tentar Preterite Conjugation
tentar — to tempt
The preterite of tentar is completely regular: tenté, tentaste, tentó, tentamos, tentasteis, tentaron.
tentar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific moment in the past when something tempted you or when you physically felt/probed something once.
Notes on tentar in the Preterite
Unlike the present tense, there is NO stem change in the preterite. The 'e' remains an 'e' throughout.
Example Sentences
Ayer me tenté y compré los zapatos.
Yesterday I got tempted and bought the shoes.
yo
El guía tentó la pared de la cueva.
The guide felt the cave wall.
él/ella/usted
Nos tentaron con una oferta increíble.
They tempted us with an incredible offer.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'tienté' instead of 'tenté'.
Correct: The correct form is 'tenté'.
Why: Learners often carry the stem change from the present over to the preterite, but -ar verbs don't change stems in this tense.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: tiento
The present tense of tentar features an e-to-ie stem change in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Imperfect
yo: tentaba
The imperfect of tentar is regular: tentaba, tentabas, tentaba, tentábamos, tentabais, tentaban.
Future
yo: tentaré
The future tense is regular; simply add the endings to the infinitive: tentaré, tentarás, tentará...
Conditional
yo: tentaría
The conditional is regular: tentaría, tentarías, tentaría, tentaríamos, tentaríais, tentarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: tiente
The present subjunctive of tentar follows the e-to-ie stem change: tiente, tientes, tiente, tentemos, tentéis, tienten.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: tentara
The imperfect subjunctive is regular: tentara, tentaras, tentara, tentáramos, tentarais, tentaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: tienta
The imperative uses 'tienta' (tú) and 'tiente' (usted), following the stem change.
Negative Imperative
yo: no tientes
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive forms: no tientes, no tiente, no tentemos...