The preterite of cubrir is used to express a completed action of covering something in the past. For example, you might say “I covered the pool before the storm,” indicating when the action was completed.

This is a regular -ir verb in the preterite, following the standard pattern for -ir verbs. The endings are added directly to the stem ‘cubr-‘.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Cubrir (to cover) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of cubrir expresses a completed action of covering or concealing in the past.

To cover: Describes placing something over or on top of something else, for example Cubrí la mesa con un mantel (I covered the table with a tablecloth) or Cubrió el libro con papel (He/she covered the book with paper).

To conceal/hide: Used for hiding or protecting something, for example La nieve cubrió todo el jardín (The snow covered the entire garden).

Examples

Examples of Cubrir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Cubrí el mueble con una sábana. (I covered the furniture with a sheet.)

Cubriste la comida para protegerla. (You covered the food to protect it.)

La nieve cubrió toda la ciudad. (The snow covered the entire city.)

Cubrimos los gastos del viaje. (We covered the travel expenses.)

Las nubes cubrieron el sol. (The clouds covered the sun.)

Cubrí el grafiti con pintura. (I covered the graffiti with paint.)

Cubriste tus ojos durante la película. (You covered your eyes during the movie.)

El seguro cubrió los daños. (The insurance covered the damages.)

Cubrimos el suelo con alfombras. (We covered the floor with carpets.)

Las hojas cubrieron el jardín. (The leaves covered the garden.)

Cubrí la herida con una venda. (I covered the wound with a bandage.)

Cubriste la ventana con cortinas. (You covered the window with curtains.)

El agua cubrió las calles. (The water covered the streets.)

Cubrimos la noticia del evento. (We covered the event news.)

Los periodistas cubrieron la manifestación. (The journalists covered the protest.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Cubrir (to cover) in the Preterite (Past) Tense 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.