preguntar Preterite Conjugation
preguntar — to ask
The preterite of preguntar is regular: pregunté, preguntaste, preguntó, preguntamos, preguntasteis, preguntaron.
preguntar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific inquiry made at a specific moment in the past, such as asking for directions yesterday or asking a question during a meeting.
Notes on preguntar in the Preterite
Preguntar is regular in the preterite. Note that the 'nosotros' form is the same as the present tense.
Example Sentences
Le pregunté a mi madre qué quería comer.
I asked my mother what she wanted to eat.
yo
¿Preguntaste por mí en la oficina?
Did you ask for me at the office?
tú
Ellos preguntaron el camino hacia el hotel.
They asked for the way to the hotel.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: preguntó vs pregunto
Correct: preguntó (he/she asked)
Why: The accent on the final 'ó' is vital to distinguish the past tense from the present 'pregunto' (I ask).
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: pregunto
Preguntar is a regular -ar verb in the present: pregunto, preguntas, pregunta, preguntamos, preguntáis, preguntan.
Imperfect
yo: preguntaba
Preguntar follows the regular -aba pattern in the imperfect: preguntaba, preguntabas, preguntaba, preguntábamos, preguntabais, preguntaban.
Future
yo: preguntaré
The future of preguntar is regular, using the infinitive as the stem: preguntaré, preguntarás, preguntará, preguntaremos, preguntaréis, preguntarán.
Conditional
yo: preguntaría
The conditional of preguntar is regular: preguntaría, preguntarías, preguntaría, preguntaríamos, preguntaríais, preguntarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: pregunte
The present subjunctive of preguntar is regular: pregunte, preguntes, pregunte, preguntemos, preguntéis, pregunten.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: preguntara
The imperfect subjunctive of preguntar is regular: preguntara, preguntaras, preguntara, preguntáramos, preguntarais, preguntaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: pregunta
The affirmative imperative of preguntar uses standard forms: pregunta, pregunte, preguntemos, preguntad, pregunten.
Negative Imperative
yo: no preguntes
The negative imperative of preguntar uses the present subjunctive: no preguntes, no pregunte, no preguntemos, no preguntéis, no pregunten.