The preterite of saltar is used to express a specific instance of jumping in the past, for example El atleta saltó más de dos metros (The athlete jumped more than two meters). This tense emphasizes the completed action of jumping at a particular moment.

This is a regular -ar verb that follows the standard preterite conjugation pattern. Its straightforward conjugation makes it an excellent example for learning regular preterite forms.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Saltar (to jump) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of saltar indicates a completed action of jumping or leaping in the past.

To jump/leap: Describes moving upward or forward suddenly, for example Saltó la valla sin problema (He/she jumped the fence without problem) or Saltamos de alegría (We jumped for joy).

To skip/skip over: Used for omitting or bypassing something, for example Saltó dos páginas del libro (He/she skipped two pages of the book).

To stand out/be obvious: Used for something becoming evident, for example El error saltó a la vista (The error was obvious/jumped out).

Examples

Examples of Saltar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Salté la cerca del jardín. (I jumped over the garden fence.)

Saltaste de alegría al ganar. (You jumped for joy when you won.)

El atleta saltó más de dos metros. (The athlete jumped more than two meters.)

Saltamos sobre los charcos. (We jumped over the puddles.)

Los niños saltaron en la cama elástica. (The children jumped on the trampoline.)

Salté del susto al ver la araña. (I jumped in fright when I saw the spider.)

Saltaste el muro con facilidad. (You jumped over the wall easily.)

El gato saltó desde el árbol. (The cat jumped from the tree.)

Saltamos la cuerda en el recreo. (We jumped rope during recess.)

Los canguros saltaron por la pradera. (The kangaroos jumped through the meadow.)

Salté a la piscina. (I jumped into the pool.)

Saltaste del trampolín. (You jumped from the diving board.)

El caballo saltó el obstáculo. (The horse jumped over the obstacle.)

Saltamos de emoción con la noticia. (We jumped with excitement at the news.)

Los deportistas saltaron las vallas. (The athletes jumped over the hurdles.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Saltar (to jump) in the Preterite (Past) Tense 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.