The preterite of navegar is used to express when you navigated or sailed at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I sailed across the lake yesterday” – “Navegué por el lago ayer.”
This verb follows the -gar spelling-changing pattern in the preterite. The ‘g’ changes to ‘gu’ before ‘e’ to maintain the same sound, which happens in the yo form (navegué).
Conjugations
Conjugations of Navegar (to navigate/sail) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | navegué |
| Tú | navegaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | navegó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | navegamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | navegasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | navegaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Navegar (to navigate/sail) 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 Navegar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of navegar indicates completed instances of navigation or sailing.
To navigate/sail: Used for completed journeys by sea or online, for example Navegué por el sitio web (I browsed the website), or Navegaron por el Caribe (They sailed through the Caribbean).
To browse/surf: In digital context, describes completed online sessions, for example Navegué por internet toda la tarde (I surfed the internet all afternoon).
Examples
Examples of Navegar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Navegué por Internet toda la tarde. (I surfed the Internet all afternoon.)
Navegamos por el Mediterráneo durante el verano. (We sailed across the Mediterranean during summer.)
¿Navegaste alguna vez en velero? (Did you ever sail on a sailboat?)
El barco navegó durante tres días. (The ship sailed for three days.)
Navegaron hasta una isla cercana. (They sailed to a nearby island.)
Navegué por diferentes sitios web buscando información. (I browsed different websites looking for information.)
El capitán navegó en aguas turbulentas. (The captain navigated through turbulent waters.)
Navegamos contra el viento. (We sailed against the wind.)
¿Cuánto tiempo navegaste en el crucero? (How long did you sail on the cruise?)
El equipo navegó con dificultad por la tormenta. (The team navigated with difficulty through the storm.)
Navegaron toda la noche bajo las estrellas. (They sailed all night under the stars.)
Navegué por varias páginas de noticias. (I browsed through several news pages.)
La flotilla navegó hacia el puerto. (The fleet sailed towards the port.)
Navegamos por el río durante horas. (We sailed on the river for hours.)
Navegaron alrededor de la península. (They sailed around the peninsula.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Navegar (to navigate/sail) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo navegué | I navigated |
| Tú navegaste | You navigated |
| Él / Ella / Usted navegó | He / She / You (formal) navigated |
| Nosotros / Nosotras navegamos | We navigated |
| Vosotros / Vosotras navegasteis | You all navigated |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes navegaron | They / You all (formal) navigated |
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.