The preterite of actuar is used to express when someone acted or performed at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “She acted in the play last night” – “Ella actuó en la obra anoche.”
This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. Remember that the ‘u’ is always stressed in the preterite conjugations.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Actuar (to act) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | actué |
| Tú | actuaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | actuó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | actuamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | actuasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | actuaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Actuar (to act) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Actuar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of actuar refers to specific instances of acting or taking action.
To act/perform: Used for performing in entertainment, for example Actuó en la obra de teatro (She acted in the play), or Actuaron muy bien en la película (They acted very well in the movie).
To take action: Describes responding to a situation, for example Actuó rápidamente en la emergencia (He acted quickly in the emergency).
Examples
Examples of Actuar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Actué rápidamente en la emergencia. (I acted quickly in the emergency.)
El gobierno actuó con firmeza. (The government acted firmly.)
¿Por qué no actuaste antes? (Why didn’t you act sooner?)
Actuamos según el plan establecido. (We acted according to the established plan.)
Los bomberos actuaron con valentía. (The firefighters acted bravely.)
Ella actuó brillantemente en la obra. (She acted brilliantly in the play.)
Actuaste muy profesionalmente. (You acted very professionally.)
La policía actuó con rapidez. (The police acted quickly.)
Actuamos de buena fe. (We acted in good faith.)
Los estudiantes actuaron en la ceremonia. (The students performed in the ceremony.)
Actué siguiendo mi intuición. (I acted following my intuition.)
¿Cómo actuaste en esa situación? (How did you act in that situation?)
El equipo actuó con decisión. (The team acted decisively.)
Actuaron sin pensar en las consecuencias. (They acted without thinking about the consequences.)
Actuamos conforme a la ley. (We acted according to the law.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Actuar (to act) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo actué | I acted |
| Tú actuaste | You acted |
| Él / Ella / Usted actuó | He / She / You (formal) acted |
| Nosotros / Nosotras actuamos | We acted |
| Vosotros / Vosotras actuasteis | You all acted |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes actuaron | They / You all (formal) acted |
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.