Distribuir Preterite (Past) Tense in Latin American Spanish

The preterite of distribuir is used to express a specific instance of distributing something in the past. For example, you might say “I distributed the materials during the meeting,” indicating a completed action at a particular time.

This is a verb that follows a special pattern in the preterite tense. It requires a ‘y’ before adding the endings in the third person singular and plural forms, similar to other -uir verbs.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Distribuir (to distribute) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

Pronoun Conjugation
Yodistribuí
distribuiste
Él / Ella / Usteddistribuyó
Nosotros / Nosotrasdistribuimos
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedesdistribuyeron

Boost Your Memorization with Audio!

We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Distribuir (to distribute) 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 Distribuir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The preterite of distribuir indicates a completed action of distributing or spreading out in the past.

To distribute: Describes giving out or spreading things, for example Distribuí los folletos en la calle (I distributed the flyers in the street) or La empresa distribuyó los beneficios (The company distributed the profits).

To arrange/spread out: Used for organizing things in space, for example Distribuyó los muebles en la sala (He/she arranged the furniture in the living room).

Examples

Examples of Distribuir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Distribuí los folletos en el evento. (I distributed the brochures at the event.)

Distribuiste las tareas del proyecto. (You distributed the project tasks.)

La empresa distribuyó los beneficios. (The company distributed the profits.)

Distribuimos agua durante la emergencia. (We distributed water during the emergency.)

Los voluntarios distribuyeron comida. (The volunteers distributed food.)

Distribuí las invitaciones de la boda. (I distributed the wedding invitations.)

Distribuiste los regalos navideños. (You distributed the Christmas gifts.)

El maestro distribuyó los exámenes. (The teacher distributed the exams.)

Distribuimos los recursos equitativamente. (We distributed the resources equally.)

Las organizaciones distribuyeron ayuda. (The organizations distributed aid.)

Distribuí los horarios del personal. (I distributed the staff schedules.)

Distribuiste los materiales del curso. (You distributed the course materials.)

El gobierno distribuyó vacunas. (The government distributed vaccines.)

Distribuimos información importante. (We distributed important information.)

Los editores distribuyeron la revista. (The editors distributed the magazine.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Distribuir (to distribute) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

Spanish English
Yo distribuí I distributed
Tú distribuiste You distributed
Él / Ella / Usted distribuyó He / She / You distributed
Nosotros / Nosotras distribuimos We distributed
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes distribuyeron They / You all distributed

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.