The preterite of maquillar is used to express when someone applied makeup at a specific moment in the past. For example, “I put on makeup before the party” – “Me maquillé antes de la fiesta.”

This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. It’s often used reflexively (maquillarse) when referring to applying makeup to oneself.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Maquillar (to put on makeup) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The Preterite of maquillar expresses completed actions of applying makeup.

To apply makeup: Used for putting on cosmetics, for example Me maquillé para la fiesta (I put on makeup for the party), or La artista la maquilló para la boda (The artist did her makeup for the wedding).

To cover up/disguise: Can refer to concealing something, for example Maquillaron los defectos de la pared (They covered up the wall’s defects).

Examples

Examples of Maquillar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Me maquillé para la fiesta. (I put on makeup for the party.)

¿Te maquillaste antes de salir? (Did you put on makeup before going out?)

Se maquilló para la entrevista. (She put on makeup for the interview.)

Nos maquillamos juntas antes del evento. (We put on makeup together before the event.)

Las actrices se maquillaron para la función. (The actresses put on makeup for the performance.)

Me maquillé rápidamente en el auto. (I quickly put on makeup in the car.)

¿Por qué te maquillaste tanto? (Why did you put on so much makeup?)

Se maquilló para las fotos. (She put on makeup for the photos.)

Nos maquillamos en el salón. (We put on makeup at the salon.)

Las modelos se maquillaron antes del desfile. (The models put on makeup before the fashion show.)

Me maquillé de manera natural. (I put on natural makeup.)

¿Te maquillaste para la cita? (Did you put on makeup for the date?)

Se maquilló ella misma para la boda. (She did her own makeup for the wedding.)

Nos maquillamos para la graduación. (We put on makeup for graduation.)

Todas se maquillaron antes de salir. (Everyone put on makeup before going out.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Maquillar (to put on makeup) 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.