primar Preterite Conjugation
primar — to prevail
The preterite of primar is regular: primé, primaste, primó, primamos, primasteis, primaron.
primar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of primar to describe a specific instance where something prevailed or someone managed to prevail in the past, with a clear beginning and end. It focuses on the completion of the action.
Notes on primar in the Preterite
Primar is regular in the preterite. All the endings are standard for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Al final, primó la sensatez.
In the end, common sense prevailed.
él/ella/usted
Primé en la votación por un voto.
I prevailed in the vote by one vote.
yo
¿En qué momento primaste?
At what point did you prevail?
tú
Los argumentos del equipo contrario primaron.
The opposing team's arguments prevailed.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'primaba' instead of the preterite 'primó' for a single past event.
Correct: Use 'primó' when saying 'common sense prevailed' as a completed event.
Why: The preterite indicates a completed action, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Missing the accent on 'primó'.
Correct: The él/ella/usted preterite form is 'primó', with an accent on the 'o'.
Why: The accent distinguishes this form from other similar-looking words and indicates the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: primo
The present indicative of primar is: primo, primas, prima, primamos, primáis, priman.
Imperfect
yo: primaba
The imperfect of primar is: primaba, primabas, primaba, primábamos, primabais, primaban.
Future
yo: primaré
The future of primar is regular: primaré, primarás, primará, primaremos, primaréis, primarán.
Conditional
yo: primaría
The conditional of primar is: primaría, primarías, primaría, primaríamos, primaríais, primarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: prime
The present subjunctive of primar is: prime (yo/él/ella/usted), primas (tú), primemos (nosotros), priméis (vosotros), primen (ellos/ellas/ustedes).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: primara
The imperfect subjunctive of primar uses -ra or -se endings: primara/primase (yo/él/ella/usted), primaras/primases (tú), etc.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: prima
The imperative of primar has regular commands: prima (tú), prime (usted), primemos (nosotros), primad (vosotros), primen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no primes
Negative commands for primar use the present subjunctive: no primas (tú), no prime (usted), no primemos (nosotros), no priméis (vosotros), no primen (ustedes).