The preterite of disminuir is used to express a completed action of decreasing or reducing something in the past. For example, you might say “The temperature decreased significantly yesterday,” indicating a specific change.
This verb follows a special pattern in the preterite where ‘i’ changes to ‘y’ in the third person forms. This spelling change helps maintain proper pronunciation throughout the conjugation.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Disminuir (to decrease) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | disminuí |
| Tú | disminuiste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | disminuyó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | disminuimos |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | disminuyeron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Disminuir (to decrease) 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 Disminuir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The preterite of disminuir indicates a completed action of decreasing or reducing in the past.
To decrease/reduce: Describes something becoming less, for example La temperatura disminuyó rápidamente (The temperature decreased rapidly) or El ruido disminuyó por la noche (The noise decreased at night).
To lessen/diminish: Used for reduction in intensity or amount, for example El dolor disminuyó después de tomar la medicina (The pain lessened after taking the medicine).
Examples
Examples of Disminuir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
El ruido disminuyó gradualmente. (The noise gradually decreased.)
Disminuí mi consumo de azúcar. (I decreased my sugar consumption.)
La temperatura disminuyó por la noche. (The temperature decreased at night.)
Disminuimos los gastos del proyecto. (We decreased the project expenses.)
Los precios disminuyeron significativamente. (The prices decreased significantly.)
El dolor disminuyó con la medicina. (The pain decreased with the medicine.)
Disminuí la velocidad en la curva. (I decreased the speed at the curve.)
La empresa disminuyó su personal. (The company decreased its staff.)
Disminuimos el volumen de la música. (We decreased the volume of the music.)
Las ventas disminuyeron este mes. (Sales decreased this month.)
La lluvia disminuyó al amanecer. (The rain decreased at dawn.)
Disminuí mis horas de trabajo. (I decreased my work hours.)
El estrés disminuyó después de las vacaciones. (The stress decreased after the vacation.)
Disminuimos la cantidad de sal. (We decreased the amount of salt.)
Los accidentes disminuyeron este año. (Accidents decreased this year.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Disminuir (to decrease) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo disminuí | I decreased |
| Tú disminuiste | You decreased |
| Él / Ella / Usted disminuyó | He / She / You decreased |
| Nosotros / Nosotras disminuimos | We decreased |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes disminuyeron | They / You all decreased |
This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.