Learn disculpar conjugation in Pretérito Perfecto Simple step by step with detailed explanations

Image of disculpar conjugation in Pretérito Perfecto Simple

disculpar means: to exculpate, to excuse, to forgive, to make excuses for, to palliate

In this lesson we will learn how to conjugate the verb disculpar in the Pretérito Perfecto Simple tense of the Indicativo mood. It means we will see step by step how to get the following conjugation:

yo	disculpé	I exculpated
tú	disculpaste	you exculpated
él/ella/usted	disculpó	he/she/it exculpated
nosotros/nosotras	disculpamos	we exculpated
vosotros/vosotras	disculpasteis	you exculpated
ellos/ellas/ustedes	disculparon	they exculpated

This lesson is specifically about the disculpar verb conjugation. For an overview of Simple Tenses conjugation see the Simple Tenses Conjugation Chart.

We also have a Video Presentation on how to conjugate verbs in Pretérito Perfecto Simple. It’s embedded on the right, but using the above link you may get more detailed information on conjugation in this tense and explanation of exceptions and special cases.

How to translate Pretérito Perfecto Simple to English

Notice that the phrases in English in the third column of the above conjugation table are not direct translations from Spanish to English. They are usually the closest general equivalents. The example differences are:

In Spanish, there is the form usted in the third person singular. But this person does not translate to the English third person singular. It translates to the so called formal you and uses the inflected form which is most often represented as he/she/it in English conjugation charts.
Similar situation happens in the third person plural, where ustedes translates to the English plural formal you but uses the form which corresponds to the they form in English.
Tenses are used differently in Spanish and English, so the actual translation should always take into account the context and focus on translating the meaning, not just words.
In both languages each verb may have multiple meanings and not every meaning translates directly to the other language. Here also, the context and focusing on the particular meaning helps to create the most accurate translation.

Note the timeline

The ability to properly locate the intended position on the timeline is an important skill for the right use of tenses. So note the timeline in our lessons and visualize it while speaking, listening, writing and reading. After some practice you’ll be able to select the right tense to use much easier. timeline preterito perfecto simple how to conjugate spanish verbs

timeline preterito perfecto simple how to conjugate spanish verbs

Step by step instructions

Pretérito Perfecto Simple belongs to the simple tenses group, which means that all of the conjugated forms are one word long. There are also compound (compuesto) tenses in the Spanish language, where each inflected form consists of two words.

The verb disculpar has regular conjugation in the Pretérito Perfecto Simple tense of the Indicativo mood. It means this verb follows the basic rules for its conjugation group (-ar) without any exceptions or spelling corrections.

The basis for this conjugation is the stem of the verb, so we have to begin by splitting the infinitive into a stem and an ending. It’s really easy to do. Just remove two letters from the end of the infinitive to get the ending — one of -ar, -er or -ir. What’s left is the stem.

So in case of the verb disculpar it’s easy to see that:

the stem is: disculp-
and the ending is: -ar

Use the stem disculp- in each person as the basis for the conjugation, the common prefix that each of the forms begins with.

endings preterito perfecto simple ar how to conjugate spanish verbs

Next, add to this regular stem the endings specific to each person. See the image on the side showing all the six endings. Notice both the shapes and colors of the letters. They are arranged to help you find patterns and make it easier to remember these endings.

Each grammatical person has a specific ending in each of the three conjugation groups -ar, -er, -ir.

Add the regular ending -é for the first person singular to create disculpé:

yo disculpé

And similarly add the regular ending -aste for the second person singular to create disculpaste:

tú disculpaste

And once more add the regular ending -ó for the third person singular to create disculpó:

él disculpó
ella disculpó
usted disculpó

And add the regular ending -amos for the first person plural to create disculpamos:

nosotros disculpamos
nosotras disculpamos

And add the regular ending -asteis for the second person plural to create disculpasteis:

vosotros disculpasteis
vosotras disculpasteis

And again add the regular ending -aron for the third person plural to create disculparon:

ellos disculparon
ellas disculparon
ustedes disculparon

¡Ya está! The conjugation is now finished. But don’t end your session yet – it is very important to repeat and practice the material in order to retain it. Check below for suggestions.

Next Steps

To practice this conjugation and test yourself check this Conjugation Exercise or the Memory Game
To see other conjugation lessons for this verb choose another tense:
For exercises and examples related to disculpar visit our Exercise section
To see conjugation charts in all tenses for disculpar visit the Conjugator
To explore other learning materials visit the Study section