preparar means: to prepare, to coach, to train, to make up, to ready
Click to see all conjugation charts of preparar in every tense

In this Spanish conjugation lesson we are going to learn how to inflect the verb preparar in the Pretérito tense of the Indicativo mood. It means we will see step by step how to create and translate forms of each grammatical person.

This lesson is specifically about the preparar conjugation. For a general overview of Simple Tenses conjugation have a look at our Simple Tenses Conjugation Chart.

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

How to translate Pretérito to English

Notice that the English phrases provided below next to each conjugation are not direct translations from Spanish to English. They are usually the closest general equivalents. The example differences are:

• In Spanish conjugation, 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 desired position on the timeline is an important skill for proper choice of tenses. So pay attention to the timeline in our lessons and visualize it while listening, speaking, reading or writing. After some practice you’ll be capable of selecting the right tense to use much easier.

Step by step instructions

Pretérito 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 conjugated verb form consists of two words.The verb preparar has regular conjugation in the Pretérito tense of the Indicativo mood. It means that this verb follows the basic rules for its group (-ar) without exceptions. The basis for the conjugation in this tense is the stem of the verb, so we have to start by splitting the infinitive into a stem and an ending. It’s really easy to do. Simply 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 for preparar:

• the stem is: prepar-
• and the ending is: -ar

Use the stem prepar- in each person as the basis for conjugation, the common prefix or root that each of the forms begins with. Next, add to this regular stem the endings specific to each person. Analyze the image showing all six endings. Note the shapes and colors of the letters. It should 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 preparé:

• yo preparé – I prepared

Like previously add the regular ending -aste for the second person singular to create preparaste:

• tú preparaste – you prepared

Like in the previous case add the regular ending -ó for the third person singular to create preparó:

• él preparó – he prepared
• ella preparó – she prepared
• usted preparó – (formal) you prepared

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

• nosotros preparamos – we prepared
• nosotras preparamos – (feminine) we prepared

Like in the previous case add the regular ending -asteis for the second person plural to create preparasteis:

• vosotros preparasteis – (plural) you prepared
• vosotras preparasteis – (feminine, plural) you prepared

Similarly add the regular ending -aron for the third person plural to create prepararon:

• ellos prepararon – they prepared
• ellas prepararon – (feminine) they prepared
• ustedes prepararon – (formal, plural) you prepared

¡Ya está! The conjugation is now done. That’s the final result:

yo	preparé	I prepared
tú	preparaste	you prepared
él/ella/usted	preparó	he/she/it prepared
nosotros/nosotras	preparamos	we prepared
vosotros/vosotras	preparasteis	you prepared
ellos/ellas/ustedes	prepararon	they prepared

Click to see all conjugation charts of preparar in every tense
But do not end your session yet – it’s important to repeat and practice the material in order to remember it. Check below for some links.

Next Steps to Perfection To practice this conjugation and test your skills check this Conjugation Exercise or the Memory Game To see other conjugation lessons for this verb choose another tense: PresenteImperfectoCondicionalFuturoPretérito Perfecto CompuestoPretérito PluscuamperfectoFuturo PerfectoCondicional PerfectoPretérito Perfecto Compuesto (subjuntivo)Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto A (subjuntivo)Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto B (subjuntivo)Futuro Perfecto (subjuntivo)  For exercises and examples related to preparar visit our Exercise section To see conjugation charts in all tenses for preparar visit the Conjugator To explore other learning materials visit the Study section

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