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Conjugation Chart of “Merecer” (to deserve) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Merecer”

The preterite of merecer is used to express when someone deserved something at a specific moment or during a defined period in the past. For example, “She deserved the award for her hard work” – “Mereció el premio por su trabajo duro.”

This verb follows the regular -er conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. Despite its meaning suggesting an ongoing state, in the preterite it emphasizes the completion or culmination of deserving something.

How to Use Merecer in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The Preterite of merecer expresses completed instances of deserving.

To deserve/merit: Used for specific instances of deserving something, for example Mereció el premio (She deserved the prize), or Merecieron el reconocimiento (They deserved the recognition).

To be worthy of: Describes being worthy of something specific, for example El proyecto mereció la inversión (The project was worth the investment).

Real Life Examples of Merecer in the Preterite (Past) Tense

El equipo mereció ganar el campeonato. (The team deserved to win the championship.)

Mereciste el primer premio por tu esfuerzo. (You deserved the first prize for your effort.)

No mereció ese trato tan malo. (He didn’t deserve such bad treatment.)

Merecimos el reconocimiento del jefe. (We deserved the boss’s recognition.)

Los estudiantes merecieron aprobar el examen. (The students deserved to pass the exam.)

Merecí una explicación después de todo. (I deserved an explanation after all.)

La película mereció todos los premios. (The movie deserved all the awards.)

¿Mereciste ese ascenso? (Did you deserve that promotion?)

El proyecto mereció más atención. (The project deserved more attention.)

Merecimos mejores resultados. (We deserved better results.)

El artista mereció el reconocimiento. (The artist deserved the recognition.)

Merecieron la victoria por su dedicación. (They deserved the victory for their dedication.)

No mereció perder su trabajo. (He didn’t deserve to lose his job.)

Merecí una segunda oportunidad. (I deserved a second chance.)

El libro mereció mejor crítica. (The book deserved better criticism.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Merecer (to deserve) in the Preterite (Past) 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.