velar Preterite Conjugation
velar — to watch over
The preterite of velar is regular: velé, velaste, veló, velamos, velasteis, velaron.
velar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of 'velar' to talk about the specific, completed action of watching over something or someone in the past. For example, 'Anoche, velé a mi hijo enfermo.' (Last night, I watched over my sick son.) It emphasizes the action happened and finished.
Notes on velar in the Preterite
Velar is fully regular in the preterite. The nosotros form 'velamos' is identical to the present indicative, so context is key to differentiate.
Example Sentences
Yo velé por ti toda la noche.
I watched over you all night.
yo
¿Velaste la casa mientras salimos?
Did you watch over the house while we were out?
tú
El guardia veló la entrada hasta el amanecer.
The guard watched over the entrance until dawn.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros velamos el secreto con mucho cuidado.
We watched over the secret with great care.
nosotros
Ellos velaron a su amigo herido en el hospital.
They watched over their injured friend in the hospital.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'velaba' instead of the preterite 'velé' for a single completed action.
Correct: Say 'Anoche velé' (I watched over last night) for a specific instance.
Why: The preterite is for completed actions, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'veló' (él/ella/usted).
Correct: It should be 'veló', not 'velo'.
Why: The accent indicates the stress falls on the final syllable, distinguishing it from other forms and the present indicative 'velo'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: velo
The present indicative of velar is regular: velo, velas, vela, velamos, veláis, velan.
Imperfect
yo: velaba
The imperfect of velar is regular: velaba, velabas, velaba, velábamos, velabais, velaban.
Future
yo: velaré
The future of velar is regular: velaré, velarás, velará, velaremos, velaréis, velarán.
Conditional
yo: velaría
The conditional of velar is regular: velaría, velarías, velaría, velaríamos, velaríais, velarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: vele
The present subjunctive of velar (vele, veles, velemos, velen) expresses wishes, doubts, emotions, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: velara
The imperfect subjunctive of velar (velara, velaras, veláramos, velaran) expresses past wishes, doubts, or hypothetical situations.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: vela
The imperative of velar gives commands: ¡vela! (you singular, informal), ¡vele! (you singular, formal), ¡velemos! (we), ¡velen! (you plural, formal), ¡velad! (you plural, informal).
Negative Imperative
yo: no veles
Negative commands for velar use the present subjunctive: no veles, no vele, no velemos, no velen, no veléis.