The preterite of atenerse is used to express when someone abided by or stuck to something at a specific moment in the past. For example, “We abided by the rules during the competition” – “Nos atuvimos a las reglas durante la competencia.”
This is an irregular reflexive verb in the preterite tense. Like other -tener verbs, it uses the stem ‘tuv-‘ throughout all conjugations, plus the appropriate reflexive pronouns.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Atenerse (to abide by) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | me atuve |
| Tú | te atuviste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | se atuvo |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | nos atuvimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | os atuvisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | se atuvieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Atenerse (to abide by) 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 Atenerse in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of atenerse expresses instances of adhering to rules or consequences.
To abide by/stick to: Used for following rules or agreements, for example Me atuve a las instrucciones (I stuck to the instructions).
To face consequences: Describes accepting results, for example Se atuvieron a las consecuencias (They faced the consequences).
Examples
Examples of Atenerse in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Me atuve a las reglas del juego. (I stuck to the rules of the game.)
Se atuvo a las consecuencias de sus actos. (He/she faced the consequences of their actions.)
¿Te atuviste al plan original? (Did you stick to the original plan?)
Nos atuvimos al presupuesto establecido. (We stuck to the established budget.)
Se atuvieron a lo acordado en la reunión. (They adhered to what was agreed in the meeting.)
El equipo se atuvo a la estrategia. (The team stuck to the strategy.)
Te atuviste a tu palabra. (You kept your word.)
La empresa se atuvo al contrato. (The company adhered to the contract.)
Nos atuvimos a las instrucciones del manual. (We followed the manual’s instructions strictly.)
Se atuvieron a los plazos establecidos. (They adhered to the established deadlines.)
Me atuve a los hechos al contar la historia. (I stuck to the facts when telling the story.)
El juez se atuvo a la ley. (The judge adhered to the law.)
Se atuvieron a las normas de seguridad. (They followed the safety regulations.)
Te atuviste al protocolo establecido. (You followed the established protocol.)
El estudiante se atuvo a las pautas del ensayo. (The student adhered to the essay guidelines.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Atenerse (to abide by) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo me atuve | I abided by |
| Tú te atuviste | You abided by |
| Él / Ella / Usted se atuvo | He / She / You (formal) abided by |
| Nosotros / Nosotras nos atuvimos | We abided by |
| Vosotros / Vosotras os atuvisteis | You all abided by |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes se atuvieron | They / You all (formal) abided by |
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.