The preterite of practicar is used to express a specific instance or period of practicing in the past. For example, you might say “I practiced piano for two hours yesterday,” indicating a completed session of practice.

This verb requires a spelling change in the first person singular (yo) form of the preterite, where ‘c’ changes to ‘qu’ before ‘e’ to maintain the same sound. Otherwise, it follows regular -ar patterns.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Practicar (to practice) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of practicar describes a completed instance or period of practice in the past.

To practice: Indicates engaging in practice or training, for example, Practiqué piano por dos horas (I practiced piano for two hours).

To rehearse: Describes rehearsing or preparing for a performance, for example, Practicaron la obra toda la semana (They rehearsed the play all week).

To exercise: Used for physical exercise or training, for example, Practicó deportes en la mañana (He/she exercised in the morning).

Examples

Examples of Practicar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Practiqué piano toda la tarde. (I practiced piano all afternoon.)

¿Practicaste para el examen? (Did you practice for the exam?)

El equipo practicó antes del partido. (The team practiced before the game.)

Practicamos el nuevo baile. (We practiced the new dance.)

Los músicos practicaron hasta la perfección. (The musicians practiced until perfection.)

Practiqué mi pronunciación en español. (I practiced my Spanish pronunciation.)

¿Cuánto practicaste ayer? (How much did you practice yesterday?)

La actriz practicó sus líneas toda la noche. (The actress practiced her lines all night.)

Practicamos juntos para la presentación. (We practiced together for the presentation.)

Los estudiantes practicaron la obra de teatro. (The students practiced the play.)

Practiqué manejar en la autopista. (I practiced driving on the highway.)

El chef practicó la nueva receta. (The chef practiced the new recipe.)

Practicamos el ejercicio varias veces. (We practiced the exercise several times.)

Los bailarines practicaron la coreografía. (The dancers practiced the choreography.)

Practiqué yoga por primera vez. (I practiced yoga for the first time.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Practicar (to practice) 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.