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Conjugation Chart

“Amanecer” (to dawn) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Amanecer”

The preterite of amanecer is used to express when dawn broke or when someone woke up in a certain state at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I woke up happy on my birthday” – “Amanecí feliz en mi cumpleaños.”

This is a regular -er verb in the preterite tense, though it’s typically used as an impersonal weather verb in the third person singular (amaneció). However, it can be used in all forms when expressing metaphorical meanings about waking up in certain states.

How to Use Amanecer in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The Preterite of amanecer expresses dawn or daybreak as a completed event.

To dawn (weather): Used impersonally to describe daybreak, for example Amaneció nublado (It dawned cloudy), or Amaneció a las seis (Dawn broke at six).

To wake up (metaphorical): Describes one’s state upon waking, for example Amanecí con dolor de cabeza (I woke up with a headache).

Real Life Examples of Amanecer in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Amaneció nublado el día de la boda. (It dawned cloudy on the wedding day.)

El domingo amaneció con lluvia. (Sunday dawned with rain.)

Amaneció nevando en la montaña. (It dawned snowing in the mountains.)

Ayer amaneció más temprano. (Yesterday it dawned earlier.)

Amaneció con un cielo despejado. (It dawned with a clear sky.)

El día amaneció perfecto para la excursión. (The day dawned perfect for the excursion.)

Amaneció haciendo mucho frío. (It dawned very cold.)

Por fin amaneció después de la larga noche. (Finally it dawned after the long night.)

Amaneció con niebla en el valle. (It dawned with fog in the valley.)

El lunes amaneció soleado. (Monday dawned sunny.)

Amaneció con el canto de los pájaros. (It dawned with the birds singing.)

Hoy amaneció más húmedo que ayer. (Today it dawned more humid than yesterday.)

Amaneció con una fina capa de escarcha. (It dawned with a thin layer of frost.)

El día de año nuevo amaneció tranquilo. (New Year’s Day dawned peacefully.)

Amaneció con un hermoso arcoíris. (It dawned with a beautiful rainbow.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Amanecer (to dawn) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.