retrasar Preterite Conjugation
retrasar — to delay
The preterite of retrasar is regular: retrasé, retrasaste, retrasó, retrasamos, retrasasteis, retrasaron, for completed past actions.
retrasar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'retrasar' to talk about a specific instance where a delay happened and finished in the past. Think of it as marking the start or completion of the delay event.
Notes on retrasar in the Preterite
Retrasar is fully regular in the preterite tense. All the endings are standard for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Retrasé mi vuelo por una hora debido al tráfico.
I delayed my flight by an hour due to traffic.
yo
¿Por qué retrasaste la respuesta?
Why did you delay the answer?
tú
El mal tiempo retrasó la construcción del edificio.
The bad weather delayed the building's construction.
él/ella/usted
Ellos retrasaron la reunión hasta el lunes.
They delayed the meeting until Monday.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'retrasaba' instead of the preterite 'retrasó' for a specific, completed delay.
Correct: For a single, finished delay, use 'El accidente retrasó el tren' (preterite), not 'El accidente retrasaba el tren' (imperfect).
Why: The preterite marks a completed action, while the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual past situation.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'retrasó' (él/ella/usted) and 'retrasé' (yo).
Correct: The forms 'retrasó' and 'retrasé' both require an accent mark on the final 'o' and 'é' respectively.
Why: These accents distinguish the preterite forms and indicate the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: retraso
The present tense of retrasar (retraso, retrasas, etc.) is for actions happening now or habitual delays.
Imperfect
yo: retrasaba
The imperfect of retrasar (retrasaba, retrasabas, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual delays in the past.
Future
yo: retrasaré
The future tense of retrasar (retrasaré, retrasarás, etc.) indicates actions that will happen or expresses probability.
Conditional
yo: retrasaría
The conditional of retrasar (retrasaría, retrasarías, etc.) expresses 'would' delays, polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: retrase
The present subjunctive of retrasar (retrace, retrases, etc.) follows expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: retrasara
The imperfect subjunctive of retrasar (retrasara, retrasaras, etc.) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or politeness.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: retrasa
Use the imperative of retrasar for direct commands: retrasa (tú), retrase (usted), retrasemos (nosotros), retrasad (vosotros), retrasen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no retrases
Negative commands for retrasar use 'no' plus the present subjunctive: no retrases (tú), no retrase (usted), no retrasemos (nosotros), no retraséis (vosotros), no retrasen (ustedes).