postular Preterite Conjugation
postular — to apply
The preterite of 'postular' is regular: postulé, postulaste, postuló, postulamos, postulasteis, postularon.
postular Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for completed actions in the past, like applying for a specific job at a specific time. For example, 'Postulé a ese puesto la semana pasada' (I applied for that position last week). It emphasizes the action as a finished event.
Notes on postular in the Preterite
Postular is a regular '-ar' verb and is completely regular in the preterite tense. All forms are derived by adding the standard preterite endings to the infinitive stem 'postul-'.
Example Sentences
Postulé a tres universidades el mes pasado.
I applied to three universities last month.
yo
¿Postulaste para la beca?
Did you apply for the scholarship?
tú
Ella postuló al trabajo de sus sueños.
She applied for her dream job.
él/ella/usted
Los candidatos postularon formalmente ayer.
The candidates formally applied yesterday.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'postulaba' instead of the preterite 'postulé' for a single, completed application.
Correct: Use 'Postulé' for a specific, finished action like applying last week.
Why: The preterite marks completed actions with a clear start/end, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'postuló' (él/ella/usted).
Correct: The form is 'postuló' with an accent on the 'ó'.
Why: The accent is necessary to indicate the stress falls on the final syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: postulo
Use the present tense like 'postulo' and 'postulan' for current or habitual actions of applying.
Imperfect
yo: postulaba
The imperfect 'postulaba' describes past habits or ongoing actions of applying.
Future
yo: postularé
The future tense 'postularé' and 'postularán' indicates what will happen.
Conditional
yo: postularía
The conditional 'postularía' expresses hypothetical 'would' scenarios.
Present Subjunctive
yo: postule
The present subjunctive, like 'postule' and 'postulen', expresses wishes, doubts, or emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: postulara
The imperfect subjunctive, like 'postulara' or 'postularas', is for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: postula
Use the imperative forms like 'postula' and 'postulen' for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no postules
Negative commands like 'no postules' use the present subjunctive.