The preterite of enseñar is used to express a completed action of teaching in the past. For example, you might say “I taught Spanish at the university last year,” indicating a specific period when the teaching occurred.

This is a regular -ar verb that follows the standard preterite conjugation pattern. The ñ remains constant throughout all conjugations.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Enseñar (to teach) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of enseñar describes a completed action of teaching or showing in the past.

To teach: Refers to instructing or educating, for example Enseñé matemáticas durante cinco años (I taught mathematics for five years) or Me enseñó a cocinar (He/she taught me to cook).

To show/demonstrate: Used for displaying or demonstrating something, for example Le enseñé las fotos de mi viaje (I showed him/her the photos from my trip).

Examples

Examples of Enseñar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Enseñé matemáticas durante diez años. (I taught mathematics for ten years.)

Enseñaste a tu hermano a manejar. (You taught your brother how to drive.)

La profesora enseñó historia mundial. (The teacher taught world history.)

Enseñamos español a los turistas. (We taught Spanish to the tourists.)

Los instructores enseñaron técnicas de baile. (The instructors taught dance techniques.)

Enseñé a mi perro nuevos trucos. (I taught my dog new tricks.)

Enseñaste arte en la escuela primaria. (You taught art in elementary school.)

Mi abuela me enseñó a cocinar. (My grandmother taught me how to cook.)

Enseñamos valores a los niños. (We taught values to the children.)

Los expertos enseñaron técnicas de supervivencia. (The experts taught survival techniques.)

Enseñé música en el conservatorio. (I taught music at the conservatory.)

Enseñaste fotografía digital. (You taught digital photography.)

El chef enseñó recetas tradicionales. (The chef taught traditional recipes.)

Enseñamos primeros auxilios. (We taught first aid.)

Los maestros enseñaron el alfabeto. (The teachers taught the alphabet.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Enseñar (to teach) 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.