).
Correct: Ensure the accent is on the final 'ó' in 'pilló' and the final 'é' in 'pillé'.
Why: These accents are crucial to distinguish these preterite forms and indicate the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: pillo
Pillo, pillas, pilla, pillamos, pilláis, pillan are the 'to catch' forms for now or habits.
Imperfect
yo: pillaba
Pillaba, pillabas, pillaba, pillábamos, pillabais, pillaban describe past ongoing or habitual actions for 'pillar'.
Future
yo: pillaré
Pillaré, pillarás, pillará, pillaremos, pillaréis, pillarán are the future 'will catch' forms.
Conditional
yo: pillaría
Pillaría, pillarías, pillaría, pillaríamos, pillaríais, pillarían express 'would catch' hypotheticals.
Present Subjunctive
yo: pille
The present subjunctive of pillar (pille, pilles, pille, pillemos, pillen, pillen) is for wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: pillara
The imperfect subjunctive of pillar (pillara/pillase) is for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: pilla
Pilla, pillad, pille, pillemos, pillen are the commands for 'pillar'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no pilles
Don't catch: no pilles, no pilléis, no pille, no pillemos, no pillen.