salvar means: to save
Click to see all conjugation charts of salvar in every tense

In this conjugation lesson we will see how to inflect the verb salvar 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 salvar verb conjugation. For a general overview of all the Simple Tenses conjugation check our Simple Tenses Conjugation Chart.

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

How to translate Pretérito to English

Note 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 correctly locate the intended position on the timeline is an important skill for proper choice of tenses. So note the timeline in our lessons and visualize it while listening, speaking, writing and reading. After some practice you will 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 inflected forms are one word long. There are also compound (compuesto) tenses in Spanish language, where each inflected form consists of two words.The verb salvar has regular conjugation in the Pretérito tense of the Indicativo mood. It means that this verb simply follows the general rules for its group (-ar) without any exceptions, spelling corrections and the like. The basis for the conjugation in this tense is the stem of the verb, so we need to start 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 form to get the ending — one of -ar, -er or -ir. What’s left is the stem. So for salvar:

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

Use the stem salv- in each subject as the basis for the 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. See the image on the side showing all the six endings. Note both 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 salvé:

• yo salvé – I saved

Again add the regular ending -aste for the second person singular to create salvaste:

• tú salvaste – you saved

And similarly add the regular ending -ó for the third person singular to create salvó:

• él salvó – he saved
• ella salvó – she saved
• usted salvó – (formal) you saved

Again add the regular ending -amos for the first person plural to create salvamos:

• nosotros salvamos – we saved
• nosotras salvamos – (feminine) we saved

One more time add the regular ending -asteis for the second person plural to create salvasteis:

• vosotros salvasteis – (plural) you saved
• vosotras salvasteis – (feminine, plural) you saved

And similarly add the regular ending -aron for the third person plural to create salvaron:

• ellos salvaron – they saved
• ellas salvaron – (feminine) they saved
• ustedes salvaron – (formal, plural) you saved

That’s it! The conjugation is now complete. That’s the final result:

yo	salvé	I saved
tú	salvaste	you saved
él/ella/usted	salvó	he/she/it saved
nosotros/nosotras	salvamos	we saved
vosotros/vosotras	salvasteis	you saved
ellos/ellas/ustedes	salvaron	they saved

Click to see all conjugation charts of salvar 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 next steps.

Next Steps to Perfection To practice this conjugation and test your knowledge try 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 salvar visit our Exercise section To see conjugation charts in all tenses for salvar visit the Conjugator To explore other learning materials visit the Study section

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