The preterite of averiguar is used to express when someone found out or discovered something at a specific moment in the past. For example, “I found out the truth yesterday” – “Averigüé la verdad ayer.”
This verb follows the -guar spelling-changing pattern in the preterite. In the yo form, you must add a dieresis over the ‘u’ (averigüé) to maintain the proper pronunciation of the ‘gu’ sound.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Averiguar (to find out) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | averigüé |
| Tú | averiguaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | averiguó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | averiguamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | averiguasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | averiguaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Averiguar (to find out) 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 Averiguar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of averiguar indicates completed actions of finding out or discovering information.
To find out/discover: Used for learning specific information, for example Averigüé la verdad sobre el incidente (I found out the truth about the incident), or Averiguaron el precio (They found out the price).
To investigate/inquire: Refers to completing an investigation, for example Averiguó todos los detalles (She investigated all the details).
Examples
Examples of Averiguar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Averigüé la verdad sobre el incidente. (I found out the truth about the incident.)
¿Cómo averiguaste mi número? (How did you find out my number?)
La policía averiguó quién era el responsable. (The police found out who was responsible.)
Averiguamos el precio de los boletos. (We found out the price of the tickets.)
Los periodistas averiguaron la historia completa. (The journalists found out the complete story.)
¿Averiguaste a qué hora sale el tren? (Did you find out what time the train leaves?)
El detective averiguó el paradero del sospechoso. (The detective found out the whereabouts of the suspect.)
Averiguamos la dirección del nuevo restaurante. (We found out the address of the new restaurant.)
Finalmente averigüé por qué estaba molesto. (I finally found out why he was upset.)
Los estudiantes averiguaron las respuestas del examen. (The students found out the exam answers.)
Averiguaste la fecha de la reunión. (You found out the date of the meeting.)
El equipo averiguó la causa del problema. (The team found out the cause of the problem.)
Averiguamos el origen del ruido extraño. (We found out the origin of the strange noise.)
¿Cómo averiguaron nuestro secreto? (How did they find out our secret?)
Averigüé el horario de la tienda. (I found out the store hours.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Averiguar (to find out) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo averigüé | I found out |
| Tú averiguaste | You found out |
| Él / Ella / Usted averiguó | He / She / You (formal) found out |
| Nosotros / Nosotras averiguamos | We found out |
| Vosotros / Vosotras averiguasteis | You all found out |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes averiguaron | They / You all (formal) found out |
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.