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Conjugation Chart

“Encender” (to turn on/light) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Encender”

The preterite of encender is used to express when someone turned something on or lit something at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I turned on the lights when I got home” – “Encendí las luces cuando llegué a casa.”

This verb follows the regular -er conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. It can be used for turning on electronic devices or lighting things like candles and fires.

How to Use Encender in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The Preterite of encender expresses completed acts of turning on or lighting.

To turn on: Used for activating devices, for example Encendí la computadora (I turned on the computer).

To light/ignite: Refers to starting a fire or flame, for example Encendieron la fogata (They lit the bonfire).

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

Encendí las luces al entrar. (I turned on the lights when entering.)

¿Encendiste la calefacción? (Did you turn on the heating?)

El técnico encendió el sistema. (The technician turned on the system.)

Encendimos la fogata en la playa. (We lit the bonfire on the beach.)

Los empleados encendieron los ordenadores. (The employees turned on the computers.)

Encendí una vela durante el apagón. (I lit a candle during the blackout.)

¿Por qué encendiste el aire acondicionado? (Why did you turn on the air conditioning?)

El chef encendió el horno. (The chef turned on the oven.)

Encendimos las antorchas al anochecer. (We lit the torches at nightfall.)

Los técnicos encendieron el generador. (The technicians started up the generator.)

Encendí la radio para escuchar las noticias. (I turned on the radio to listen to the news.)

Encendiste la televisión muy temprano. (You turned on the television very early.)

El guardia encendió la alarma. (The guard turned on the alarm.)

Encendimos las luces de navidad. (We turned on the Christmas lights.)

Los estudiantes encendieron sus tablets. (The students turned on their tablets.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Encender (to turn on/light) 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.