The preterite of costar is used to express how much something cost at a specific point in the past. For example, when you want to say “The book cost ten dollars” – “El libro costó diez dólares.”
This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. Note that this verb is often used in the third person form as it typically refers to the price of things.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Costar (to cost) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | costé |
| Tú | costaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | costó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | costamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | costasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | costaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Costar (to cost) 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 Costar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of costar expresses the specific cost or difficulty of something in the past.
To cost (monetary): Used to indicate the price paid, for example El carro me costó muy caro (The car cost me very much), or Los billetes costaron cien dólares (The tickets cost one hundred dollars).
To be difficult/take effort: Describes something that was challenging, for example Me costó mucho aprobar el examen (It was very difficult for me to pass the exam).
Examples
Examples of Costar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
El nuevo carro me costó una fortuna. (The new car cost me a fortune.)
¿Cuánto te costaron esos zapatos? (How much did those shoes cost you?)
La renovación costó más de lo esperado. (The renovation cost more than expected.)
Nos costó mucho trabajo terminar el proyecto. (It cost us a lot of work to finish the project.)
Los boletos costaron cien dólares cada uno. (The tickets cost one hundred dollars each.)
Le costó adaptarse al nuevo horario. (It was hard for them to adapt to the new schedule.)
¿Te costó mucho encontrar el lugar? (Was it difficult for you to find the place?)
La decisión nos costó varios amigos. (The decision cost us several friends.)
Les costó conseguir los permisos. (It was difficult for them to get the permits.)
El error me costó el trabajo. (The mistake cost me my job.)
¿Cuánto les costó la casa nueva? (How much did the new house cost them?)
Nos costó tres horas llegar. (It took us three hours to arrive.)
Le costó mucho superar la pérdida. (It was very difficult for them to overcome the loss.)
El viaje me costó todos mis ahorros. (The trip cost me all my savings.)
Les costó trabajo entender las instrucciones. (It was hard for them to understand the instructions.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Costar (to cost) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo costé | I cost |
| Tú costaste | You cost |
| Él / Ella / Usted costó | He / She / You (formal) cost |
| Nosotros / Nosotras costamos | We cost |
| Vosotros / Vosotras costasteis | You all cost |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes costaron | They / You all (formal) cost |
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.