The preterite of rezar is used to express when someone prayed or said a prayer at a specific moment in the past. For example, “She prayed before dinner last night” – “Ella rezó antes de la cena anoche.”
This verb follows the -zar spelling-changing pattern in the preterite. The ‘z’ changes to ‘c’ before ‘e’ to maintain the same sound, which occurs in the yo form (recé).
Conjugations
Conjugations of Rezar (to pray) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | recé |
| Tú | rezaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | rezó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | rezamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | rezasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | rezaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Rezar (to pray) 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 Rezar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of rezar expresses completed acts of praying.
To pray: Used for specific instances of prayer, for example Recé por su recuperación (I prayed for their recovery), or Rezaron juntos (They prayed together).
To recite prayers: Indicates reciting specific prayers, for example Rezó el rosario (She recited the rosary).
Examples
Examples of Rezar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Recé por su pronta recuperación. (I prayed for their quick recovery.)
La familia rezó junta antes de cenar. (The family prayed together before dinner.)
Rezaste en la iglesia esta mañana. (You prayed at the church this morning.)
Rezamos por la paz mundial. (We prayed for world peace.)
Ella rezó toda la noche. (She prayed all night.)
Los fieles rezaron durante la ceremonia. (The faithful prayed during the ceremony.)
Recé para que todo saliera bien. (I prayed for everything to go well.)
¿Rezaste por mí ayer? (Did you pray for me yesterday?)
Rezamos en silencio. (We prayed in silence.)
La comunidad rezó por las víctimas. (The community prayed for the victims.)
Rezaron por el éxito del proyecto. (They prayed for the success of the project.)
Recé antes del examen importante. (I prayed before the important exam.)
Los peregrinos rezaron en el santuario. (The pilgrims prayed at the shrine.)
Rezaste con mucha devoción. (You prayed with great devotion.)
Rezamos juntos por primera vez. (We prayed together for the first time.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Rezar (to pray) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo recé | I prayed |
| Tú rezaste | You prayed |
| Él / Ella / Usted rezó | He / She / You (formal) prayed |
| Nosotros / Nosotras rezamos | We prayed |
| Vosotros / Vosotras rezasteis | You all prayed |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes rezaron | They / You all (formal) prayed |
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.