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, you might say “I turned on the lights when I got home,” indicating a completed action.

This is a regular -er verb that follows the standard preterite conjugation pattern. The conjugations are formed by adding the regular preterite endings to the stem ‘encend-‘.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Encender (to turn on/light) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The Preterite of encender indicates turning something on or lighting something in the past.

To turn on: Refers to activating devices or lights, for example Encendí la luz al entrar (I turned on the light when entering).

To light or ignite: Used for starting fires or flames, for example Encendieron la fogata al anochecer (They lit the bonfire at nightfall).

Examples

Examples of Encender in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Encendí las luces al anochecer. (I turned on the lights at dusk.)

¿Encendiste la calefacción esta mañana? (Did you turn on the heating this morning?)

Mi hermano encendió la televisión para ver las noticias. (My brother turned on the television to watch the news.)

Encendimos la fogata en la playa. (We lit the bonfire on the beach.)

Los técnicos encendieron el nuevo sistema. (The technicians turned on the new system.)

Encendí el aire acondicionado porque hacía calor. (I turned on the air conditioning because it was hot.)

¿Por qué encendiste todas las lámparas? (Why did you turn on all the lamps?)

El chef encendió el horno temprano. (The chef turned on the oven early.)

Encendimos las velas durante el apagón. (We lit the candles during the blackout.)

Los estudiantes encendieron sus computadoras. (The students turned on their computers.)

Encendí la radio para escuchar música. (I turned on the radio to listen to music.)

¿Encendiste el motor del carro? (Did you start the car engine?)

Mi padre encendió la parrilla para el asado. (My father lit the grill for the barbecue.)

Encendimos las luces de navidad. (We turned on the Christmas lights.)

Los vecinos encendieron las alarmas de seguridad. (The neighbors turned on the security alarms.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Encender (to turn on/light) 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.