The preterite of nacer is used to express when someone was born or something came into existence at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I was born in Madrid” – “Nací en Madrid.”
This verb follows the regular -er conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. Despite its meaning being passive in English, it’s used actively in Spanish.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Nacer (to be born) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | nací |
| Tú | naciste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | nació |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | nacimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | nacisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | nacieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Nacer (to be born) 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 Nacer in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of nacer expresses the specific moment of birth or origin.
To be born: Used to state when someone was born, for example Nací en marzo (I was born in March), or Los gemelos nacieron ayer (The twins were born yesterday).
To originate/arise: Describes when something came into being, for example Así nació la idea (That’s how the idea was born).
Examples
Examples of Nacer in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Nací en primavera. (I was born in spring.)
Mi hermano nació en casa. (My brother was born at home.)
¿Dónde naciste tú? (Where were you born?)
Los gemelos nacieron el mismo día. (The twins were born on the same day.)
Nacimos en diferentes países. (We were born in different countries.)
El bebé nació durante la madrugada. (The baby was born during the early morning.)
¿En qué año naciste? (In what year were you born?)
Su hijo nació prematuro. (Her son was born prematurely.)
Todos nacimos en el mismo hospital. (We were all born in the same hospital.)
Las flores nacieron en primavera. (The flowers sprouted in spring.)
Nací un día lluvioso. (I was born on a rainy day.)
El artista nació para la música. (The artist was born for music.)
Nacieron nuevas esperanzas. (New hopes were born.)
¿Naciste aquí o en otro lugar? (Were you born here or somewhere else?)
El proyecto nació de una simple idea. (The project was born from a simple idea.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Nacer (to be born) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo nací | I was born |
| Tú naciste | You were born |
| Él / Ella / Usted nació | He / She / You (formal) was born |
| Nosotros / Nosotras nacimos | We were born |
| Vosotros / Vosotras nacisteis | You all were born |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes nacieron | They / You all (formal) were born |
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.