The preterite of echar is used to express when you threw or cast something at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I threw the ball to my friend” – “Eché la pelota a mi amigo.”

This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. Despite ending in -char, it follows the standard conjugation with no spelling changes.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Echar (to throw/cast) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The Preterite of echar expresses completed actions of throwing or casting.

To throw/cast: Used for specific instances of throwing something, for example Echó la carta al buzón (They threw the letter in the mailbox), or Echaron las semillas en el jardín (They cast the seeds in the garden).

To pour/add: Describes adding ingredients or liquids, for example Eché sal a la sopa (I added salt to the soup).

To kick out/fire: In informal usage, means to remove or dismiss, for example Lo echaron del trabajo (They fired him from the job).

Examples

Examples of Echar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Eché sal a la sopa. (I added salt to the soup.)

¿Quién echó la basura? (Who threw out the trash?)

Echaste demasiada azúcar al café. (You put too much sugar in the coffee.)

Echamos gasolina antes del viaje. (We put gas before the trip.)

Los niños echaron las cartas al buzón. (The children dropped the letters in the mailbox.)

Echó la culpa a su hermano. (He/she blamed his/her brother.)

Echaste a correr cuando lo viste. (You started running when you saw him.)

Echamos de menos a nuestros amigos. (We missed our friends.)

Se echó a llorar después de la noticia. (He/she burst into tears after the news.)

Echaron el partido en la televisión. (They broadcast the game on television.)

Eché la llave al salir. (I locked up when leaving.)

Echaste a perder la sorpresa. (You ruined the surprise.)

Echamos una mano con la mudanza. (We helped with the move.)

Echaron abajo el edificio viejo. (They tore down the old building.)

Echó raíces en su nuevo hogar. (He/she put down roots in his/her new home.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Echar (to throw/cast) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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.