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Learn presentar conjugation in Pretérito

presentar means: to present, to introduce, to show
Click to see all conjugation charts of presentar in every tense

In this conjugation lesson we are going to learn how to conjugate the verb presentar 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 presentar conjugation. For an overview of Simple Tenses conjugation have a look at the 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 will see more detailed information on conjugation in this tense and explanation of special cases and exceptions.

How to translate Pretérito to English

Notice that the phrases in English 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 correctly locate the desired position on the timeline is an important skill for proper use of tenses. So note the timeline in our lessons and visualize it while listening, speaking, reading or writing. After a bit practice you will be able to select the right tense to use much easier.timeline preterito perfecto simple how to conjugate spanish verbs

Step by step instructions

Pretérito belongs to the simple tenses group, which means that all of its inflected forms are one word long. There are also compound (compuesto) tenses in the Spanish language, where each conjugated form consists of two words.The verb presentar has regular conjugation in the Pretérito tense of the Indicativo mood. It means that this verb follows the general rules for its conjugation group (-ar) without any exceptions or spelling corrections.
The basis for the conjugation in this tense is the stem of the verb, so we begin by splitting the infinitive into a stem and an ending. It’s easy to do. Just remove two letters from the end of the infinitive form to get the ending — one of -ar, -er or -ir. What’s left is the stem. So for presentar:
  • the stem is: present-
  • and the ending is: -ar
Use the stem present- in each subject as the basis for the conjugations, the common prefix that each of the forms begins with.
Next, add to this regular stem the endings specific to each person. See the image on the side showing all the six endings. Note 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.
endings preterito perfecto simple ar how to conjugate spanish verbs
Add the regular ending for the first person singular to create presenté:
  • yo presenté – I presented
And add the regular ending -aste for the second person singular to create presentaste:
  • tú presentaste – you presented
And one more time add the regular ending for the third person singular to create presentó:
  • él presentó – he presented
  • ella presentó – she presented
  • usted presentó – (formal) you presented
And once more add the regular ending -amos for the first person plural to create presentamos:
  • nosotros presentamos – we presented
  • nosotras presentamos – (feminine) we presented
Again add the regular ending -asteis for the second person plural to create presentasteis:
  • vosotros presentasteis – (plural) you presented
  • vosotras presentasteis – (feminine, plural) you presented
Like in the previous case add the regular ending -aron for the third person plural to create presentaron:
  • ellos presentaron – they presented
  • ellas presentaron – (feminine) they presented
  • ustedes presentaron – (formal, plural) you presented

Hurray! The conjugation is now done. Put together, the conjugation chart looks like this:

yopresentéI presented
presentasteyou presented
él/ella/ustedpresentóhe/she/it presented
nosotros/nosotraspresentamoswe presented
vosotros/vosotraspresentasteisyou presented
ellos/ellas/ustedespresentaronthey presented
Click to see all conjugation charts of presentar in every tense

But do not end your session yet – it is very important to repeat and practice the material in order to retain it. Check below for and some links.

Example sentences

Todas las empresas presentaron su plan de responsabilidad social en el mes de enero.
All companies presented their social responsibility plan in the month of January.

Next Steps to Perfection

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


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