The preterite of secar is used to express a specific instance of drying something in the past, for example Sequé la ropa al sol (I dried the clothes in the sun). This tense emphasizes the completed action of drying at a particular moment.

This verb follows the regular -ar pattern but requires a spelling change in the first person singular (sequé) to maintain the hard ‘c’ sound before ‘e’.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Secar (to dry) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of secar indicates a completed action of drying or becoming dry in the past.

To dry: Describes making something dry, for example Sequé la ropa al sol (I dried the clothes in the sun) or Se secó el pelo con la toalla (He/she dried their hair with the towel).

To dry up/become dry: Used for something becoming dry, for example El río se secó durante la sequía (The river dried up during the drought).

Examples

Examples of Secar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Sequé la ropa en el tendedero. (I dried the clothes on the clothesline.)

Secaste los platos después de lavarlos. (You dried the dishes after washing them.)

Mi mamá secó su pelo con la secadora. (My mom dried her hair with the hairdryer.)

Secamos nuestras lágrimas y seguimos adelante. (We dried our tears and moved forward.)

Los agricultores secaron el grano al sol. (The farmers dried the grain in the sun.)

Sequé el sudor de mi frente. (I dried the sweat from my forehead.)

Secaste la pintura con un ventilador. (You dried the paint with a fan.)

El sol secó los charcos después de la lluvia. (The sun dried the puddles after the rain.)

Secamos las toallas en la secadora. (We dried the towels in the dryer.)

Los artistas secaron sus pinceles con cuidado. (The artists dried their brushes carefully.)

Sequé el piso después de trapear. (I dried the floor after mopping.)

Secaste las hojas para el herbario. (You dried the leaves for the herbarium.)

La peluquera secó el cabello de su cliente. (The hairdresser dried her client’s hair.)

Secamos la ropa mojada por la lluvia. (We dried the clothes wet from the rain.)

Los chefs secaron las hierbas para conservarlas. (The chefs dried the herbs to preserve them.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Secar (to dry) 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.