The preterite of cantar is used to express when you sang at a specific moment in the past. For example, “I sang at the concert last night” – “Canté en el concierto anoche.”
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 Cantar (to sing) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | canté |
| Tú | cantaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | cantó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | cantamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | cantasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | cantaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Cantar (to sing) 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 Cantar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of cantar expresses completed singing actions.
To sing (completed performance): Used for finished singing acts, for example Canté dos canciones (I sang two songs), or Cantaron en el concierto (They sang at the concert).
To perform/recite: Describes musical performance, for example Cantó el himno nacional (She sang the national anthem).
Examples
Examples of Cantar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Canté en el coro de la escuela. (I sang in the school choir.)
¿Cantaste en la fiesta anoche? (Did you sing at the party last night?)
El artista cantó sus mejores éxitos. (The artist sang their greatest hits.)
Cantamos feliz cumpleaños. (We sang happy birthday.)
Los niños cantaron villancicos. (The children sang Christmas carols.)
Canté en el karaoke por primera vez. (I sang karaoke for the first time.)
¿Por qué no cantaste con nosotros? (Why didn’t you sing with us?)
El pájaro cantó al amanecer. (The bird sang at dawn.)
Cantamos durante todo el viaje. (We sang throughout the entire trip.)
Los fans cantaron todas las canciones. (The fans sang all the songs.)
Canté una canción de cuna al bebé. (I sang a lullaby to the baby.)
Cantaste muy bien en el concurso. (You sang very well in the contest.)
El coro cantó en la ceremonia. (The choir sang at the ceremony.)
Cantamos alrededor de la fogata. (We sang around the campfire.)
Los músicos cantaron hasta el amanecer. (The musicians sang until dawn.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Cantar (to sing) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo canté | I sang |
| Tú cantaste | You sang |
| Él / Ella / Usted cantó | He / She / You (formal) sang |
| Nosotros / Nosotras cantamos | We sang |
| Vosotros / Vosotras cantasteis | You all sang |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes cantaron | They / You all (formal) sang |
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.