The preterite of barrer is used to express when you swept something at a specific moment in the past. For example, “I swept the floor this morning” – “Barrí el piso esta mañana.”
This is a regular -er verb in the preterite tense. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for -er verbs without any variations.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Barrer (to sweep) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | barrí |
| Tú | barriste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | barrió |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | barrimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | barristeis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | barrieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Barrer (to sweep) 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 Barrer in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of barrer expresses completed sweeping actions.
To sweep (completed action): Describes finished sweeping tasks, for example Barrí el piso esta mañana (I swept the floor this morning), or Barrieron todas las hojas (They swept all the leaves).
To clear away completely: Used for thorough cleaning, for example Barrió toda la suciedad (He swept away all the dirt).
Examples
Examples of Barrer in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Barrí toda la casa esta mañana. (I swept the entire house this morning.)
¿Barriste el patio ayer? (Did you sweep the patio yesterday?)
El conserje barrió las hojas del jardín. (The janitor swept the leaves from the garden.)
Barrimos la entrada antes de la fiesta. (We swept the entrance before the party.)
Los empleados barrieron la tienda al cerrar. (The employees swept the store at closing time.)
Barrí debajo de la cama. (I swept under the bed.)
¿Cuándo barriste por última vez? (When did you sweep last?)
El viento barrió todas las nubes del cielo. (The wind swept all the clouds from the sky.)
Barrimos la nieve de la acera. (We swept the snow from the sidewalk.)
Los niños barrieron su habitación. (The children swept their room.)
Barrí las migas de la mesa. (I swept the crumbs from the table.)
¿Barriste detrás del sofá? (Did you sweep behind the sofa?)
El equipo local barrió a sus oponentes. (The local team swept their opponents.)
Barrimos el garaje el fin de semana. (We swept the garage over the weekend.)
Barrieron confeti después del desfile. (They swept confetti after the parade.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Barrer (to sweep) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo barrí | I swept |
| Tú barriste | You swept |
| Él / Ella / Usted barrió | He / She / You (formal) swept |
| Nosotros / Nosotras barrimos | We swept |
| Vosotros / Vosotras barristeis | You all swept |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes barrieron | They / You all (formal) swept |
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.