The preterite of girar is used to express when something or someone turned at a specific moment in the past. For example, “The car turned at the corner” – “El coche giró en la esquina.”
This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. It maintains its stem and follows standard endings without any spelling changes.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Girar (to turn) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | giré |
| Tú | giraste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | giró |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | giramos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | girasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | giraron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Girar (to turn) 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 Girar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of girar expresses completed turning movements.
To turn/rotate: Describes a completed turning motion, for example Giré a la derecha (I turned right), or Giraron la llave (They turned the key).
To revolve/spin: Indicates rotating movement, for example La rueda giró tres veces (The wheel spun three times).
Examples
Examples of Girar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Giré a la derecha en la esquina. (I turned right at the corner.)
¿Por qué giraste tan bruscamente? (Why did you turn so abruptly?)
El coche giró en la rotonda. (The car turned at the roundabout.)
Giramos la llave en la cerradura. (We turned the key in the lock.)
Las ruedas giraron en el barro. (The wheels spun in the mud.)
La bailarina giró sobre sí misma. (The dancer spun around.)
Giraste el volante demasiado rápido. (You turned the steering wheel too quickly.)
El planeta giró sobre su eje. (The planet rotated on its axis.)
Giramos la perilla de la puerta. (We turned the doorknob.)
Los ventiladores giraron toda la noche. (The fans spun all night.)
Giré la página del libro. (I turned the page of the book.)
¿Cuándo giraste el cheque? (When did you cash the check?)
La conversación giró hacia otro tema. (The conversation turned to another topic.)
Giramos para evitar el obstáculo. (We turned to avoid the obstacle.)
Las hojas giraron en el viento. (The leaves spun in the wind.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Girar (to turn) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo giré | I turned |
| Tú giraste | You turned |
| Él / Ella / Usted giró | He / She / You (formal) turned |
| Nosotros / Nosotras giramos | We turned |
| Vosotros / Vosotras girasteis | You all turned |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes giraron | They / You all (formal) turned |
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.