The preterite of decaer is used to express a specific instance of declining or deteriorating in the past, for example Su salud decayó rápidamente (Their health declined rapidly). This tense emphasizes the completed action of declining at a particular moment.

This is an irregular verb that changes its stem to ‘decay-‘ in the third person singular and plural forms of the preterite. Like other verbs ending in -aer, it requires written accents on the ‘i’ in most other forms.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Decaer (to decline/decay) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of decaer describes a completed action of declining or deteriorating in the past.

To decline/deteriorate: Describes becoming weaker or worse, for example Su salud decayó rápidamente (Their health declined rapidly) or El imperio decayó después de la guerra (The empire declined after the war).

To lose strength/vigor: Used for loss of energy or vitality, for example Su ánimo decayó al recibir la noticia (Their spirits fell upon receiving the news).

Examples

Examples of Decaer in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Mi ánimo decayó durante el invierno. (My mood declined during winter.)

Decaí en mi rendimiento laboral. (My work performance declined.)

Tu energía decayó notablemente. (Your energy notably declined.)

La calidad decayó con el tiempo. (The quality declined over time.)

Decaímos en nuestro entusiasmo inicial. (We declined in our initial enthusiasm.)

Los estándares decayeron gradualmente. (The standards gradually declined.)

El imperio decayó lentamente. (The empire slowly declined.)

Decaí físicamente después de la enfermedad. (I physically declined after the illness.)

La popularidad del producto decayó. (The product’s popularity declined.)

Decaímos en nuestro compromiso. (We declined in our commitment.)

Las ventas decayeron significativamente. (Sales declined significantly.)

El interés público decayó rápidamente. (Public interest quickly declined.)

Decaí en mis estudios ese semestre. (I declined in my studies that semester.)

La antigua estructura decayó con los años. (The ancient structure decayed over the years.)

Los valores morales decayeron en la sociedad. (Moral values declined in society.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Decaer (to decline/decay) 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.