decidir Preterite Conjugation
decidir — to decide
The preterite of decidir is regular: decidí, decidiste, decidió, decidimos, decidisteis, decidieron.
decidir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when a decision was finalized at a specific point in time. It marks the exact moment someone 'made up their mind'.
Notes on decidir in the Preterite
Decidir is regular in the preterite. Note that 'decidimos' is the same in both present and preterite; you'll need context to know if it's 'we decide' or 'we decided'.
Example Sentences
Ayer decidí cambiar de trabajo.
Yesterday I decided to change jobs.
yo
Ellos decidieron comprar una casa nueva.
They decided to buy a new house.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
¿Por qué decidiste salir tan tarde?
Why did you decide to leave so late?
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: decidió (stressing the first syllable)
Correct: decidió (accent on the o)
Why: The third-person singular must have the accent on the last vowel to indicate the past tense.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: decido
Decidir is a regular -ir verb in the present: decido, decides, decide, decidimos, decidís, deciden.
Imperfect
yo: decidía
The imperfect of decidir uses standard -ía endings: decidía, decidías, decidía, decidíamos, decidíais, decidían.
Future
yo: decidiré
The future of decidir adds endings to the infinitive: decidiré, decidirás, decidirá, decidiremos, decidiréis, decidirán.
Conditional
yo: decidiría
The conditional of decidir uses the infinitive plus -ía: decidiría, decidirías, decidiría, decidiríamos, decidiríais, decidirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: decida
The present subjunctive of decidir changes the vowel to 'a': decida, decidas, decida, decidamos, decidáis, decidan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: decidiera
The imperfect subjunctive of decidir uses the preterite stem: decidiera, decidieras, decidiera, decidiéramos, decidierais, decidieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: decide
The imperative of decidir gives direct commands: decide, decida, decidamos, decidid, decidan.
Negative Imperative
yo: no decidas
The negative imperative of decidir uses the present subjunctive: no decidas, no decida, no decidamos, no decidáis, no decidan.