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Conjugation Chart of “Describir” (to describe) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Describir”

The preterite of describir is used to express a completed action of describing something in the past. For example, you might say “I described the suspect to the police,” indicating a specific instance when the description was given.

This is a regular -ir verb in the preterite. The endings are added directly to the stem ‘describ-‘ following the standard pattern.

How to Use Describir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The preterite of describir indicates a completed action of describing or depicting in the past.

To describe: Refers to giving a description of something, for example Describí la escena en detalle (I described the scene in detail) or Describió perfectamente lo que pasó (He/she described perfectly what happened).

To depict/portray: Used for representing something in words, for example El autor describió la ciudad con mucho detalle (The author depicted the city in great detail).

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

Describí la escena del accidente. (I described the accident scene.)

Describiste el paisaje perfectamente. (You described the landscape perfectly.)

El testigo describió al sospechoso. (The witness described the suspect.)

Describimos nuestras vacaciones. (We described our vacation.)

Los científicos describieron el fenómeno. (The scientists described the phenomenon.)

Describí los síntomas al doctor. (I described the symptoms to the doctor.)

Describiste la sensación perfectamente. (You described the sensation perfectly.)

El autor describió la época medieval. (The author described the medieval period.)

Describimos el proyecto al cliente. (We described the project to the client.)

Los exploradores describieron sus hallazgos. (The explorers described their findings.)

Describí el sabor del platillo. (I described the dish’s flavor.)

Describiste la obra de arte. (You described the artwork.)

El guía describió la historia del lugar. (The guide described the history of the place.)

Describimos el problema técnico. (We described the technical problem.)

Los periodistas describieron la situación. (The journalists described the situation.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Describir (to describe) 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.