pulir Preterite Conjugation
pulir — to polish
The preterite of 'pulir' is regular: pulí, puliste, pulió, pulimos, pulisteis, pulieron.
pulir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for completed actions in the past that have a clear beginning and end. For 'pulir', this means finishing the act of polishing something at a specific point.
Notes on pulir in the Preterite
'Pulir' is a regular -ir verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. All forms are regular.
Example Sentences
Ayer pulí mis zapatos por la noche.
Yesterday I polished my shoes at night.
yo
¿Puliste el suelo del baño?
Did you polish the bathroom floor?
tú
Mi abuela pulió esa mesa durante años.
My grandmother polished that table for years.
él/ella/usted
Los niños pulieron sus juguetes.
The children polished their toys.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros pulimos la plata para la fiesta.
We polished the silver for the party.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single completed action.
Correct: For a specific instance of polishing, use 'pulí', not 'pulía'.
Why: The preterite marks a single, finished event, while the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual past action.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'yo' form.
Correct: The 'yo' form is 'pulí' with an accent on the 'í'.
Why: The accent distinguishes the preterite 'yo' form from other similar verb forms and indicates stress.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: pulo
The present tense of 'pulir' is regular: pulo, pules, pule, pulimos, pulís, pulen.
Imperfect
yo: pulía
The imperfect of 'pulir' is regular: pulía, pulías, pulía, pulíamos, pulíais, pulían.
Future
yo: puliré
The future tense of 'pulir' is regular: puliré, pulirás, pulirá, puliremos, puliréis, pulirán.
Conditional
yo: puliría
The conditional of 'pulir' is regular: puliría, pulirías, puliría, puliríamos, puliríais, pulirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: pula
Use present subjunctive forms like 'pula' (yo/él/ella/usted) and 'pulan' (ellos/ellas/ustedes) after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: puliera
Use imperfect subjunctive forms like 'pudiera' (yo/él/ella/usted) and 'pudieran' (ellos/ellas/ustedes) for past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: pule
Use imperative forms like 'pule' (tú) and 'pulan' (ustedes) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no pulas
Negative commands use the present subjunctive with 'no', like 'no pulas' (tú) and 'no pulan' (ustedes).