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Conjugation Chart

“Calentar” (to heat) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Calentar”

The preterite of calentar is used to express a specific instance of heating something in the past. For example, you might say “I heated the soup for lunch,” indicating a completed action at a particular time.

This is a regular -ar verb that follows the standard preterite conjugation pattern. The conjugations are straightforward and follow a predictable pattern.

How to Use Calentar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The preterite of calentar describes a completed action of heating or warming in the past.

To heat/warm up: Describes making something warm, for example Calenté la sopa en el microondas (I heated the soup in the microwave) or Calentó el agua para el té (He/she heated the water for tea).

To warm up: In sports context, refers to warming up before exercise, for example Los atletas calentaron antes del partido (The athletes warmed up before the game).

Real Life Examples of Calentar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Calenté la sopa en el microondas. (I heated the soup in the microwave.)

Calentaste el agua para el té. (You heated the water for tea.)

Mamá calentó la comida para la cena. (Mom heated the food for dinner.)

Calentamos el horno para hornear galletas. (We heated the oven to bake cookies.)

Los cocineros calentaron los platos antes de servir. (The cooks heated the dishes before serving.)

Calenté el motor antes de partir. (I heated up the engine before leaving.)

Calentaste las tortillas en el comal. (You heated the tortillas on the griddle.)

El sol calentó la tierra durante el día. (The sun heated the earth during the day.)

Calentamos la casa con la chimenea. (We heated the house with the fireplace.)

Los atletas calentaron antes del partido. (The athletes warmed up before the game.)

Calenté mis manos junto al fuego. (I warmed my hands by the fire.)

Calentaste la leche para el café. (You heated the milk for coffee.)

El panadero calentó el pan otra vez. (The baker reheated the bread.)

Calentamos la piscina para nadar. (We heated the pool for swimming.)

Los empleados calentaron la oficina temprano. (The employees heated the office early.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Calentar (to heat) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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.