The preterite of preocupar is used to express when someone worried about something at a specific moment in the past. For example, “I worried about the exam yesterday” – “Me preocupé por el examen ayer.”
This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. Often used with the reflexive pronouns to indicate personal worry.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Preocupar (to worry) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | preocupé |
| Tú | preocupaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | preocupó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | preocupamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | preocupasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | preocuparon |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Preocupar (to worry) 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 Preocupar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of preocupar indicates specific instances of worry or concern.
To worry/concern: Describes specific moments of causing worry, for example Me preocupó su respuesta (Their response worried me), or Les preocuparon las noticias (The news worried them).
To be concerned about: Indicates taking interest or showing concern, for example Se preocupó por el asunto (They became concerned about the matter).
Examples
Examples of Preocupar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Me preocupé mucho por tu salud. (I worried a lot about your health.)
¿Te preocupaste por el resultado? (Did you worry about the result?)
Se preocupó demasiado por el examen. (He/she worried too much about the exam.)
Nos preocupamos cuando no llegaste. (We worried when you didn’t arrive.)
Los padres se preocuparon por las notas. (The parents worried about the grades.)
Te preocupaste sin razón. (You worried without reason.)
La noticia me preocupó bastante. (The news worried me quite a bit.)
Nos preocupamos por tu bienestar. (We worried about your well-being.)
Se preocuparon por el futuro. (They worried about the future.)
Me preocupé cuando vi la hora. (I got worried when I saw the time.)
¿Por qué te preocupaste tanto? (Why did you worry so much?)
El problema nos preocupó durante días. (The problem worried us for days.)
Se preocuparon por la situación económica. (They worried about the economic situation.)
Me preocupé por tu reacción. (I worried about your reaction.)
Nos preocupamos innecesariamente. (We worried unnecessarily.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Preocupar (to worry) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo preocupé | I worried |
| Tú preocupaste | You worried |
| Él / Ella / Usted preocupó | He / She / You (formal) worried |
| Nosotros / Nosotras preocupamos | We worried |
| Vosotros / Vosotras preocupasteis | You all worried |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes preocuparon | They / You all (formal) worried |
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.