The preterite of probar is used to express when you tried or tasted something at a specific moment in time. For example, when you want to say “I tried the new restaurant yesterday” – “Probé el restaurante nuevo ayer.”
This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. While this verb can be stem-changing in other tenses, it follows a regular pattern in the preterite.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Probar (to try/taste) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | probé |
| Tú | probaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | probó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | probamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | probasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | probaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Probar (to try/taste) 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 Probar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of probar indicates completed acts of trying or testing.
To try/taste: Describes sampling something, for example Probé la comida nueva (I tried the new food), or Probaron el vino (They tasted the wine).
To test/prove: Used for testing or proving something, for example Probó su inocencia (He proved his innocence).
Examples
Examples of Probar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Probé el nuevo restaurante ayer. (I tried the new restaurant yesterday.)
¿Probaste la comida típica? (Did you try the traditional food?)
El chef probó la sopa antes de servirla. (The chef tasted the soup before serving it.)
Probamos varios modelos antes de comprar. (We tried several models before buying.)
Los científicos probaron la nueva teoría. (The scientists tested the new theory.)
¿Probaste el vestido antes de comprarlo? (Did you try on the dress before buying it?)
El equipo probó su nuevo sistema. (The team tested their new system.)
Probé suerte en la lotería. (I tried my luck in the lottery.)
Probaron diferentes soluciones al problema. (They tried different solutions to the problem.)
Probamos el nuevo software ayer. (We tested the new software yesterday.)
El abogado probó la inocencia de su cliente. (The lawyer proved his client’s innocence.)
Probaste que tenías razón. (You proved that you were right.)
La empresa probó el producto antes de lanzarlo. (The company tested the product before launching it.)
Probamos el nuevo método de enseñanza. (We tried the new teaching method.)
Los atletas probaron sus límites. (The athletes tested their limits.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Probar (to try/taste) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo probé | I tried |
| Tú probaste | You tried |
| Él / Ella / Usted probó | He / She / You (formal) tried |
| Nosotros / Nosotras probamos | We tried |
| Vosotros / Vosotras probasteis | You all tried |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes probaron | They / You all (formal) tried |
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.