The preterite of ordenar is used to express when someone ordered or commanded something at a specific moment in the past. For example, “The teacher ordered the students to be quiet” – “La profesora ordenó a los estudiantes que se callaran.”
This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. All forms maintain the stem orden- and add the standard -ar endings.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Ordenar (to order) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | ordené |
| Tú | ordenaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | ordenó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | ordenamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | ordenasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | ordenaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Ordenar (to order) 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 Ordenar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of ordenar indicates completed actions of ordering or organizing.
To order (food/items): Used for making specific orders, for example Ordené una pizza (I ordered a pizza).
To organize/arrange: Describes putting things in order, for example Ordenó su habitación (She organized her room).
Examples
Examples of Ordenar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
El jefe ordenó una reunión inmediata. (The boss ordered an immediate meeting.)
Ordené mi habitación antes de salir. (I organized my room before leaving.)
La maestra ordenó silencio en la clase. (The teacher ordered silence in the class.)
Ordenamos pizza para la fiesta. (We ordered pizza for the party.)
Los estudiantes ordenaron sus libros alfabéticamente. (The students arranged their books alphabetically.)
¿Por qué ordenaste sin consultarnos? (Why did you order without consulting us?)
El capitán ordenó la evacuación del barco. (The captain ordered the evacuation of the ship.)
Ordenamos los documentos por fecha. (We organized the documents by date.)
La policía ordenó a la multitud que se dispersara. (The police ordered the crowd to disperse.)
Ordenaste demasiada comida para el evento. (You ordered too much food for the event.)
El juez ordenó un nuevo juicio. (The judge ordered a new trial.)
Ordenaron los muebles de manera diferente. (They arranged the furniture differently.)
Ordené un café y un croissant. (I ordered a coffee and a croissant.)
El doctor ordenó reposo absoluto. (The doctor ordered complete rest.)
Ordenamos la sala para la presentación. (We arranged the room for the presentation.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Ordenar (to order) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo ordené | I ordered |
| Tú ordenaste | You ordered |
| Él / Ella / Usted ordenó | He / She / You (formal) ordered |
| Nosotros / Nosotras ordenamos | We ordered |
| Vosotros / Vosotras ordenasteis | You all ordered |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes ordenaron | They / You all (formal) ordered |
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.