conducir Preterite Conjugation
conducir — to drive
Conducir is irregular in the preterite, using a 'j' stem: conduje, condujiste, condujo, condujimos, condujisteis, condujeron.
conducir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a specific trip you completed or a moment you drove from point A to point B in the past.
Notes on conducir in the Preterite
This is a 'j-stem' verb. The 'c' changes to 'j' and it uses special endings without accents. Crucially, the 'ellos' form is 'condujeron' (not 'condujieron').
Example Sentences
Conduje durante seis horas para llegar aquí.
I drove for six hours to get here.
yo
Ellos condujeron con mucho cuidado por la nieve.
They drove very carefully through the snow.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
¿Condujiste tú el coche nuevo de tu padre?
Did you drive your father's new car?
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: condujieron
Correct: condujeron
Why: After a 'j' in the preterite stem, the 'i' in the 'ieron' ending is dropped.
Mistake: conducí
Correct: conduje
Why: Conducir is irregular; it does not follow the standard -ir preterite endings.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'conducir' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: conduzco
Conducir is irregular only in the 'yo' form (conduzco), but regular for all other persons.
Imperfect
yo: conducía
Conducir is regular in the imperfect: conducía, conducías, conducía, conducíamos, conducíais, conducían.
Future
yo: conduciré
Conducir is regular in the future: conduciré, conducirás, conducirá, conduciremos, conduciréis, conducirán.
Conditional
yo: conduciría
Conducir is regular in the conditional: conduciría, conducirías, conduciría, conduciríamos, conduciríais, conducirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: conduzca
The present subjunctive of conducir follows the 'yo' form change: conduzca, conduzcas, conduzca, conduzcamos, conduzcáis, conduzcan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: condujera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'j' stem from the preterite: condujera, condujeras, condujera, condujéramos, condujerais, condujeran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: conduce
Use 'conduce' for tú and 'conduzca' for formal/plural commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no conduzcas
Negative commands always use the present subjunctive: no conduzcas, no conduzca, no conduzcamos, no conduzcáis, no conduzcan.