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A concerned mother looking at a child who has a small bandage on their knee.

preocupar Preterite Conjugation

preocuparto worry

A2regular -ar★★★★★
Quick answer:

The preterite of preocupar is regular: preocupé, preocupaste, preocupó, preocupamos, preocupasteis, preocuparon.

preocupar Preterite Forms

yopreocupé
preocupaste
él/ella/ustedpreocupó
nosotrospreocupamos
vosotrospreocupasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedespreocuparon

When to Use the Preterite

Use the preterite to describe a specific moment when someone became worried or a completed event that caused concern.

Notes on preocupar in the Preterite

Preocupar is fully regular in the preterite. Note that 'preocupamos' is the same in both present and preterite.

Example Sentences

  • Me preocupé cuando no llamaste.

    I got worried when you didn't call.

    yo

  • Esa noticia nos preocupó a todos.

    That news worried all of us.

    él/ella/usted

  • Ellos se preocuparon por los resultados.

    They got worried about the results.

    ellos/ellas/ustedes

Common Mistakes

  • Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'preocupé' or 'preocupó'.

    Correct: Write 'preocupé' (yo) and 'preocupó' (él/ella).

    Why: Without the accent, the meaning or the person changes entirely.

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Related Tenses