The preterite of levantar is used to express when something was lifted or raised at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “She raised her hand to ask a question” – “Levantó la mano para hacer una pregunta.”

This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense, making it straightforward to conjugate with no spelling changes or stem changes required.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Levantar (to raise/lift) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The Preterite of levantar indicates completed actions of lifting or raising.

To lift/raise: Describes the action of physically lifting something, for example Levantó la caja sin ayuda (He lifted the box without help), or Levantamos la bandera (We raised the flag).

To get up: When used reflexively, indicates getting up from bed or a seated position, for example Me levanté temprano (I got up early).

Examples

Examples of Levantar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Levanté la mano para hacer una pregunta. (I raised my hand to ask a question.)

¿A qué hora te levantaste ayer? (What time did you get up yesterday?)

El viento levantó las hojas del suelo. (The wind lifted the leaves from the ground.)

Nos levantamos temprano para el viaje. (We got up early for the trip.)

Los niños se levantaron tarde el domingo. (The children got up late on Sunday.)

Levantó el paquete del suelo. (He picked up the package from the floor.)

¿Por qué te levantaste tan temprano? (Why did you get up so early?)

Levantamos una casa nueva en el terreno. (We built a new house on the land.)

Se levantaron cuando llegó el profesor. (They stood up when the teacher arrived.)

Levanté la voz sin querer. (I raised my voice unintentionally.)

El equipo levantó el trofeo con orgullo. (The team lifted the trophy with pride.)

Me levanté con dolor de cabeza. (I got up with a headache.)

Levantaron un muro alrededor del jardín. (They built a wall around the garden.)

Se levantó el telón y comenzó la obra. (The curtain rose and the play began.)

Levantamos las cajas pesadas entre todos. (We lifted the heavy boxes together.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Levantar (to raise/lift) in the Preterite (Past) Tense 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.