The preterite of enfermar is used to express when someone got sick at a specific moment in the past. For example, “He got sick last weekend” – “Enfermó el fin de semana pasado.”
This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. It maintains consistent endings without any stem changes or spelling adjustments.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Enfermar (to get sick) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | enfermé |
| Tú | enfermaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | enfermó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | enfermamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | enfermasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | enfermaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Enfermar (to get sick) 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 Enfermar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of enfermar expresses the onset of illness.
To get sick: Used for the specific moment of becoming ill, for example Enfermé después del viaje (I got sick after the trip), or Enfermaron varios estudiantes (Several students got sick).
To fall ill: Describes the point when illness began, for example Enfermó gravemente (He became seriously ill).
Examples
Examples of Enfermar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Enfermé después de la fiesta. (I got sick after the party.)
Enfermó de gripe la semana pasada. (He/she got sick with the flu last week.)
Todos enfermaron durante el viaje. (Everyone got sick during the trip.)
Enfermaste por no abrigarte bien. (You got sick for not dressing warmly enough.)
Enfermamos después de comer en ese restaurante. (We got sick after eating at that restaurant.)
Mi perro enfermó repentinamente. (My dog got sick suddenly.)
¿Cuándo enfermaste de COVID? (When did you get sick with COVID?)
La planta enfermó por falta de luz. (The plant got sick due to lack of light.)
Enfermaron varios estudiantes en la escuela. (Several students got sick at school.)
Enfermé durante las vacaciones. (I got sick during vacation.)
Mi hermana enfermó gravemente. (My sister became seriously ill.)
Enfermamos por el cambio de clima. (We got sick due to the weather change.)
Enfermaste justo antes del examen. (You got sick right before the exam.)
Los peces enfermaron por el agua contaminada. (The fish got sick from the contaminated water.)
Mi abuelo enfermó durante el invierno. (My grandfather got sick during winter.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Enfermar (to get sick) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo enfermé | I got sick |
| Tú enfermaste | You got sick |
| Él / Ella / Usted enfermó | He / She / You (formal) got sick |
| Nosotros / Nosotras enfermamos | We got sick |
| Vosotros / Vosotras enfermasteis | You all got sick |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes enfermaron | They / You all (formal) got sick |
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.