recetar Preterite Conjugation
recetar — to prescribe
The preterite of recetar is regular: receté, recetaste, recetó, recetamos, recetasteis, recetaron.
recetar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of recetar to talk about a specific instance when a doctor prescribed medication in the past, like 'Yesterday, the doctor prescribed antibiotics.'
Notes on recetar in the Preterite
Recetar is fully regular in the preterite. The nosotros form 'recetamos' is identical to the present indicative, so context is key.
Example Sentences
Ayer el médico me recetó un jarabe para la garganta.
Yesterday the doctor prescribed me a syrup for my throat.
él/ella/usted
¿Qué te recetaron en la farmacia?
What did they prescribe you at the pharmacy?
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Yo receté esta pastilla para el dolor.
I prescribed this pill for the pain.
yo
Tú recetaste el tratamiento correcto.
You prescribed the correct treatment.
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'recetaba' when the action was a single, completed event.
Correct: For a specific past prescription, use the preterite: 'El doctor recetó'.
Why: The preterite is for completed actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'recetó' and 'receté'.
Correct: The él/ella/usted form is 'recetó' and the yo form is 'receté', both with accents.
Why: The accent marks the stressed syllable and distinguishes these forms.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'recetar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: receto
The present tense of recetar is regular: receto, recetas, receta, recetamos, recetáis, recetan.
Imperfect
yo: recetaba
The imperfect of recetar is regular: recetaba, recetabas, recetaba, recetábamos, recetabais, recetaban.
Future
yo: recetaré
The future of recetar is regular: recetaré, recetarás, recetará, recetaremos, recetaréis, recetarán.
Conditional
yo: recetaría
The conditional of recetar is regular: recetaría, recetarías, recetaría, recetaríamos, recetaríais, recetarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: recete
The present subjunctive of recetar is regular: recete, recetes, recete, recetemos, recetéis, receten.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: recetara
The imperfect subjunctive of recetar is regular: recetara, recetaras, recetara, recetáramos, recetarais, recetaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: receta
The imperative of recetar is regular: recetad (vosotros), recete (usted), recetemos (nosotros), receten (ustedes), receta (tú).
Negative Imperative
yo: no recetes
The negative imperative of recetar uses the present subjunctive: no recetes (tú), no recete (usted), no recetemos (nosotros), no receten (ustedes), no recetéis (vosotros).