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Conjugation Chart of “Acercarse” (to get closer) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Acercarse”

The preterite of acercarse is used to express when someone got closer to something or someone at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I got closer to see better” – “Me acerqué para ver mejor.”

This is a -car spelling-changing reflexive verb in the preterite tense. The ‘c’ changes to ‘qu’ before ‘e’ to maintain the same sound in the yo form (me acerqué), and requires the appropriate reflexive pronoun before each form.

How to Use Acercarse in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The Preterite of acercarse indicates when someone or something moved closer.

To approach/come closer: Describes physical movement toward something, for example Me acerqué a la ventana (I approached the window), or Se acercaron al edificio (They got closer to the building).

To become closer: Used figuratively for relationships, for example Se acercó más a su familia (He grew closer to his family).

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

Me acerqué a la ventana para ver mejor. (I approached the window to see better.)

Te acercaste demasiado al borde. (You got too close to the edge.)

El gato se acercó sigilosamente. (The cat approached stealthily.)

Nos acercamos al escenario. (We got closer to the stage.)

Los niños se acercaron al payaso. (The children approached the clown.)

¿Por qué te acercaste tanto? (Why did you get so close?)

Se acercó para saludar. (He approached to say hello.)

Nos acercamos al mostrador. (We approached the counter.)

Se acercaron a pedir información. (They approached to ask for information.)

Me acerqué a hablar con ella. (I approached to talk to her.)

El barco se acercó al puerto. (The ship approached the port.)

Te acercaste sin hacer ruido. (You approached quietly.)

Se acercaron a la meta. (They got closer to the goal.)

Nos acercamos al problema con cautela. (We approached the problem with caution.)

Se acercó el momento de la verdad. (The moment of truth approached.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Acercarse (to get closer) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American 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.