Introduction

describir means “to describe”, and this page covers exactly one thing: describir in the preterite tense. The preterite is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what is finished and done. On this page you will find the full preterite table for describir, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about describir in the preterite. For example: “Yo describí la casa con detalle ayer.” — “I described the house in detail.” Everything on this page uses the forms of describir exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.

describir in the Preterite Tense — full table

Person Form
yo describí
tú describiste
él/ella/Ud. describió
nosotros/as describimos
vosotros/as describisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. describieron

Gerund: describiendo · Past participle: descrito

The gerund is describiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy describiendo” means the action of describir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is descrito, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he descrito” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the preterite is only one part of how describir is used.

How the preterite of describir is formed

describir is a -ir verb. Take the stem describ and add the preterite endings for -ir verbs: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron, giving describí, describiste, describió, describimos, describisteis and describieron. describir is regular in the preterite, so once you know the endings you can build all six forms from the stem. Watch the accents: yo takes an accent on the stressed vowel (describí) and él takes one too (describió), because the stress falls on the ending rather than the stem. Note that the nosotros form, describimos, is identical to the present-tense nosotros form — only context tells you which tense is meant.

The preterite of describir rewards careful reading of the table. Two details deserve attention. First, the yo form describí is the form you will use most when you talk about yourself, so say it out loud until it comes without thinking. Second, the nosotros form describimos and the ellos form describieron are the ones learners confuse most often, because they are the forms used for groups. Practise the six forms in order — yo, tú, él, nosotros, vosotros, ellos — and the pattern will settle.

When to use the preterite of describir

The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use describir in the preterite most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. One finished action

describir in the preterite describes one finished action: something you did and completed. The action is done, and the tense says so. Example: “Yo describí la casa con detalle ayer.” — “I described the house in detail.”

2. A sequence of events

When several things happened one after another, each one takes the preterite. The tense moves the story forward, one finished event at a time. Example: “Él describió la casa con detalle ayer.” — “He described the house in detail.”

3. An action in a finished time frame

The preterite is the tense of completed actions. When the action started and ended inside a finished period — ayer, anoche, la semana pasada — the preterite is the right choice. Example: “Nosotros describimos la casa con detalle la semana pasada.” — “We described the house in detail.”

4. An interruption

When one action interrupted another, the interrupting action takes the preterite. It marks the moment the story changed. Example: “Ellos describieron la casa con detalle ayer.” — “They described the house in detail.”

5. A change of state

The preterite also marks a change: the moment something started to be different. If the change itself is the point, use the preterite. Example: “Tú describiste la casa con detalle ayer.” — “you described the house in detail.”

Preterite Tense vs Imperfect: how to choose

The closest tense to the preterite is the imperfect, and choosing between them is one of the hardest decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the preterite reports one finished action, while the imperfect describes background, habits in the past, or an action that was in progress when something else happened. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the tense. Time words help: ayer and de repente point to the preterite, while mientras and todos los días in the past point to the imperfect.

  • Preterite Tense: “Yo describí la casa con detalle ayer.” — “I described the house in detail.”

  • Imperfect: “Yo describía la casa con detalle cada mañana.” — “I used to describe the house in detail.”

  • The two sentences use the same verb and the same situation, but the tense changes what the sentence claims: one finished event versus background or a habit in the past. That difference is the whole decision.

  • Preterite Tense: “Él describió la casa con detalle ayer.” — “He described the house in detail.”

  • Imperfect: “Él describía la casa con detalle cada mañana.” — “He used to describe the house in detail.”

  • The two sentences use the same verb and the same situation, but the tense changes what the sentence claims: one finished event versus background or a habit in the past. That difference is the whole decision.

  • Preterite Tense: “Nosotros describimos la casa con detalle ayer.” — “We described the house in detail.”

  • Imperfect: “Nosotros describíamos la casa con detalle cada mañana.” — “We used to describe the house in detail.”

