superar means: to beat, to exceed, to outdo, to outperform, to outplay, to outrange, to outstrip, to pass, to top
Click to see all conjugation charts of superar in every tense

In this Spanish conjugation lesson we will learn how to inflect the verb superar 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 superar conjugation. For an overview of Simple Tenses conjugation see 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 may get more detailed information on conjugation in this tense and explanation of exceptions and special cases.

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 properly locate the desired position on the timeline is an important skill for the right use of tenses. So pay attention to the timeline in our lessons and visualize it while listening, speaking, reading or writing. After a bit 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 conjugated verb form consists of two words.The verb superar 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 exceptions. The basis for this conjugation 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. Simply remove two letters from the end of the infinitive and you have the ending — one of -ar, -er or -ir. What’s left is the stem. So for our verb:

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

Use the stem super- 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. See the image on the side showing all the 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 superé:

• yo superé – I beat

Similarly add the regular ending -aste for the second person singular to create superaste:

• tú superaste – you beat

And one more time add the regular ending -ó for the third person singular to create superó:

• él superó – he beat
• ella superó – she beat
• usted superó – (formal) you beat

Once more add the regular ending -amos for the first person plural to create superamos:

• nosotros superamos – we beat
• nosotras superamos – (feminine) we beat

Again add the regular ending -asteis for the second person plural to create superasteis:

• vosotros superasteis – (plural) you beat
• vosotras superasteis – (feminine, plural) you beat

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

• ellos superaron – they beat
• ellas superaron – (feminine) they beat
• ustedes superaron – (formal, plural) you beat

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

yo	superé	I beat
tú	superaste	you beat
él/ella/usted	superó	he/she/it beat
nosotros/nosotras	superamos	we beat
vosotros/vosotras	superasteis	you beat
ellos/ellas/ustedes	superaron	they beat

Click to see all conjugation charts of superar 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 yourself 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 superar visit our Exercise section To see conjugation charts in all tenses for superar visit the Conjugator To explore other learning materials visit the Study section

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