retar Preterite Conjugation
retar — to challenge
The preterite of retar is regular: reté, retaste, retó, retamos, retasteis, retaron.
retar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'retar' to talk about a challenge that was issued and completed in the past. It marks the specific instance of the challenge being made.
Notes on retar in the Preterite
'Retar' is a regular -ar verb, so its preterite conjugations follow the standard pattern without any changes.
Example Sentences
Ayer, mi hermano me retó a comer un chile picante.
Yesterday, my brother challenged me to eat a spicy chili.
él/ella/usted
¿Me retaste a hacer eso?
Did you challenge me to do that?
tú
La empresa nos retó a mejorar la producción.
The company challenged us to improve production.
él/ella/usted
Ellos nos retaron a una competencia amistosa.
They challenged us to a friendly competition.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of preterite for a single, completed challenge.
Correct: Say 'Me retó ayer' (He challenged me yesterday), not 'Me retaba ayer'.
Why: The preterite is for completed actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'yo' form.
Correct: The 'yo' form is 'reté', with an accent on the final 'e'.
Why: The accent distinguishes the preterite 'yo' form from other similar-looking forms and shows where the stress falls.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: reto
The present tense of retar (reto, retas, reta, retamos, retáis, retan) means to challenge now or habitually.
Imperfect
yo: retaba
The imperfect of retar (retaba, retabas, retaba, retábamos, retabais, retaban) describes past challenges that were ongoing or habitual.
Future
yo: retaré
The future tense of retar (retaré, retarás, retará, retaremos, retaréis, retarán) indicates future challenges.
Conditional
yo: retaría
The conditional of retar (retaría, retarías, retaría, retaríamos, retaríais, retarían) suggests hypothetical challenges ('would challenge').
Present Subjunctive
yo: rete
The present subjunctive of retar (rete, retes, retemos, retéis, reten) follows expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: retara
The imperfect subjunctive of retar (retara, retaras, retáramos, retarais, retaran) expresses past hypotheticals or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: reta
Use the imperative of retar for direct commands: reta, rete, retemos, retad, reten.
Negative Imperative
yo: no retes
Negative commands for retar use the present subjunctive: no retes, no rete, no retemos, no retéis, no reten.