  • The two sentences use the same verb and the same situation, but the tense changes what the sentence claims: one finished event versus background or a habit in the past. That difference is the whole decision.

Example sentences: describir in the preterite

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Yo describí la casa con detalle ayer.” — “I described the house in detail.”
  2. “Tú describiste la casa con detalle ayer.” — “you described the house in detail.”
  3. “Él describió la casa con detalle anoche.” — “He described the house in detail.”
  4. “Nosotros describimos la casa con detalle la semana pasada.” — “We described the house in detail.”
  5. “Vosotros describisteis la casa con detalle ayer.” — “You described the house in detail.”
  6. “Ellos describieron la casa con detalle ayer.” — “They described the house in detail.”
  7. “Yo describí la casa con detalle esta mañana.” — “I described the house in detail.”
  8. “Él describió la casa con detalle ayer.” — “He described the house in detail.”

Common mistakes

Guessing the past participle

A common error is writing describido as the past participle of describir. The correct participle is descrito. That matters in every perfect tense: it is he descrito, había descrito, habré descrito. Memorise the participle on its own and the perfect tenses take care of themselves.

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is describí, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — describi — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of describir.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For describir, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: describimos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Confusing describir with descubrir

describir and descubrir look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of describir — describe — the sentence needs describir; if it needs the meaning of descubrir, use that verb instead.

Using the wrong tense for describir

The most general mistake is choosing the wrong tense altogether: using the preterite where Spanish needs the imperfect, or the other way round. Check the time words first — ayer and la semana pasada point to the past, cada día and siempre point to the present — and then check whether the action is finished or ongoing. If you can answer those two questions, the tense usually chooses itself.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of describir in the preterite tense?

  • A. describiste
  • B. describió
  • C. describimos
  • D. describí

2. What is the tu form of describir in the preterite tense?

  • A. describiste
  • B. describí
  • C. describió
  • D. describimos

3. What is the el form of describir in the preterite tense?

  • A. describimos
  • B. describió
  • C. describí
  • D. describiste

4. What is the nosotros form of describir in the preterite tense?

  • A. describiste
  • B. describió
  • C. describimos
  • D. describí

5. What is the vosotros form of describir in the preterite tense?

  • A. describí
  • B. describiste
  • C. describió
  • D. describisteis

6. What is the ellos form of describir in the preterite tense?

  • A. describieron
  • B. describí
  • C. describiste
  • D. describió

7. What is the yo form of describir in the preterite tense?

  • A. describimos
  • B. describí
  • C. describiste
  • D. describió

8. What is the el form of describir in the preterite tense?

  • A. describiste
  • B. describimos
  • C. describió
  • D. describí

Answer key

  1. describí — The preterite table gives yo = describí.
  2. describiste — The preterite table gives tu = describiste.
  3. describió — The preterite table gives el = describió.
  4. describimos — The preterite table gives nosotros = describimos.
  5. describisteis — The preterite table gives vosotros = describisteis.
  6. describieron — The preterite table gives ellos = describieron.
  7. describí — The preterite table gives yo = describí.
  8. describió — The preterite table gives el = describió.

Frequently asked questions

How do you form the preterite of describir?

Take the stem describ and add the preterite endings for -ir verbs. The six forms are describí, describiste, describió, describimos, describisteis and describieron. Copy the forms from the table above rather than building them from memory until they are automatic.

When should I use the preterite of describir?

Use it for actions that started and finished in the past. The five rules in the section above cover the situations you will meet most often. If the action is one finished event inside a finished time frame, the preterite is the right choice.

What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of describir?

The preterite form for yo is describí and the imperfect form is describía — different forms for different meanings. The preterite reports one finished action, while the imperfect describes background or a past habit. The contrasted pairs above show the same situation in both tenses, so compare them side by side.

Is describir regular in the preterite?

Yes — describir is regular in the preterite and follows the standard -ir endings. The full conjugation of describir is on its main conjugation page, where every tense is covered.

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