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Conjugation Chart

“Cortar” (to cut) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Cortar”

The preterite of cortar is used to express a specific instance of cutting something in the past. For example, you might say “I cut my hair yesterday,” indicating when the action was completed.

This is a regular -ar verb that follows the standard preterite conjugation pattern. The endings are added directly to the stem ‘cort-‘ without any changes.

How to Use Cortar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The preterite of cortar indicates a completed action of cutting or cutting off in the past.

To cut: Describes the action of cutting something, for example Corté el pan (I cut the bread) or Cortó las flores del jardín (He/she cut the flowers from the garden).

To cut off/interrupt: Used for ending communication or flow, for example Cortó la llamada (He/she cut off the call) or Cortaron la electricidad (They cut off the electricity).

To break up: In casual speech, refers to ending a relationship, for example Cortó con su novio (She broke up with her boyfriend).

Real Life Examples of Cortar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

El peluquero me cortó el pelo muy corto. (The hairdresser cut my hair very short.)

Los jardineros cortaron el césped del parque. (The gardeners cut the park’s lawn.)

Me corté el dedo mientras cocinaba. (I cut my finger while cooking.)

El chef cortó las verduras en juliana. (The chef cut the vegetables julienne-style.)

La compañía telefónica cortó el servicio por falta de pago. (The phone company cut off service due to non-payment.)

Los trabajadores cortaron la electricidad por mantenimiento. (The workers cut off electricity for maintenance.)

El artista cortó la cinta en la inauguración. (The artist cut the ribbon at the inauguration.)

Mi hermano se cortó el cabello él mismo. (My brother cut his own hair.)

Los bomberos cortaron la rama que bloqueaba el camino. (The firefighters cut the branch that was blocking the road.)

El sastre cortó la tela para el vestido. (The tailor cut the fabric for the dress.)

Cortamos la torta de cumpleaños a medianoche. (We cut the birthday cake at midnight.)

El carnicero cortó la carne en filetes delgados. (The butcher cut the meat into thin steaks.)

Los estudiantes cortaron papel para el proyecto de arte. (The students cut paper for the art project.)

El cirujano cortó con precisión durante la operación. (The surgeon cut with precision during the operation.)

La modista cortó el patrón para el traje. (The dressmaker cut the pattern for the suit.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Cortar (to cut) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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.