programar Preterite Conjugation
programar — to program
The preterite of programar is regular: programé, programaste, programó, programamos, programasteis, programaron.
programar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about a specific, completed action of programming in the past. For example, 'I programmed the robot yesterday' – the action is finished.
Notes on programar in the Preterite
Programar is regular in the preterite tense. All its forms follow the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo programé el sistema anoche.
I programmed the system last night.
yo
¿Programaste la cita para el cliente?
Did you program the appointment for the client?
tú
Ella programó la lavadora para que funcionara por la noche.
She programmed the washing machine to run at night.
él/ella/usted
Los desarrolladores programaron la nueva aplicación.
The developers programmed the new application.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single completed action.
Correct: Use 'programé' for 'I programmed yesterday', not 'programaba'.
Why: The preterite marks specific, completed past actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Confusing the 'nosotros' preterite with the present tense.
Correct: The 'nosotros' form 'programamos' can be preterite or present; context usually clarifies.
Why: This is a common feature of regular -ar verbs where the 'nosotros' preterite and present indicative forms are identical.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'programar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: programo
The present tense ('programo', 'programas') is for actions happening now or habitual programming.
Imperfect
yo: programaba
The imperfect tense ('programaba') describes ongoing or habitual past programming.
Future
yo: programaré
The future tense ('programaré', 'programarás') indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: programaría
The conditional ('programaría') expresses hypothetical actions ('would program') or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: programe
The present subjunctive ('programe', 'programes') expresses wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: programara
The imperfect subjunctive ('programara' or 'programase') talks about past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: programa
Use 'programa' for 'tú' commands, 'programen' for 'ustedes', and 'programad' for 'vosotros' when telling someone to program.
Negative Imperative
yo: no programes
Negative commands like 'no programes' (tú) or 'no programen' (ustedes) use the present subjunctive.