probar Preterite Conjugation
probar — try
Probar is completely regular in the preterite: probé, probaste, probó, probamos, probasteis, probaron.
probar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when you 'tried' something once or at a specific moment, like tasting a new dish at dinner or trying on a pair of shoes at the mall.
Notes on probar in the Preterite
Unlike the present tense, probar has no stem change in the preterite. It follows the standard -ar pattern perfectly.
Example Sentences
Probé el gazpacho y me encantó.
I tried the gazpacho and I loved it.
yo
¿Probaste los zapatos antes de comprarlos?
Did you try on the shoes before buying them?
tú
Probamos el coche nuevo ayer.
We tested the new car yesterday.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'pruébaste' instead of 'probaste'.
Correct: probaste
Why: Learners often carry the 'ue' stem change from the present tense into the preterite, but it doesn't belong here.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'probar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: pruebo
Probar is an o>ue stem-changer: pruebo, pruebas, prueba, probamos, probáis, prueban.
Imperfect
yo: probaba
Probar is regular in the imperfect: probaba, probabas, probaba, probábamos, probabais, probaban.
Future
yo: probaré
The future of probar is regular: probaré, probarás, probará, probaremos, probaréis, probarán.
Conditional
yo: probaría
The conditional of probar is regular: probaría, probarías, probaría, probaríamos, probaríais, probarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: pruebe
Probar follows the o>ue change in the subjunctive: pruebe, pruebes, pruebe, probemos, probéis, prueben.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: probara
The imperfect subjunctive of probar is regular: probara, probaras, probara, probáramos, probarais, probaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: prueba
Commands for probar: prueba (tú), pruebe (usted), probad (vosotros), prueben (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no pruebes
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no pruebes (tú), no pruebe (usted), no probemos (nosotros), no prueben (ustedes).