The preterite of marcar is used to express a specific instance of marking or scoring in the past, for example Marqué el número equivocado (I dialed the wrong number). This tense emphasizes the completed action of marking at a particular moment.

This verb requires a spelling change in the first person singular, where ‘c’ changes to ‘qu’ before ‘é’ to maintain the same sound. Otherwise, it follows the regular -ar verb pattern in the preterite.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Marcar (to mark) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of marcar indicates a completed action of marking or scoring in the past.

To mark/score: Describes scoring in sports or making a mark, for example Marcó dos goles en el partido (He/she scored two goals in the match) or Marqué la página del libro (I marked the page in the book).

To dial: Used for making phone calls, for example Marqué su número pero no contestó (I dialed their number but they didn’t answer).

Examples

Examples of Marcar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Marqué todos los errores en rojo. (I marked all the errors in red.)

Marcaste un gol decisivo. (You scored a decisive goal.)

El delantero marcó tres goles. (The forward scored three goals.)

Marcamos la diferencia en el proyecto. (We made a difference in the project.)

Los estudiantes marcaron las respuestas correctas. (The students marked the correct answers.)

Marqué la fecha en el calendario. (I marked the date on the calendar.)

Marcaste el ritmo de la carrera. (You set the pace of the race.)

El juez marcó el final del combate. (The judge marked the end of the fight.)

Marcamos el territorio con banderas. (We marked the territory with flags.)

Los científicos marcaron los especímenes. (The scientists marked the specimens.)

Marqué mi equipaje para el viaje. (I marked my luggage for the trip.)

Marcaste la ruta en el mapa. (You marked the route on the map.)

El artista marcó las pautas del diseño. (The artist marked the design guidelines.)

Marcamos nuestro mejor tiempo. (We marked our best time.)

Los deportistas marcaron un nuevo récord. (The athletes set a new record.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Marcar (to mark) 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.