envidiar Preterite Conjugation
envidiar — to envy
The preterite of envidiar is regular: envidié, envidiaste, envidió, envidiamos, envidiasteis, envidiaron, used for completed acts of envying.
envidiar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about a specific instance or period in the past when someone envied something or someone, and that act of envying is now finished. For example, 'Yesterday, I envied his calm.'
Notes on envidiar in the Preterite
Envidiar is fully regular in the preterite tense. The nosotros form 'envidiamos' is identical to the present indicative; context is key to differentiate.
Example Sentences
Ayer envidié tu habilidad para resolver problemas.
Yesterday I envied your ability to solve problems.
yo
Cuando éramos niños, envidiaste mi bicicleta nueva.
When we were kids, you envied my new bike.
tú
Ella envidió la facilidad con la que él hablaba.
She envied the ease with which he spoke.
él/ella/usted
Mis hermanos envidiaron mi habitación.
My brothers envied my room.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect instead of the preterite for a single, completed act of envy.
Correct: For a specific past instance, use 'envidió' (he envied), not 'envidiaba' (he used to envy/was envying).
Why: The preterite marks a completed action, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Writing 'envidie' without the accent for 'yo'.
Correct: The 'yo' form is 'envidié' with a written accent on the final é.
Why: The accent distinguishes the preterite 'yo' form from other forms and indicates the stressed syllable.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'envidiar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: envidio
The present tense of envidiar is envidio, envidias, envidia, envidiamos, envidiáis, envidian, used for current feelings of envy or general truths about it.
Imperfect
yo: envidiaba
The imperfect of envidiar is envidiaba, envidiabas, envidiaba, envidiábamos, envidiabais, envidiaban, used for past habits, ongoing states, or descriptions involving envy.
Future
yo: envidiaré
The future tense of envidiar is envidiaré, envidiarás, envidiará, envidiarémos, envidiaréis, envidiarán, used for predictions or promises about future envy.
Conditional
yo: envidiaría
The conditional of envidiar is envidiaría, envidiarías, envidiaría, envidiaríamos, envidiaríais, envidiarían, used for hypothetical envy or polite suggestions.
Present Subjunctive
yo: envidie
The present subjunctive of envidiar is envidie, envidies, envidiemos, envidien, envidiéis, used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: envidiara
The imperfect subjunctive of envidiar (envidiara/envidiase) expresses hypothetical past envy or wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: envidia
Commands in the imperative are regular for envidiar: envidia (tú), envidie (usted), envidiemos (nosotros), envidien (ustedes), envidiad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no envidies
Negative commands for envidiar use the present subjunctive: no envidies (tú), no envidie (usted), no envidiemos (nosotros), no envidien (ustedes), no envidiéis (vosotros).