The preterite of averiguar is used to express a specific instance of finding out or discovering something in the past. For example, you might say “I found out the truth yesterday,” indicating the moment when information was discovered.
This verb requires special attention in the preterite tense because it needs a dieresis (ü) in the first person singular form to maintain the ‘gw’ sound. Otherwise, it follows regular -ar verb patterns.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Averiguar (to find out) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | averigüé |
| Tú | averiguaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | averiguó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | averiguamos |
| 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 investigating in the past.
To find out: Discovering information, for example Averigüé la verdad sobre el incidente (I found out the truth about the incident).
To investigate: Careful inquiry, for example La policía averiguó todos los detalles (The police 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.)
¿Averiguaste el horario del vuelo? (Did you find out the flight schedule?)
El detective averiguó quién era el culpable. (The detective found out who was guilty.)
Averiguamos el precio de los boletos. (We found out the price of the tickets.)
Los periodistas averiguaron todos los detalles. (The journalists found out all the details.)
Finalmente averigüé dónde estaba el restaurante. (I finally found out where the restaurant was.)
¿Cómo averiguaste mi número de teléfono? (How did you find out my phone number?)
La policía averiguó el origen del problema. (The police found out the origin of the problem.)
Averiguamos la dirección de la oficina. (We found out the office address.)
Los estudiantes averiguaron las respuestas del examen. (The students found out the exam answers.)
Averigüé que el concierto fue cancelado. (I found out that the concert was canceled.)
¿Averiguaste por qué no vino? (Did you find out why they didn’t come?)
El médico averiguó la causa de los síntomas. (The doctor found out the cause of the symptoms.)
Averiguamos la fecha de la reunión. (We found out the date of the meeting.)
Los investigadores averiguaron el motivo del accidente. (The investigators found out the reason for the accident.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Averiguar (to find out) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo averigüé | I found out |
| Tú averiguaste | You found out |
| Él / Ella / Usted averiguó | He / She / You found out |
| Nosotros / Nosotras averiguamos | We found out |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes averiguaron | They / You all found out |
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.