Extraer in the Preterite Tense
Extraer means “to extract”, and this page covers exactly one thing: extraer 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 extraer, 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 extraer in the preterite. For example: “Ayer, yo extraje una muela en el dentista.” — Yesterday, I extracted a tooth at the dentist's. Everything on this page uses the forms of extraer exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.
Extraer in the Preterite Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | extraje |
| tú | extrajiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | extrajo |
| nosotros/as | extrajimos |
| vosotros/as | extrajisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | extrajeron |
Gerund: extrayendo · Past participle: extraído
The gerund is extrayendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy extrayendo” means the action of extraer is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is extraído, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he extraído” 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 extraer is used.
How the preterite of extraer is formed
Extraer is regular in the preterite tense. Take the stem extra and add the preterite endings for -er verbs: -je, -jiste, -jo, -jimos, -jisteis, -jeron, giving extraje, extrajiste, extrajo, extrajimos, extrajisteis, extrajeron. Watch the accents: the yo form is extraje and the él/ella/Ud. form is extrajo.
The irregularity of extraer is in its past participle, extraído, not in the preterite, so the table above is the whole story for this tense. Remember the participle for the perfect tenses: he extraído, has extraído, ha extraído.
When to use the preterite of extraer
The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use extraer 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
The preterite reports a single action that started and finished in the past. The action is done, counted once, and the story moves on. Example: “Ayer, yo extraje una muela en el dentista.” — Yesterday, I extracted a tooth at the dentist's.
2. A sequence of events
In a story, each preterite form is one step forward in time. When several things happened one after another, the preterite lists them in order. Example: “Nosotros extrajimos petróleo del fondo del mar.” — We extracted oil from the bottom of the sea.
3. A specific time marker
Time words such as ayer, anoche, el año pasado and la semana pasada point to the preterite. They name a finished moment, and the verb must match. Example: “Él extrajo datos del informe ayer.” — He extracted data from the report yesterday.
4. A sudden change or interruption
The preterite describes sudden changes and interruptions: something happened, and the situation was different afterwards. Example: “Ellos extrajeron el jugo de la naranja de repente.” — They extracted the juice from the orange suddenly.
5. A completed time frame
When an action took place inside a period of time that is now over, the preterite is the right tense, because the period itself is finished. Example: “Tú extrajiste una muela en el dentista la semana pasada.” — You extracted a tooth at the dentist's last week.
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 whether the action is finished and counted, or ongoing and descriptive. 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: “Ayer, yo extraje una muela en el dentista.” — Yesterday, I extracted a tooth at the dentist's.
Imperfect: “Yo extraía una muela en el dentista cada día.” — I used to extract a tooth at the dentist's every day.
The preterite sentence reports one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes a habit in the past. Ayer points to the preterite, cada día in the past points to the imperfect.
Preterite Tense: “Anoche, él extrajo petróleo del fondo del mar.” — Last night, he extracted oil from the bottom of the sea.
Imperfect: “Él extraía petróleo del fondo del mar todos los días.” — He used to extract oil from the bottom of the sea every day.
Anoche names one finished night, so the preterite is right; todos los días in the past describes a routine, so the imperfect is right.
Preterite Tense: “Nosotros extrajimos datos del informe ayer.” — We extracted data from the report yesterday.
Imperfect: “Nosotros extraíamos datos del informe cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to extract data from the report when we were young.
The preterite sentence counts one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes how things used to be. That difference — finished event versus background — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: extraer 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.
“Extraje una muela en el dentista.” — I extracted a tooth at the dentist's.
“Extrajiste petróleo del fondo del mar.” — You extracted oil from the bottom of the sea.
“Extrajo datos del informe.” — He/she extracted data from the report.
“Extrajimos el jugo de la naranja.” — We extracted the juice from the orange.
“Extrajisteis una muela en el dentista.” — You extracted a tooth at the dentist's.
“Extrajeron petróleo del fondo del mar.” — They extracted oil from the bottom of the sea.
“Extraje datos del informe.” — I extracted data from the report.
“Extrajo el jugo de la naranja.” — He/she extracted the juice from the orange.
Common mistakes with extraer in the preterite
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Ellos extrajo una muela en el dentista.” Right: “Ellos extrajeron una muela en el dentista.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form extrajeron. The singular extrajo belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Ayer yo extraí petróleo del fondo del mar.” Right: “Ayer yo extraje petróleo del fondo del mar.” Why: Extraer has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is extraje, not the regular extraí.
Wrong: “Nosotros extrajiste datos del informe.” Right: “Nosotros extrajimos datos del informe.” Why: Nosotros needs extrajimos. The tú form extrajiste belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos extraje el jugo de la naranja.” Right: “Ellos extrajeron el jugo de la naranja.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form extrajeron, not the yo form extraje.
Quiz: extraer in the preterite
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ una muela en el dentista.” (A tooth at the dentist's.)
- (a) extraje
- (b) extrajiste
- (c) extrajo
Answer: extraje — The yo form of extraer in the preterite is extraje. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ petróleo del fondo del mar?” (Oil from the bottom of the sea.)
- (a) extraje
- (b) extrajo
- (c) extrajiste
Answer: extrajiste — The tú form of extraer in the preterite is extrajiste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ datos del informe.” (Data from the report.)
- (a) extrajiste
- (b) extrajo
- (c) extraje
Answer: extrajo — The él/ella/Ud. form of extraer in the preterite is extrajo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ el jugo de la naranja.” (The juice from the orange.)
- (a) extrajimos
- (b) extraje
- (c) extrajiste
Answer: extrajimos — The nosotros/as form of extraer in the preterite is extrajimos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
5. What is the vosotros/as form of extraer in the preterite?
- (a) extraje
- (b) extrajiste
- (c) extrajisteis
Answer: extrajisteis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes extrajisteis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros extrajisteis una muela en el dentista.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ petróleo del fondo del mar.” (Oil from the bottom of the sea.)
- (a) extrajiste
- (b) extrajeron
- (c) extraje
Answer: extrajeron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of extraer in the preterite is extrajeron. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
7. Which is the correct yo form of extraer in the preterite?
- (a) extraje
- (b) extrajiste
- (c) extrajo
Answer: extraje — The yo form is extraje. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes one finished action in the past?
- (a) Yo extraía una muela en el dentista cada día.
- (b) Mañana, yo extraeré una muela en el dentista.
- (c) Ayer, yo extraje una muela en el dentista.
Answer: Ayer, yo extraje una muela en el dentista. — “Ayer, yo extraje una muela en el dentista.” reports a single completed event, so it takes the preterite. The second option describes background or a past habit, and the third looks to the future.
Frequently asked questions
Is extraer regular in the preterite?
No. Extraer has an irregular preterite: extraje, extrajiste, extrajo, extrajimos, extrajisteis, extrajeron. Learn these forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
What is the past participle of extraer?
The past participle is extraído: 'He extraído' means 'I have extracted'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is extrayendo.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect for extraer?
Use the preterite for one finished action, as in Ayer, yo extraje una muela en el dentista. Use the imperfect for a repeated habit or background, as in Yo extraía una muela en el dentista cada día. The time words around the verb usually tell you which one fits.
How do I remember the preterite forms of extraer?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo extraje, tú extrajiste, él/ella/Ud. extrajo, nosotros/as extrajimos, vosotros/as extrajisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. extrajeron. Then write three of your own sentences with extraer in the preterite, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of extraer — every tense of extraer in one place.
- Extraer examples and quiz — more sentences with extraer and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish preterite guide — how the preterite works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Preterite conjugator — conjugate any verb in the preterite instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on extraer and other verbs.