telefonear Preterite Conjugation
telefonear — to phone
The preterite of telefonear is regular: telefoneé, telefoneaste, telefoneó, telefoneamos, telefoneasteis, telefonearon.
telefonear Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'telefonear' to talk about a specific, completed phone call in the past. For example, 'Ayer telefoneé a mi hermano' (Yesterday I phoned my brother) refers to one specific call that ended.
Notes on telefonear in the Preterite
Telefonear is a regular -ar verb, so all its conjugations in the preterite follow the standard pattern. There are no stem changes or spelling changes.
Example Sentences
Ayer telefoneé a mi tía para su cumpleaños.
Yesterday I phoned my aunt for her birthday.
yo
¿Tú telefoneaste a la tienda para preguntar?
Did you phone the store to ask?
tú
Ella telefoneó a su jefe para avisar que llegaría tarde.
She phoned her boss to let him know she would arrive late.
él/ella/usted
Ellos telefonearon desde el aeropuerto.
They phoned from the airport.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect tense ('telefoneaba') instead of the preterite for a single, completed call.
Correct: For a specific completed action like 'I phoned yesterday', use the preterite: 'Yo telefoneé'.
Why: The preterite marks completed actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'yo' form ('telefoneé') or the 'él/ella/usted' form ('telefoneó').
Correct: Ensure the accents are in place: 'yo telefoneé', 'él/ella/usted telefoneó'.
Why: These accents indicate the stressed syllable and distinguish these forms.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'telefonear' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: telefoneo
The present tense of telefonear is regular: telefoneo, telefoneas, telefonea, telefoneamos, telefoneáis, telefonean.
Imperfect
yo: telefoneaba
The imperfect of telefonear describes past habits or ongoing actions, like 'telefoneaba' (he/she used to phone).
Future
yo: telefonearé
The future tense of telefonear is regular: telefonearé, telefonearás, telefoneará, telefonearemos, telefonearéis, telefonearán.
Conditional
yo: telefonearía
The conditional of telefonear is regular: telefonearía, telefonearías, telefonearía, telefonearíamos, telefonearíais, telefonearían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: telefonee
The present subjunctive of telefonear is used after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion, like 'Espero que telefonees' (I hope you phone).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: telefoneara
The imperfect subjunctive of telefonear expresses past hypotheticals or wishes, like 'si telefoneara' (if he/she/you were to phone).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: telefonea
Use the imperative of telefonear for direct commands like '¡telefonea!' (phone!).
Negative Imperative
yo: no telefonees
Use the negative imperative of telefonear with 'no' and the present subjunctive, like '¡no telefonees!' (don't phone!).