salvar Preterite Conjugation
salvar — to save
Salvar is regular in the preterite: salvé, salvaste, salvó, salvamos, salvasteis, salvaron.
salvar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific event of saving something in the past, like a hero rescuing someone or a computer technician recovering a lost file at a specific moment.
Notes on salvar in the Preterite
Salvar is completely regular in the preterite. Note that 'salvamos' is used for both present and preterite; context is key.
Example Sentences
Ayer salvé todos los archivos antes de que se apagara la computadora.
Yesterday I saved all the files before the computer turned off.
yo
El bombero salvó al gato del incendio.
The firefighter saved the cat from the fire.
él/ella/usted
Ellos salvaron el proyecto en el último minuto.
They saved the project at the last minute.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: salvo (without accent) for the past tense.
Correct: salvó
Why: Without the accent, 'salvo' is the present tense 'I save'; 'salvó' is the preterite 'he/she saved'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: salvo
Salvar is a regular -ar verb in the present: salvo, salvas, salva, salvamos, salváis, salvan.
Imperfect
yo: salvaba
The imperfect of salvar follows the standard -aba pattern: salvaba, salvabas, salvaba, salvábamos, salvabais, salvaban.
Future
yo: salvaré
The future of salvar uses the infinitive as the stem: salvaré, salvarás, salvará, salvaremos, salvaréis, salvarán.
Conditional
yo: salvaría
The conditional of salvar is regular, adding -ía endings to the infinitive: salvaría, salvarías, salvaría, salvaríamos, salvaríais, salvarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: salve
The present subjunctive of salvar uses -e endings: salve, salves, salve, salvemos, salvéis, salven.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: salvara
The imperfect subjunctive of salvar is formed from the 'ellos' preterite: salvara, salvaras, salvara, salváramos, salvarais, salvaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: salva
The imperative of salvar gives commands: salva (tú), salvad (vosotros), salve (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no salves
The negative imperative of salvar uses the present subjunctive: no salves, no salve, no salvemos, no salvéis, no salven.