espiar Preterite Conjugation
espiar — to spy
The preterite of espiar is fully regular: espié, espiaste, espió, espiamos, espiasteis, espiaron.
espiar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific instance of spying that started and ended at a definite time in the past.
Notes on espiar in the Preterite
Espiar is completely regular in the preterite. The accent on 'espié' and 'espió' follows standard -ar verb rules.
Example Sentences
Ayer espié a los vecinos por la ventana.
Yesterday I spied on the neighbors through the window.
yo
Él espió los documentos secretos durante la reunión.
He glanced at the secret documents during the meeting.
él/ella/usted
Ellos espiaron a la competencia para obtener información.
They spied on the competition to get information.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Adding an extra 'i' like 'espiié'.
Correct: espié
Why: The stem is 'espi-' and the ending is '-é'. You only need one 'i'.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'espiar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: espío
Espiar is mostly regular but adds an accent on the 'i' in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Imperfect
yo: espiaba
The imperfect of espiar is regular: espiaba, espiabas, espiaba, espiábamos, espiabais, espiaban.
Future
yo: espiaré
The future of espiar is regular: espiaré, espiarás, espiará, espiaremos, espiaréis, espiarán.
Conditional
yo: espiaría
The conditional of espiar is regular: espiaría, espiarías, espiaría, espiaríamos, espiaríais, espiarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: espíe
The present subjunctive follows the accent shift of the present indicative: espíe, espíes, espíe, espiemos, espiéis, espíen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: espiara
The imperfect subjunctive of espiar is regular: espiara, espiaras, espiara, espiáramos, espiarais, espiaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: espía
The imperative uses the accent-shifted forms: espía (tú), espíe (usted), espiemos (nosotros), espiad (vosotros), espíen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no espíes
The negative imperative matches the present subjunctive: no espíes, no espíe, no espiemos, no espiéis, no espíen.