The preterite of eliminar is used to express when something was eliminated or deleted at a specific moment in the past. For example, “I deleted all the old files yesterday” – “Eliminé todos los archivos viejos ayer.”
This is a regular -ar verb in the preterite tense. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs without any variations.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Eliminar (to eliminate) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | eliminé |
| Tú | eliminaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | eliminó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | eliminamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | eliminasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | eliminaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Eliminar (to eliminate) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Eliminar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of eliminar describes completed acts of elimination or removal.
To eliminate/remove: Indicates permanent removal of something, for example Eliminé todos los archivos viejos (I eliminated all the old files), or Eliminaron el error del sistema (They eliminated the error from the system).
To disqualify/eliminate from competition: Used in competitive contexts, for example El equipo se eliminó en la primera ronda (The team was eliminated in the first round).
Examples
Examples of Eliminar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Eliminé todos los correos antiguos. (I deleted all the old emails.)
El equipo eliminó varios errores del sistema. (The team eliminated several system errors.)
¿Eliminaste la aplicación de tu teléfono? (Did you delete the app from your phone?)
Eliminamos las fotos duplicadas del álbum. (We deleted the duplicate photos from the album.)
La empresa eliminó cien puestos de trabajo. (The company eliminated a hundred job positions.)
¿Por qué eliminaste mi comentario? (Why did you delete my comment?)
El virus se eliminó completamente. (The virus was completely eliminated.)
Eliminamos los obstáculos del camino. (We removed the obstacles from the path.)
Los jueces eliminaron al concursante. (The judges eliminated the contestant.)
Eliminé su número de mi lista de contactos. (I deleted their number from my contact list.)
El gobierno eliminó esa ley anticuada. (The government eliminated that outdated law.)
Eliminaste toda evidencia del accidente. (You eliminated all evidence of the accident.)
La actualización eliminó varios bugs. (The update eliminated several bugs.)
Eliminamos las malas hierbas del jardín. (We eliminated the weeds from the garden.)
El equipo eliminó a sus rivales del torneo. (The team eliminated their rivals from the tournament.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Eliminar (to eliminate) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo eliminé | I eliminated |
| Tú eliminaste | You eliminated |
| Él / Ella / Usted eliminó | He / She / You (formal) eliminated |
| Nosotros / Nosotras eliminamos | We eliminated |
| Vosotros / Vosotras eliminasteis | You all eliminated |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes eliminaron | They / You all (formal) eliminated |
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.