The preterite of desaparecer is used to express when something disappeared at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “My keys disappeared this morning” – “Mis llaves desaparecieron esta mañana.”
This verb follows the regular -er conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. Despite being a compound of ‘aparecer’, it maintains regular conjugation in the preterite.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Desaparecer (to disappear) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | desaparecí |
| Tú | desapareciste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | desapareció |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | desaparecimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | desaparecisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | desaparecieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Desaparecer (to disappear) 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 Desaparecer in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of desaparecer indicates specific instances of disappearing or vanishing.
To disappear/vanish: Used for sudden or complete disappearances, for example Mi billetera desapareció del escritorio (My wallet disappeared from the desk), or Las nubes desaparecieron rápidamente (The clouds disappeared quickly).
To go missing: Describes when something or someone went missing, for example Desapareció sin dejar rastro (They disappeared without a trace).
Examples
Examples of Desaparecer in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Mi cartera desapareció en el metro. (My wallet disappeared on the subway.)
Las nubes desaparecieron al mediodía. (The clouds disappeared at noon.)
Desaparecí de la fiesta sin despedirme. (I disappeared from the party without saying goodbye.)
Los documentos desaparecieron del escritorio. (The documents disappeared from the desk.)
Desapareciste por completo durante dos semanas. (You disappeared completely for two weeks.)
El dolor desapareció gradualmente. (The pain gradually disappeared.)
Desaparecimos entre la multitud. (We disappeared into the crowd.)
Las manchas desaparecieron después del lavado. (The stains disappeared after washing.)
El sol desapareció detrás de las montañas. (The sun disappeared behind the mountains.)
Los antiguos edificios desaparecieron con la renovación. (The old buildings disappeared with the renovation.)
Desapareciste sin dejar rastro. (You disappeared without a trace.)
El problema desapareció por sí solo. (The problem disappeared on its own.)
Los ahorros desaparecieron rápidamente. (The savings disappeared quickly.)
Desaparecí del trabajo temprano. (I disappeared from work early.)
La señal del teléfono desapareció repentinamente. (The phone signal suddenly disappeared.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Desaparecer (to disappear) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo desaparecí | I disappeared |
| Tú desapareciste | You disappeared |
| Él / Ella / Usted desapareció | He / She / You (formal) disappeared |
| Nosotros / Nosotras desaparecimos | We disappeared |
| Vosotros / Vosotras desaparecisteis | You all disappeared |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes desaparecieron | They / You all (formal) disappeared |
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.