vacilar Preterite Conjugation
vacilar — to tease
Use the preterite 'vacilé' (I teased), 'vacilaste' (you teased), 'vaciló' (he/she/you teased) for completed past teasing actions.
vacilar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
The preterite is perfect for describing an instance of teasing that started and finished in the past. Think of a specific moment: 'Yesterday, you teased me about my new haircut,' or 'He teased her until she laughed.' It marks the action as a completed event.
Notes on vacilar in the Preterite
Vacilar is a regular -ar verb in the preterite. All the forms are predictable.
Example Sentences
Ayer, tú me vacilaste mucho.
Yesterday, you teased me a lot.
tú
Él nos vaciló con la broma.
He teased us with the joke.
él/ella/usted
Yo vacilé a mi amigo sobre su nuevo corte.
I teased my friend about his new haircut.
yo
Ellos vacilaron hasta que se rió.
They teased until she laughed.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a specific teasing incident.
Correct: For a completed action like 'He teased me yesterday,' use 'Él me vaciló,' not 'Él me vacilaba.'
Why: The imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions, while the preterite describes completed actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'vacilé' (yo) and 'vaciló' (él/ella/usted).
Correct: The yo form is 'vacilé' and the él/ella/usted form is 'vaciló', both with accents.
Why: The accents are crucial for pronunciation and distinguishing these forms from similar-sounding words or other tenses.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: vacilo
Use the present 'vacilo' (I tease), 'vacilas' (you tease), 'vacila' (he/she/you tease) for current teasing or habitual teasing.
Imperfect
yo: vacilaba
Use the imperfect 'vacilaba' (I used to tease) for past habits or ongoing teasing, like 'He always used to tease me.'
Future
yo: vacilaré
Use the future 'vacilaré' (I will tease) and 'vacilará' (he/she/you will tease) for predictions or definite future teasing.
Conditional
yo: vacilaría
Use the conditional 'vacilaría' (I would tease) for hypotheticals, polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: vacile
Use 'vacile' (yo/él/ella/usted) and 'vacilen' (ellos/ellas/ustedes) for wishes, doubts, and emotions, like 'I hope you don't tease me.'
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: vacilara
Use 'vacilara' or 'vacilase' for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests, like 'If I teased you...'
Affirmative Imperative
yo: vacila
Use the imperative 'vacila' (tú) and 'vacilen' (ustedes) for direct commands like 'tease him!'
Negative Imperative
yo: no vaciles
Use 'no vaciles' (tú) and 'no vacilen' (ustedes) for negative commands, like 'don't tease him!'