tumbar Preterite Conjugation
tumbar — to knock down
The preterite of 'tumbar' is regular: tumbé, tumbaste, tumbó, tumbamos, tumbasteis, tumbaron.
tumbar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for actions with 'tumbar' that were completed at a specific point in the past. Think of knocking down a specific object once, like knocking over a glass or knocking down a wall.
Notes on tumbar in the Preterite
Tumbar is completely regular in the preterite tense. All forms follow the standard -ar verb pattern.
Example Sentences
Ayer, yo tumbé la torre de vasos.
Yesterday, I knocked over the tower of glasses.
yo
¿Tú tumbaste el mueble sin querer?
Did you accidentally knock over the furniture?
tú
Él tumbó el cartel viejo de la pared.
He knocked down the old sign from the wall.
él/ella/usted
Los niños tumbaron todas las sillas.
The children knocked down all the chairs.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single completed action.
Correct: Use 'tumbé' for knocking over a glass once, not 'tumbaba'.
Why: The preterite marks the completion of an action, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting accents on 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.
Correct: The forms are 'tumbé' and 'tumbó', not 'tumbé' and 'tumbó'.
Why: Written accents are crucial in Spanish to indicate stress and differentiate verb forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: tumbo
The present tense of 'tumbar' is regular: tumbo, tumbas, tumba, tumbamos, tumbáis, tumban.
Imperfect
yo: tumbaba
The imperfect of 'tumbar' is regular: tumbaba, tumbabas, tumbaba, tumbábamos, tumbabais, tumbaban.
Future
yo: tumbaré
The future of 'tumbar' is regular: tumbaré, tumbarás, tumbará, tumbaremos, tumbaréis, tumbarán.
Conditional
yo: tumbaría
The conditional of 'tumbar' is regular: tumbaría, tumbarías, tumbaría, tumbaríamos, tumbaríais, tumbarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: tumbe
Use 'tumba' (él/ella/usted) or 'tumbemos' (nosotros) for wishes, doubts, or emotions related to 'tumbar'.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: tumbara
Use 'tumbara' or 'tumbase' for hypothetical past situations or wishes involving 'tumbar'.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: tumba
Use 'tumba' (tú) and 'tumben' (ustedes) for direct commands with 'tumbar'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no tumbes
Use 'no tumbes' (tú) and 'no tumben' (ustedes) for negative commands with 'tumbar'.