The preterite of encender is used to express when someone turned something on or lit something at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I turned on the lights when I got home” – “Encendí las luces cuando llegué a casa.”
This verb follows the regular -er conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. It can be used for turning on electronic devices or lighting things like candles and fires.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Encender (to turn on/light) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | encendí |
| Tú | encendiste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | encendió |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | encendimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | encendisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | encendieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Encender (to turn on/light) 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 Encender in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of encender expresses completed acts of turning on or lighting.
To turn on: Used for activating devices, for example Encendí la computadora (I turned on the computer).
To light/ignite: Refers to starting a fire or flame, for example Encendieron la fogata (They lit the bonfire).
Examples
Examples of Encender in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Encendí las luces al entrar. (I turned on the lights when entering.)
¿Encendiste la calefacción? (Did you turn on the heating?)
El técnico encendió el sistema. (The technician turned on the system.)
Encendimos la fogata en la playa. (We lit the bonfire on the beach.)
Los empleados encendieron los ordenadores. (The employees turned on the computers.)
Encendí una vela durante el apagón. (I lit a candle during the blackout.)
¿Por qué encendiste el aire acondicionado? (Why did you turn on the air conditioning?)
El chef encendió el horno. (The chef turned on the oven.)
Encendimos las antorchas al anochecer. (We lit the torches at nightfall.)
Los técnicos encendieron el generador. (The technicians started up the generator.)
Encendí la radio para escuchar las noticias. (I turned on the radio to listen to the news.)
Encendiste la televisión muy temprano. (You turned on the television very early.)
El guardia encendió la alarma. (The guard turned on the alarm.)
Encendimos las luces de navidad. (We turned on the Christmas lights.)
Los estudiantes encendieron sus tablets. (The students turned on their tablets.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Encender (to turn on/light) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo encendí | I turned on |
| Tú encendiste | You turned on |
| Él / Ella / Usted encendió | He / She / You (formal) turned on |
| Nosotros / Nosotras encendimos | We turned on |
| Vosotros / Vosotras encendisteis | You all turned on |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes encendieron | They / You all (formal) turned on |
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.