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Conjugation Chart of “Gastar” (to spend) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Gastar”

The preterite of gastar is used to express a specific instance of spending in the past, for example Gasté todo mi dinero en el viaje (I spent all my money on the trip). This tense emphasizes the completed action of spending 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 practicing regular preterite forms.

How to Use Gastar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The preterite of gastar expresses a completed action of spending or using up in the past.

To spend money: Describes using money, for example Gasté demasiado en las vacaciones (I spent too much on vacation) or Gastaron todo el presupuesto (They spent all the budget).

To use up/wear out: Used for consuming or depleting resources, for example Gasté todos mis ahorros (I used up all my savings) or Se gastaron las baterías (The batteries wore out).

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

Gasté todo mi salario en la remodelación. (I spent all my salary on the remodeling.)

Gastaste mucho dinero en el viaje. (You spent a lot of money on the trip.)

El gobierno gastó millones en el proyecto. (The government spent millions on the project.)

Gastamos nuestros ahorros en la casa nueva. (We spent our savings on the new house.)

Los turistas gastaron fortunas en recuerdos. (The tourists spent fortunes on souvenirs.)

Gasté mis últimos pesos en comida. (I spent my last pesos on food.)

Gastaste demasiado en ropa nueva. (You spent too much on new clothes.)

La empresa gastó recursos en publicidad. (The company spent resources on advertising.)

Gastamos el presupuesto mensual. (We spent the monthly budget.)

Los jóvenes gastaron su tiempo en videojuegos. (The young people spent their time on video games.)

Gasté la tarde en la biblioteca. (I spent the afternoon in the library.)

Gastaste tus energías en el gimnasio. (You spent your energy at the gym.)

El artista gastó años en la obra. (The artist spent years on the work.)

Gastamos el día en la playa. (We spent the day at the beach.)

Los estudiantes gastaron horas estudiando. (The students spent hours studying.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Gastar (to spend) 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.