The preterite of cortar is used to express a specific instance of cutting something in the past. For example, when you want to say “I cut my hair yesterday” – “Me corté el pelo ayer.”

This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. The endings follow the standard -ar verb pattern with no spelling changes or irregularities.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Cortar (to cut) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The Preterite of cortar expresses completed acts of cutting or severing.

To cut: Describes a specific instance of cutting something, for example Corté el papel en pedazos (I cut the paper into pieces), or Cortó la cuerda (She cut the rope).

To end/terminate: In informal usage, means to end a relationship or connection, for example Cortaron la comunicación (They cut off communication).

Examples

Examples of Cortar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

El chef cortó las verduras con precisión. (The chef cut the vegetables with precision.)

Corté el papel en pedazos pequeños. (I cut the paper into small pieces.)

¿Por qué cortaste tu pelo tan corto? (Why did you cut your hair so short?)

Los jardineros cortaron el césped esta mañana. (The gardeners cut the lawn this morning.)

Cortamos la torta de cumpleaños juntos. (We cut the birthday cake together.)

El sastre cortó la tela con cuidado. (The tailor cut the fabric carefully.)

Se cortó la electricidad durante la tormenta. (The electricity was cut during the storm.)

Cortaste todas las flores del jardín. (You cut all the flowers from the garden.)

Los trabajadores cortaron el árbol viejo. (The workers cut down the old tree.)

Corté la conexión con el internet. (I cut the internet connection.)

Cortaron la cinta en la inauguración. (They cut the ribbon at the inauguration.)

Cortamos todo contacto con él. (We cut all contact with him.)

El estudiante cortó la imagen del periódico. (The student cut the image from the newspaper.)

Cortaste la conversación de repente. (You cut the conversation suddenly.)

María se cortó el dedo mientras cocinaba. (Maria cut her finger while cooking.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Cortar (to cut) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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.