pretender Preterite Conjugation
pretender — to intend
The preterite of pretender is regular: pretendí, pretendiste, pretendió, pretendimos, pretendisteis, pretendieron.
pretender Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about a specific instance where someone intended or tried to do something, and that intention or attempt is now completed.
Notes on pretender in the Preterite
Pretender is fully regular in the preterite tense. All forms follow the standard conjugation pattern for -er verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo pretendí ganar el concurso.
I intended to win the contest.
yo
¿Tú pretendiste ofenderme?
Did you intend to offend me?
tú
Ella pretendió no escuchar.
She pretended not to hear.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros pretendimos ayudar.
We intended to help.
nosotros
Ellos pretendieron ser amables.
They tried to be friendly.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Confusing preterite with imperfect for past intentions.
Correct: Use the preterite ('pretendí', 'pretendió') for a specific, completed intention in the past.
Why: The preterite marks a point in time or a completed action, whereas the imperfect ('pretendía') describes ongoing or habitual intentions.
Mistake: Incorrectly conjugating the nosotros form.
Correct: The nosotros preterite form is 'pretendimos'.
Why: Learners might mistakenly use the present indicative 'pretendemos' or an incorrect ending.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: pretendo
The present indicative of pretender is: pretendo, pretendes, pretende, pretendemos, pretendéis, pretenden.
Imperfect
yo: pretendía
The imperfect of pretender is: pretendía, pretendías, pretendía, pretendíamos, pretendíais, pretendían.
Future
yo: pretenderé
The future tense of pretender uses the infinitive stem: pretenderé, pretenderás, pretenderá, pretenderemos, pretenderéis, pretenderán.
Conditional
yo: pretendería
The conditional of pretender is: pretendería, pretenderías, pretendería, pretenderíamos, pretenderíais, pretenderían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: pretenda
The present subjunctive of pretender is: pretenda (yo/él/ella/usted), pretendamos (nosotros), pretendáis (vosotros), pretendan (ellos/ellas/ustedes).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: pretendiera
The imperfect subjunctive of pretender has two forms for each pronoun: pretendiera/pretendiese, pretendieras/pretendieses, etc.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: pretende
Imperative forms of pretender are: pretende (tú), pretenda (usted), pretendamos (nosotros), pretended (vosotros), pretendan (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no pretendas
Negative commands for pretender use the present subjunctive: no pretendas (tú), no pretenda (usted), no pretendamos (nosotros), no pretendáis (vosotros), no pretendan (ustedes).