significar Preterite Conjugation
significar — to mean
The preterite of significar features a spelling change in the 'yo' form: signifiqué.
significar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when a word or event had a specific meaning at a fixed moment in time, or when something 'meant' the start of a new era.
Notes on significar in the Preterite
This is a -car verb, so the 'c' changes to 'qu' in the 'yo' form (signifiqué) to keep the hard 'k' sound. All other forms are regular.
Example Sentences
Su silencio signifiqué que no estaba de acuerdo.
His silence meant that he didn't agree.
él/ella/usted
Para mí, ese gesto significó mucho.
To me, that gesture meant a lot.
él/ella/usted
Yo signifiqué un cambio importante para la empresa.
I represented (meant) an important change for the company.
yo
Common Mistakes
Mistake: significé
Correct: signifiqué
Why: In Spanish, 'ce' makes an 's' or 'th' sound. To keep the 'k' sound of the infinitive, you must use 'qu'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: significo
The present tense of significar is regular: significo, significas, significa, significamos, significáis, significan.
Imperfect
yo: significaba
The imperfect of significar is regular: significaba, significabas, significaba...
Future
yo: significaré
The future tense is regular, formed by adding endings to the infinitive: significaré, significarás...
Conditional
yo: significaría
The conditional is regular: significaría, significarías, significaría...
Present Subjunctive
yo: signifique
The present subjunctive uses the 'qu' spelling change: signifique, signifiques, signifique...
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: significara
The imperfect subjunctive is regular: significara, significaras, significara...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: significa
The imperative forms for significar are rarely used but follow standard patterns.
Negative Imperative
yo: no signifiques
The negative imperative always uses the present subjunctive forms with 'no'.