The preterite of borrar is used to express a specific instance of erasing or deleting something in the past. For example, you might say “I erased the mistake from my paper,” indicating a completed action at a specific moment.
This is a regular -ar verb that follows the standard preterite conjugation pattern. You simply add the regular preterite endings to the stem ‘borr-‘.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Borrar (to erase) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | borré |
| Tú | borraste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | borró |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | borramos |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | borraron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Borrar (to erase) 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 Borrar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of borrar indicates a completed action of erasing or deleting in the past.
To erase/delete: Physical or digital removal, for example Borré todos los mensajes (I deleted all the messages).
To wipe out/eliminate: Complete removal or elimination, for example La lluvia borró las huellas en la arena (The rain erased the footprints in the sand).
Examples
Examples of Borrar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Borré todos los mensajes. (I erased all the messages.)
¿Borraste el archivo por accidente? (Did you erase the file by accident?)
Ella borró la pizarra. (She erased the board.)
Borramos nuestro historial de navegación. (We erased our browsing history.)
Los estudiantes borraron sus respuestas. (The students erased their answers.)
Borré mi cuenta de redes sociales. (I deleted my social media account.)
¿Por qué borraste la foto? (Why did you delete the photo?)
La lluvia borró las huellas. (The rain erased the footprints.)
Borramos el graffiti de la pared. (We erased the graffiti from the wall.)
Los técnicos borraron los datos. (The technicians erased the data.)
Borré su número de mi teléfono. (I deleted their number from my phone.)
¿Borraste el correo importante? (Did you delete the important email?)
El tiempo borró las marcas. (Time erased the marks.)
Borramos todas las evidencias. (We erased all the evidence.)
Los artistas borraron el mural. (The artists erased the mural.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Borrar (to erase) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo borré | I erased |
| Tú borraste | You erased |
| Él / Ella / Usted borró | He / She / You erased |
| Nosotros / Nosotras borramos | We erased |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes borraron | They / You all erased |
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.