
tardar Preterite Conjugation
tardar — to take time
The preterite of tardar is regular: tardé, tardaste, tardó, tardamos, tardasteis, tardaron.
tardar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to state exactly how long a specific, completed action took in the past.
Notes on tardar in the Preterite
Tardar is regular in the preterite. Note that 'tardamos' is the same in both present and preterite.
Example Sentences
Tardé tres horas en terminar los deberes.
I took three hours to finish the homework.
yo
¿Cuánto tardaste en llegar a casa?
How long did it take you to get home?
tú
La película tardó mucho en empezar.
The movie took a long time to start.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: tardo
Correct: tardó
Why: Without the accent, 'tardo' is the present tense 'I take'. 'Tardó' with the accent is the past tense 'he/she/it took'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: tardo
The present of tardar is regular: tardo, tardas, tarda, tardamos, tardáis, tardan.
Imperfect
yo: tardaba
The imperfect of tardar is regular: tardaba, tardabas, tardaba, tardábamos, tardabais, tardaban.
Future
yo: tardaré
The future of tardar is regular: tardaré, tardarás, tardará, tardaremos, tardaréis, tardarán.
Conditional
yo: tardaría
The conditional of tardar is regular: tardaría, tardarías, tardaría, tardaríamos, tardaríais, tardarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: tarde
The present subjunctive of tardar is regular: tarde, tardes, tarde, tardemos, tardéis, tarden.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: tardara
The imperfect subjunctive of tardar is regular: tardara, tardaras, tardara, tardáramos, tardarais, tardaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: tarda
The affirmative imperative of tardar: tarda (tú), tarde (usted), tardad (vosotros), tarden (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no tardes
The negative imperative of tardar: no tardes, no tarde, no tardemos, no tardéis, no tarden.