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Conjugation Chart of “Cambiar” (to change) in the Preterite (Past) Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | cambié |
| Tú | cambiaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | cambió |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | cambiamos |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | cambiaron |
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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Cambiar”
The preterite of cambiar is used to express a specific instance of change that occurred in the past. For example, you might say “I changed my phone number last week,” indicating a completed change at a specific point in time.
This is a regular -ar verb that follows the standard preterite conjugation pattern. The endings are added directly to the stem ‘cambi-‘ without any modifications.
How to Use Cambiar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The preterite of cambiar expresses a completed action of changing or exchanging in the past.
To change: Describes altering something, for example Cambié de trabajo (I changed jobs) or Cambió su opinión después de la discusión (He/she changed their opinion after the discussion).
To exchange: Used for trading or swapping items, for example Cambié los dólares por euros (I exchanged dollars for euros).
Real Life Examples of Cambiar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Ella cambió de trabajo el mes pasado. (She changed jobs last month.)
Los precios cambiaron drásticamente durante la crisis. (Prices changed drastically during the crisis.)
Mi hermana cambió el color de su pelo. (My sister changed her hair color.)
Cambié mi número de teléfono ayer. (I changed my phone number yesterday.)
El tiempo cambió repentinamente durante el partido. (The weather changed suddenly during the game.)
Los estudiantes cambiaron de salón para el examen. (The students changed classrooms for the exam.)
El banco cambió sus políticas de seguridad. (The bank changed its security policies.)
Mi vecino cambió los muebles de su casa. (My neighbor changed the furniture in their house.)
La empresa cambió su logo corporativo. (The company changed its corporate logo.)
Los artistas cambiaron la fecha del concierto. (The artists changed the concert date.)
El gobierno cambió las regulaciones de importación. (The government changed import regulations.)
Cambiamos nuestros planes debido al mal tiempo. (We changed our plans due to bad weather.)
El restaurante cambió su menú tradicional. (The restaurant changed its traditional menu.)
Los atletas cambiaron su rutina de entrenamiento. (The athletes changed their training routine.)
La universidad cambió sus requisitos de admisión. (The university changed its admission requirements.)
Conjugation Chart with English Translations
Conjugations of Cambiar (to change) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo cambié | I changed |
| Tú cambiaste | You changed |
| Él / Ella / Usted cambió | He / She / You changed |
| Nosotros / Nosotras cambiamos | We changed |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes cambiaron | They / You all changed |
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.