rondar Preterite Conjugation
rondar — to patrol
The preterite of rondar is regular: rondé, rondaste, rondó, rondamos, rondasteis, rondaron.
rondar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for completed actions of patrolling or circling in the past. For example, 'The police patrolled the street last night' or 'He circled the block once'.
Notes on rondar in the Preterite
Rondar is completely regular in the preterite tense. All forms follow the standard -ar verb conjugation pattern.
Example Sentences
Rondé la manzana tres veces anoche.
I patrolled the block three times last night.
yo
Rondaste la zona de peligro.
You patrolled the danger zone.
tú
El guardia rondó el edificio a las dos de la mañana.
The guard patrolled the building at two in the morning.
él/ella/usted
Rondamos el perímetro hasta el amanecer.
We patrolled the perimeter until dawn.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'rondaba' for a single, completed patrol action.
Correct: Use the preterite for completed actions: 'Rondó el edificio' (He patrolled the building).
Why: The preterite marks a specific, finished event, whereas the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Confusing the preterite 'rondamos' (we patrolled) with the present indicative 'rondamos' (we patrol).
Correct: Context is key. 'Ayer rondamos...' (yesterday we patrolled) uses preterite. 'Hoy rondamos...' (today we patrol) uses present.
Why: These two forms are identical, so the time reference in the sentence is essential to understanding which tense is meant.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: rondo
The present tense of rondar (rondo, rondas, ronda, rondamos, rondáis, rondan) describes current or habitual actions.
Imperfect
yo: rondaba
The imperfect of rondar (rondaba, rondabas, rondaba, rondábamos, rondabais, rondaban) describes ongoing or habitual past patrolling.
Future
yo: rondaré
The future tense of rondar (rondaré, rondarás, rondará, rondaremos, rondaréis, rondarán) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: rondaría
The conditional of rondar (rondaría, rondarías, rondaría, rondaríamos, rondaríais, rondarían) expresses 'would' actions or polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: ronde
The present subjunctive of rondar (ronde, rondes, rondemos, rondéis, ronden) is used for wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: rondara
The imperfect subjunctive of rondar (rondara/rondase) is used for past hypotheticals or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ronda
The imperative of rondar is mostly regular, with 'ronda' for tú and 'rondad' for vosotros.
Negative Imperative
yo: no rondes
Negative commands for rondar use the present subjunctive: no rondes, no ronde, no rondemos, no rondéis, no ronden.