The preterite of criarse is used to express where or how someone grew up during a specific period in the past. For example, “I grew up in Madrid” – “Me crié en Madrid.”

This is a regular -ar reflexive verb in the preterite tense. Remember to include the appropriate reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos) before each conjugated form.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Criarse (to grow up) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The Preterite of criarse expresses the completed process of growing up or being raised.

To grow up/be raised: Describes where or how someone was raised, for example Me crié en el campo (I grew up in the countryside), or Se criaron con sus abuelos (They were raised by their grandparents).

To be brought up: Refers to the complete upbringing period, for example Se crió en una familia numerosa (They were brought up in a large family).

Examples

Examples of Criarse in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Me crié en un pequeño pueblo. (I grew up in a small town.)

¿Dónde te criaste tú? (Where did you grow up?)

Se crió con sus abuelos. (He/she was raised by his/her grandparents.)

Nos criamos en el mismo barrio. (We grew up in the same neighborhood.)

Los hermanos se criaron por separado. (The siblings were raised separately.)

Te criaste en un ambiente muy cultural. (You grew up in a very cultural environment.)

Mi padre se crió en el campo. (My father grew up in the countryside.)

Nos criamos juntos desde pequeños. (We grew up together since we were little.)

Se criaron en una familia numerosa. (They grew up in a large family.)

Me crié rodeado de música. (I grew up surrounded by music.)

¿Te criaste en esta ciudad? (Did you grow up in this city?)

Se crió en un ambiente bilingüe. (He/she grew up in a bilingual environment.)

Nos criamos con valores tradicionales. (We were raised with traditional values.)

Se criaron sin conocer a su padre. (They grew up without knowing their father.)

Me crié entre libros y arte. (I grew up among books and art.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Criarse (to grow up) 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.