The preterite of atenerse is used to express a specific instance of abiding by something in the past, for example Me atuve a las reglas del juego (I abided by the rules of the game). This reflexive verb emphasizes the completed action of adhering to something at a particular moment.

This is an irregular reflexive verb that follows the same pattern as ‘tener’ in the preterite, with the addition of reflexive pronouns. Remember to match the reflexive pronoun with the subject.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Atenerse (to abide by) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of atenerse describes a completed action of adhering to or abiding by something in the past.

To stick to/adhere to: Describes following rules or guidelines strictly, for example Me atuve a las instrucciones (I stuck to the instructions) or Se atuvieron al plan original (They adhered to the original plan).

To face consequences: Used when accepting or dealing with consequences, for example Se atuvo a las consecuencias de sus actos (He/she faced the consequences of their actions).

Examples

Examples of Atenerse in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Me atuve a las reglas del juego. (I abided by the rules of the game.)

Te atuviste al plan original. (You stuck to the original plan.)

El estudiante se atuvo a las instrucciones. (The student adhered to the instructions.)

Nos atuvimos al presupuesto establecido. (We stuck to the established budget.)

Los participantes se atuvieron a las normas. (The participants abided by the rules.)

Me atuve a mi palabra. (I kept my word.)

Te atuviste a las consecuencias de tus actos. (You faced the consequences of your actions.)

La empresa se atuvo al contrato. (The company adhered to the contract.)

Nos atuvimos a lo acordado. (We stuck to what was agreed upon.)

Los atletas se atuvieron al reglamento. (The athletes adhered to the regulations.)

Me atuve a los hechos al testificar. (I stuck to the facts when testifying.)

Te atuviste al horario establecido. (You adhered to the established schedule.)

El juez se atuvo a la ley. (The judge adhered to the law.)

Nos atuvimos a las tradiciones familiares. (We adhered to family traditions.)

Los investigadores se atuvieron al protocolo. (The researchers adhered to the protocol.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Atenerse (to abide by) 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.